Florists are gearing up for the day before Valentine’s Day to be the second busiest of the year- after Mother's Day.

Spending data from AIB revealed business peaks for florists between 4pm and 5pm on February 14 as people buy flowers at the last minute. 

According to the data compiled by the bank men buy 85% of the flowers.

The average spend per transaction in-store was €47, but this figure rose to €71 online.

Interestingly, spend on flowers in the days after the 14th, presumably by those who forgot to buy them on the day, increased to €89 online.

Valentine’s Day in 2024 also led to a 44% increase in spending in restaurants as couples dine out.

Last year also saw a 69% rise in cinema spending, pub spending increased by 27%, hotels were up by 17%, and gift card sales rose 23%. 

Valentine’s Day was the best day in February of last year for in-store confectionery spending, while the best day for confectionery spending for online shoppers who were planning ahead was February 8. 

The week leading up to Valentine’s Day saw spending on confectionery 14% higher than average.

AIB said Christmas remains the busiest period for jewellery spending but the Saturday before Valentine’s Day last year saw transactions in jewellery stores rising to €153.

In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, Dublin (€156), Louth (€149), and Laois (€148) had the highest average transaction on jewellery, while Leitrim (€91), Sligo (€100), and Donegal (€101) had the lowest.

Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB, said: “It’s really interesting to see how consumer spending patterns change around Valentine’s Day, with notable increases across a number of sectors and categories.”

He said their data enables a better understanding of consumer spending trends and can help businesses plan accordingly, for example by having more staff available for an evening rush.

He added: "We expect that spending will increase on Valentine’s Day this year across a number of sectors, with retail and hospitality set to benefit the most."