Consumer spend expected to rise on Valentine's weekend
This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, giving consumers a full weekend to celebrate. The extended timing is expected to drive increased spend across dining, travel, accommodation, gifting and other experience-focused categories, with both in-store and online channels set to benefit.
FNB anticipates stronger growth in Valentine’s spend as customers gear up for weekend celebrations (Image source: © 123rf 123rf)
Based on this, FNB expects higher customer spending around Valentine’s Day this year.
Spending prioritised
Reflecting on 2025’s spend activity, FNB head of retail spend Akshay Bhayroo says consumers have shown a consistent willingness to prioritise spending over this period.
“Last year we saw 7.6% more customers transacting on Valentine’s Day. In-store spend reached R209m, reflecting a 16% year-on-year (YoY) increase, while online spend totalled R84m, up 1.5% year on year. Stronger growth was recorded in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, indicating a rise in last-minute shopping behaviour.”
Online spending increased
During the 2025 Valentine’s Day week, overall credit card spending reached R1.76bn, with online spend increasing by 6% year-on-year. On Valentine’s Day itself, overall credit card purchases increased by 11.4% compared to the year before.
- Men accounted for 57% of spending customers, while women accounted for 43%.
- Spending activity was concentrated in major urban cities, particularly Sandton, Pretoria, and Cape Town, highlighting continued demand for premium and experiential offerings.
- Customers aged 30 to 49 were the most active spenders during this period.
- Customers aged between 20 and 29 recorded the highest growth, with spend up by 32% YoY.
- On-the-day category performance was particularly strong, with accommodation spend rising by 14% YoY, chocolates by 18.3% YoY, flowers by 28.4% YoY, gifts by 31.1% YoY and restaurant spend increasing by 25.8% YoY.
A broader trend
Bhayroo says this reflects a broader trend in how South Africans choose to celebrate.
“Valentine’s Day is increasingly about how people choose to spend time together rather than just what they buy.
"When the day falls over a weekend, customers have more flexibility to plan trips, book experiences and spend across multiple categories.
"Based on last year’s patterns and the timing this year, we expect to see further momentum across key categories as consumers plan getaways, activities and special moments.”