Brands are fast realizing that Valentine’s Day isn’t just about love, it’s a golden chance to boost sales. In 2024, India’s V-Day shopping spree hit Rs. 25,000 crore, and this year, it’s expected to reach Rs. 28,500 crore.
The excitement isn’t just for one day—the week leading up to 14th February is packed with themed days like Rose Day, Propose Day, Chocolate Day, Teddy Day, Promise Day, Hug Day, and Kiss Day, keeping shoppers in the mood to spend.
When it comes to gifts, apparel forms a big chunk of the spending pie. A study by interactive content platform Dot.vu found that after jewellery (29.2 per cent), flowers and candy (21.2 per cent), and dinner dates (20.3 per cent), clothing takes the fourth spot at 13.7 per cent. Another survey by India Gifts Portal revealed that Indian men outshop women for Valentine’s Day, with the average gift price hovering around Rs 1000.
With lucrative offers, brand campaigns, social media influence, India’s Valentine’s Day market is growing bigger than ever.
And the numbers don’t lie—brands are seeing a big uptick in sales during this season of love.
“Valentine’s Day drives a 1100 per cent increase in sales on its online platform compared to regular periods,” said Tanvi Somaiya, Co-Founder, The Bear House, a men’s apparel brand that sells on its website and e-commerce platforms like Myntra, Ajio, Flipkart, and Tata Cliq. The brand also opened its first store last year.
“We have gathered 20 per cent higher sales with our Valentine’s Day drop compared to the same period last month”, noted Hansa Nigam, Marketing Head, Virgio, a sustainability focused fashion brand.
Talking about the collections, Hansa mentioned that “We have a special collection with 50+ designs in flirty silhouettes, soft romantic colours, and prints. We’ve carefully chosen soft florals, lively butterflies, evergreen polkas, and checks to depict the hopeful mood of the season. It also fits into the Spring Seasonal Drop. Our styles are priced between Rs 1,500- Rs 3,000, making them super affordable for people to shop”
She mentioned that all their fabrics are either natural, recycled, or deadstock and are made with certified and trusted partners.
Meanwhile, The Bear House is bringing a limited-edition Valentine’s 2025 collection, packed with bold colours, striking designs, and refined styles. “We’re offering special bundle deals that pair shirts with tees or accessories,” said Tanvi.
To make styling easy, The Bear House has also curated Valentine’s Day looks for every date plan be it Casual Dinner Date, Adventure Date or Movie and Lounge Date.
For budget-conscious shoppers, Amazon India has launched Pyaar Bazaar, offering affordable gifts like dresses, shirts, jeans, jewellery, soft toys, phone accessories, and home décor. “There’s something for everyone at prices that make gifting fun,” said Zahid Khan, Director, Central Shopping Experience, Amazon India.
And it’s not just about fashion, brands are showering customers with exciting offers. Avanday is giving a free therapy session with purchases over Rs. 3,000, while Blackberrys has curated five wardrobe collections for men, including A Navy Affair, The Versatile Beige, Wine and Dine, Khaki Core, and Bring in the Linen.
Adding to the Valentine’s buzz, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor is set to launch his fashion and lifestyle brand, ARKS, on 14th February.
With India’s young middle class ready to splurge, brands are making sure there’s something for everyone! From Kate Spade New York and Libas to Rare Rabbit, Snitch, Gucci, and Crocs, the choices are endless this season.
Not just for two: Brands celebrate every kind of love
This Valentine’s Day, fashion brands are going beyond just couples and celebrating all kinds of love—self-love, friendships, and family bonds.
Tinder’s 2024 report introduced new relationship trends like nanoships (short, no-strings-attached flings) and hopecore (uplifting, inspiring relationships). Inspired by this, brands are shifting their focus from traditional romance to embracing love in every form.
For instance, Virgio has come up with campaigns like Return Your Ex’s Hoodie and Choose Love That Lasts. In return, participants get a special gift voucher from the brand. They have also partnered with a lot of creators to bring out different aspects of Valentine’s Day like Galentine’s
(a global holiday that celebrates women’s friendship) solo dates, couple dates, etc.
While a big part of the sales comes from Tier-1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are quickly catching up. Thanks to rise in online shopping, consumers in smaller cities are embracing new trends and showing a growing interest in unique products, making them a rising market with huge potential.
Talking about the challenges of inventory management, brands follow a mix of strategies. For instance, they rely heavily on analysing past sales trends to predict what might be popular this year. At the same time, they aim to keep things fresh and exclusive, often starting with limited stock for certain items. They also study international trends and forecast reports. If a product performs well, they quickly restock to meet demand without losing momentum.
“Pre-order options also play a big role for us—they give us an early sense of what people are loving, which helps us optimize inventory and ensure we’re delivering what they want,” mentioned Tanvi.
Whereas, Hansa Nigam highlighted that “Virgio styles are more versatile and can be worn on multiple occasions. Hence, they don’t get limited to only one day. Also, we focus on making fewer units of each style as a brand principle to avoid inventory pile-up. We have our own factories that give us the flexibility to produce as we see demand rising for any style.”
With brands rolling out creative campaigns, trend-driven collections, and innovative offers, India’s Valentine’s Day market is only set to grow bigger in the years to come.
(With inputs from Kannupriya Mehta)
