- Paymentsense transaction data from 305 million card payments across 2019 shows florist sales increase fivefold on Valentine’s Day compared to the rest of the year
- A year of data shows that out of all of the UK cities that Paymentsense operates in, London spends the most on average on their flower purchases for their loved ones, with an average transaction value of £43
- Liverpool is the city with the most consistent romantics, they spend the most on average across the whole year with an average spend of £49
Flower sales bloom
In time for Valentine’s Day, we’ve analysed last year’s Paymentsense transaction data to find out what Brits are buying for their loved ones. It turns out that we’re either traditional romantics, or pretty unimaginative when it comes to our gifting, with florists seeing the biggest uplift across all industries on the 14th February. The UK capital spent the most on average on their bouquets at an average transaction value of £43.
Female business owners
65% of all transactions made on the 14th February were made in female owned florists across the UK. Women florist owners using Paymentsense card machines processed over 754 thousand transactions on that day alone in their bricks and mortar stores.
Paymentsense data recently revealed that Milton Keynes was the best place for women to start a business, you can see the full report here.
What else are Brits buying?
Unsurprisingly, florists aren’t the only business owners to see an uplift in sales during Valentine’s Day, Paymentsense transactions saw uplifts for the following other 6 industries across 2019:
The data shows that a number of people in the UK are buying into the romantic holiday, whether that’s by treating their partner to some flowers, jewelry, a night on the sofa with a takeaway… or a last minute box of Milk Tray from the petrol station. It also means that as well as the larger high street stores, small and local businesses are able to capitalise on consumer habits, especially those that fall into the above categories, and of course, more obviously, the restaurant and catering services.
Predictions
If small businesses get ahead of the game, they can offer special deals to attract customers looking to splash the cash in the form of a romantic gesture this year.
Our Customer Insights Manager, Jon Knott shared his predictions:
“Our latest research into the restaurant and catering industry has shown that red letter days such as Valentine’s day will see a boost of 29% of Britons eating out, but the restaurants are, of course, not the only industry to benefit on February 14th.
We predict that sales on Valentine’s Day this year could be around 22% higher than in 2019, because the event falls on a Friday, which is typically a bigger trading day for businesses than a Thursday, when the event fell last year.
Small retail business owners and independents are in a great position to sell to consumers in advance by utilising their marketing and offering deals for customers who are perhaps looking to spend more on this day as a romantic gesture.”
To find out more data insights for the restaurant and catering industry, check out or latest industry report here.