South Africans are feeling more romantic this February than the same time last year - 17% more romantic, according to the eBucks Valentine's Day survey.
Conducted by First National Bank's (FNB) rewards programme, the online survey tallied feedback from 1 311 South Africans on their spending intentions this Valentine's Day, with an overwhelming amount of both men and women saying they have it in mind to spoil their loved ones tomorrow.
The survey, carried out throughout January, revealed that 94% of men and 92% of women believe Valentine's Day is the ideal time to show their partners that they are loved. This is up considerably from the 76% who said the same last year. Only 4% of respondents said they were not going to buy anything for their loved ones, a significant drop from the 20% of survey respondents who said they didn't intend spending on their partners in 2011.
Thirty-two percent of men plan to spend between R250 and R500, while 30% of women are planning to spend the same amount on gifts for their partners, the survey revealed. One-third of women (33%) plan on spending less than R250 on their loved ones, while only one-fifth (21%) of men are planning to spend the same amount.
“The survey shows that respondents are willing to spend on celebrating the day, but are more controlled in their spending than for a holiday like the festive season, where most respondents to our 2011 festive season survey said that they would spend between R500 and R1 000,” says eBucks CEO Jolande Duvenage.
Best, worst gifts
Perfume, flowers and jewellery top the gift list for men splashing out on their female counterparts, while women tend to opt for electronic gadgets to say “I love you”, according to eBucks.
As for worst gift ideas, nearly half the respondents said the worst thing that could happen was for the day to pass unnoticed and for them to receive nothing. “For most, the importance of giving the 'right' Valentine's Day gift cannot be underestimated. A thoughtless or inappropriate gift can do more harm than good. The survey respondents have given a clear indication of what one should steer clear of, when shopping for a Valentine's gift,” says Duvenage.
Female respondents indicated that the worst Valentine's Day gift they could be given, apart from “nothing”, are soft toys, while male respondents said an “unattractive item of clothing” - like a cartoon tie or a pair of pink socks - is likely to put a damper on the day.
Duvenage says increased activity in the eBucks online shop already started to become evident last week. “The more traditional roses and chocolates are currently leading as 'gifts-to-give' [so far] this year,” says Duvenage.