The most wanted Valentine’s Day gift of 2021 is…

Experiences are out. Food is in.

That’s according to a consumer survey of Valentine’s Day shopping and spending trends by Offers.com, which found that while previous years' spending and plans for the day revolved around experiences, 2021 is the year of food and staying in.

Most (62%) of respondents said they are planning for a night in compared to last year when the top plan of respondents was going out/an experience. And last year’s top gift — experiences — is taking a back seat this year to food (29%) and other physical gifts, including flowers or plants and jewelry (both at 16%). Nearly half (48%) of respondents plan on exchanging gifts. 

Walmart (53%) and Amazon (52%) are the top retailers when it comes to Americans’ Valentine’s Day shopping plans, followed by Target (30%), according to the survey.

Other findings are below.

• Two in three respondents (69%) plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their partner and one in three (33%) will plan to celebrate with their children. 

• The youngest demographic we surveyed (ages 18 to 24) is the most likely of all the age groups to celebrate with friends (30%), by themselves (27%) and with their pet(s) (18%).

• About two-thirds of those celebrating Valentine’s Day will spend $100 or less.

• The oldest and the youngest age groups are the most frugal when it comes to Valentine’s Day. 41% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 54% of the 65+ plan to spend under $50 this year

• Chocolate and chocolate-covered strawberries are top Valentine’s Day treats 

• Age affects retailer preferences somewhat. Amazon is more popular among younger shoppers — 60% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 64% of 25-to-34-year-olds chose it as their top retailer for Valentine’s Day.  It’s a tie between Amazon and Walmart in the 35-to-44-year-old contingent. From age 44 up, Walmart is the clear winner.