We are really quite busy at RedBalloon on Valentine’s Day, not only with voucher deliveries but also in organising wedding proposals. We had some great ones this year. Proposals took place on a Harley, in a hot air balloon, a gondola, at a seaplane picnic, and scuba diving. These are some of the less obvious places people popped the question this year on 14th February.

So when I saw these numbers come in I thought it interesting reading. Reed Gift Fairs commissioned the Valentines Day Gift Study and the results have given me food for thought.

When asked how Valentines Day could be made more exciting:

• 76% wanted to receive a really original gift.
• a massive 83% wanted a heartfelt gift, with women more likely than men (86% vs 80%) to want a gift from the heart.

While capital city respondents were only slightly more likely than their country-based cousins to want original gifts (77% vs 74%), those in regional areas were much more likely than city-dwellers to want a heartfelt gift (89% vs 80%)

When asked what was the most important thing when considering a gift:

• 93% wanted it to have a personal touch
• 70% wanted it to be delivered on time
• 32% wanted it to be traditional – such as chocolates or roses
• 11% wanted it to look expensive

SA respondents were twice as likely as those in VIC and TAS to want traditional Valentines Day gifts (52% vs 27%), and much more insistent than those in WA that the gift is delivered on time (81% vs 60%). While the personal touch was important to almost everyone, WA dwellers were more likely than those in NSW to want the personal touch (98% vs 91%), yet Queenslanders were nearly four times as likely as WA respondents to want to give gifts that looked expensive (19% vs 5%).

Thanks to Elizabeth Ball for bringing these numbers to my attention. They give a valuable insight for us.