With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) jewellery retailers to be among the big winners.
ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman said he’s expecting retail sales and in-store foot traffic to rise in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.
“As Valentine’s Day is a widely celebrated event, we expect to see specialty retailers in particular receive a considerable increase in sales both in-store and online,” Zimmerman said.
“With romance in the air, the ARA believes retailers will have their hands full of gift options to assist hopeless romantics in securing the ultimate gift for their special someone or even themselves.”
Although Valentine’s Day was once a notoriously renowned holiday for men to express their gratitude to women, in recent years the ARA have noticed a slight alteration to this tradition as the number of women purchasing gifts for men continues to increase each year.
“The Valentine’s Day tradition of gifting dates back as early as the 14th century,where poems and roses were exchanged from men to women as a gesture of love and gratitude,” Zimmerman said.
“While past customs have favoured men gifting presents to women, we have noticed a refreshing change to this tradition recently, with more women sending gifts and writing cards to men.”
Jewellery retailers are expected to be preoccupied in the days before Valentine's Day.
Jimaco Ltd Showcase Jewellery Buying Group GM Carson Webb said it was an important day for businesses.
“As Valentine’s Day continues to grow in popularity, we’re finding that proposals actually increase during this time. Diamonds are so unique and individual and are a popular gift option for the Valentine’s period as they are timeless piece that can be cherished for years to come,” Webb said.
Interflora CEO Gerry Gerrard expected approximately five million blooms to be delivered across Australia during the Valentine’s Day period, with many florists working 48 hours or more to prepare for the surge in orders.
“Valentine’s Day is the single busiest day of the year for Interflora florists. We sometimes receive a whole month’s worth of orders in single day. Many florists will be working around the clock to prepare for the increased volume in orders to ensure that there are no disappointed lovers on the special day,” Gerrard said.