sales stats:
Candy makers will produce about 8 billion conversation hearts for Valentine's Day this year. That's enough to stretch from Valentine, Arizona, to Rome, Italy, and
back 20 times, according to the National
Confectioners Association.
Valentine's Day is the fourth-largest candy-purchasing holiday of the year, after Halloween, Easter and Christmas. Chocolate is the most popular gift, accounting for about 75% of all Valentine’s Day candy sales, with more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes sold. Other popular gifts this year include cards (with 62.8% of consumers planning to purchase one), flowers (36.7%) and an evening out (45.3%), according to the National Retail Federation.
The NRF also reports that the average consumer will spend $119.67 this year, up from about $100 last year. Men are again the biggest spenders, averaging $156.22, nearly double the average woman, who'll spend $85.08. Total spending for Valentine's Day is expected to reach $16.9 billion, up from $13.7 billion last year.