Brits are excited for Valentine’s Day. According to Google, over the past 24 hours, the UK has become the number two country searching around the day of love worldwide, behind only the romantics over in Nepal. But what do they want to buy?

Valentine's day gifts

Source: GettyImages/OJO Images/Robert Daly

Valentine’s gifts for men

What do men want for Valentine’s Day? It seems many of the romantics in the nation have no clue as according to Google, searches for ’Valentine’s gifts for men’ have soared by 29% year on year. 

Trending-related queries reveal that many Brits are hunting for Jellycat toys for the men in their lives, alongside hoodies, shoes and gold chains. 

Rising: Related search queries on ‘Valentine’s Day gifts for men’ via Google Trends

jellycat

cute valentines gifts

shoes for men

valentine gift for him

hoodies for men

mens jewellery

mens clothing

first valentine gift for boyfriend

valentines gifts fir men

valentines chocolates

gold chain for men

nike socks men

mens slippers

Over on YouTube, it seems shoppers are also on the hunt for inspiration. This site noted a 32% increase in views for ‘gift’ content and 80 million views on ‘unboxing’ videos (where content creators film themselves taking a product out of the packaging and viewing it for the first time) during February 2024.

For those who found inspiration from the kitchen, searches for “Valentine’s meal deals” saw a 68% increase year over year, and “pancake for two” recipes have begun trending on YouTube.

Galentine’s Day

While many Brits are pondering what to buy the men in their lives, some are ditching them. Searches for Galentine’s Day are up 23% this year. The celebratory day, made famous on an episode of the huge US sitcom Parks & Recreation, is now a global holiday tht celebrates female friendships. For the uninitiated, a typical Galentine’s Day bash involves gathering an all-female friend group together over a meal or drinks and, according to The Telegraph, and is “intended as a rebuff to the conventions of Valentine’s Day”. 

Gentlemen feeling rejected – fear not, Galentine’s Day is typically celebrated the day before the day of love on February 13, so there’s every chance you may still receive your jellycat toys. 

First dates and fashion

Valentine's day dinner

Source: GettyImages/E+/Liliboas

Many Brits will be making the most of the romance in the air by snagging a first date, and it seems an equal number of them are in need of outfit inspiration. According to Google, “Valentine’s outfit” searches have soared +37%. But that doesn’t mean the nation intends to push the boat out, one of the top searches was “casual first date outfit”. 

Sophie Neary, managing director, retail and consumer goods at Google, says: “It’s the perfect time for apparel brands to get creative with dressing for comfort. Alongside “first date” searches reaching an all-time high in recent weeks, so many singles were searching for “casual first date outfit” that it was one of the top trending queries.

 “Our data suggests there is still opportunity for retailers to capture customers still seeking to celebrate this moment.”

“There’s no need for grocery businesses to miss out on the fun, with budget-conscious consumers searching for ‘Valentine meal deals’ by an increased +68% year on year.

“As brands gear up for a fabulous February 14th, Google Search trends reveal that more than ever, consumers are looking for love, self-love, friendship, and what’s ‘hot’ and ‘not’ this year. =