Travel, jewellery top shopping list

Notwithstanding the online shopping trends, shoppers around the globe prefer the personal touch by picking out presents in store for their Valentine, reveals MasterCard Love Index. 

It showcases global shopper behaviour in over 200 countries around the world and was created by analysing credit, debit and prepaid card transactions over a three-year period between February 11 and 14 in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The index reveals several interesting insights into Valentine’s Day spending habits in the Middle East, including a substantial spike witnessed in travel spending, with hotels accounting for 43pc of the transactions made in the region. 

It also confirms the status of jewellery as a popular regional form of expressing love, with the Middle East emerging as the region where shoppers are most likely to spend money on these gifts in celebration of Valentine’s Day (23%). The Index also lists the Middle East as the only region to see an increase in Valentine’s Day card purchases (107%), reflecting the value the region’s residents continue to place on the element of personal touch.

Overall consumer spending in the build-up to Valentine’s Day has increased in every region from 2013 to 2015 by an average of 22pc. 

“Where you live can have a big impact on how you shop or the experiences and memories you look to create. The MasterCard Love Index provides insights on global and regional purchasing trends to help retailers and other merchants make Valentine’s Day celebrations a little more personal and priceless,” commented Raghu Malhotra, President, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard.