Blog Valentine's Day conversion opportunities...

Valentine's Day conversion opportunities: Verticals bit by the love bug

Alix Carman, Content Writer, Adjust, Jan 24, 2023.

Valentine’s Day invokes visions of romantic dinner dates, chocolates, and roses. But what of the companies behind these themed goodies and services? More than ever before, consumers are choosing to forgo brick and mortar in favor of making their purchases online, and largely on mobile. E-commerce accounted for about 15% of sales in 2022, and this share is expected to continue to grow in 2023.

We took a deep dive into Adjust data to pinpoint the prime opportunities for each app vertical that can elevate their marketing strategies in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.

Nights out are making a comeback

After years of staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are ready to get out on the town again for their date nights, especially when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Sessions for restaurant booking apps were a whopping 19% above February’s daily average.

However, of the over 55% of couples who intended to celebrate Valentine’s Day together in 2022, 41% still planned a romantic dinner at home. Recipe app sessions were up 10% compared to the month’s average.

These subverticals saw a noticeable lead-in to Valentine’s Day with both restaurant booking and recipe app installs and sessions picking up pace from February 11. Restaurant booking installs and sessions peaked on the 12th, while recipe app installs and sessions peaked on the 13th.

Food delivery installs and sessions, on the other hand, dropped off for Valentine’s Day 2022. And although food delivery app sessions were 19% above the monthly average in 2021, they were only 2% above average in 2022. However, food delivery app installs peaked on the 13th of February at 13% above the month’s daily average for installs. Food delivery app sessions were 8% above average on this day, indicating that couples were choosing to celebrate the day before. This comes as little surprise given Valentine’s Day fell on a Monday in 2022.

E-commerce and dating apps peak early

E-commerce apps experienced the lowest change on Valentine’s Day itself, increasing in sessions by only 0.3%. Instead, consumers completed their shopping early – ramping up from January 21st and summiting on the 10th of February

Similarly, dating apps saw the height of sessions in February on the 13th and 14th at 3% above the month’s average, with singles looking to organize Valentine’s Day dates. Installs spiked ahead of this between the 5th and 8th of February.

Key takeaways

Valentine’s Day conversion opportunities are clearly a seasonal trend that is here to stay. To make the most of this increased user engagement, here are our top 3 tips:

E-commerce and dating apps should start user acquisition (UA) campaigns early. E-commerce should start in mid-January while dating apps should start in early February.
Restaurant booking and recipe apps should plan for a surge a couple of days in advance of Valentine’s Day itself. Last-minute planners, beware!
Food delivery apps should keep in mind the day of the week that Valentine’s Day falls upon, and strategically schedule push notifications around the weekend if it should fall on a weekday. In 2023 Valentine’s Day will be on Tuesday, so prepare for the 11th-12th to likely be your busiest.

Want to learn more about how to maximize the e-commerce potential of Valentine’s Day? Read up on our best practices for Valentine's Day mobile marketing.