From The Straits Times    |

Valentines Day 2013 banner

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a survey by e-commerce site Rakuten has found that consumers in Asia are the most generous when it comes to gifts.

The survey, conducted by Rakuten’s online marketing arm, found that shoppers in Asia spend the most on the run-up to Valentine’s Day, with expenditures of around £174 per person (approximately S$339), while those in Germany spend the least about £59 per person.

According to the same survey, 31 per cent of Germans confessed to having forgotten Valentine’s Day.

Asia shoppers most generous on Valentine's Day

The survey by Rakuten also found that jewelry remains one of the most popular expensive gifts to buy for Valentine’s Day.

However, according to the survey, while online shoppers in the UK tended to be in a rush, purchasing jewellery on February 8, those in the US were more organized with jewellery sales peaking on February 3. US shoppers also splurge on their pets for the occasion; the survey shared that American shoppers typically spend a whooping £231 million yearly just on Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets.

Outside of the US, according to the Rakuten survey, France sees a 52 per cent increase in flower sales in the leadup to February 14, while in the UK lingerie sales increase by 27 per cent.

Asia shoppers most generous on Valentine's Day

But being single on Valentine’s Day need not signify a lack of gifts as, according to Rakuten, 15 per cent of American women take the initiative to send themselves flowers.

A separate survey by credit analysis site Creditdonkey.com found that 17 percent of US males intended to buy jewellery for their significant other, compared to only four per cent of females.

Another US survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found that the majority (51 per cent) of US romantics intend to buy their partner candy, while 36.6 per cent will give their lover flowers and 19.7 per cent will splash out on jewellery.

Infographic source: Rakuten Linkshare

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