The content of this post is about 98% due to a fabulous consultant at Environics Communications, Nazia. The pitch and follow-up response I received from her was interesting, fun and pretty relevant to what I write about. Other PRs take note! Also, did you know that Environics has a blog? I didn't. Nice.
A lot of people have pretty strong feelings about Valentine's Day. Personally, I'm pretty ambivalent. I didn't HATE it when I was single and I don't LOVE it now that I'm in a relationship. It's nice that people acknowledge the significant-other in their lives, however, I do think it is extremely commercial and, in these economic and environmentally-aware times, a little wasteful.
Apparently, the tide of public sentiment - especially the sentiment of single folks and jilted lovers - is flowing more towards the practical than the romantic. eBay – an oft-used barometer of pop culture – expects to see a number of interesting trends this year and offers some useful tips for those without a sweetheart. (Confession - it never occurred to me to use eBay as a trend barometer - very smart.)
One of the trends eBay expects is a spike in typical Valentines Day junk paraphernalia listed AFTER the Big Day. Which goes to show that if given a choice, no one really wants another plush bear. Canadians feeling the economic crunch are re-selling their Valentines Day gifts online for the sweetest gift of all – cash. Nazia is going to get back to me after V-Day with some stats, but she was able to tell me a few Valentine's related tidbits about what's up there now:
- Total number of listings with “Valentine” as keyword in either title or description: 129,318
- Most popular Valentine category: Jewellery and Watches with 16,750 listings
- Number of listings for Valentine lingerie: 2,931
- Priciest item suggested for Valentines Day gift: Hermes Crocodile Birkin “ROSY” at $116,867.76
- Total number of “love spells” for sale: 991 listings
- Oldest valentine: 1862 Lacey (sic) Victorian Valentine
- Tallest valentine plush toy: 8 Ft Tall Valentine Teddy Bear
- Number of heart-shaped food items: 11 (frosted flake, potato, soy chip, clementine, Lays BBQ- and regular-flavoured chips)
“Love’s Hangover” sales are another trend eBay expects this year in which jilted lovers re-sell keepsakes from relationships gone sour to men and women who are more deserving. Have you left personal items at an ex’s? Watch out – it might find its way on to eBay.
To help single Canadians get through the day, eBay offers the following tips:
The Lonely Canadian’s Guide to Surviving Valentine’s Day:
- Preparation is Key – Get ready for Valentine’s Day with practical advice found in the Anti-Valentines Day Handbook (by J. More).
- Share the (Anti-) Love – Don’t snub your friends in relationships, instead send them environmentally-friendly Anti-Valentines Day e-cards.
- Education is the Answer – Help people make informed decisions by sharing the latest statistics on divorce.
- Make it a Movie Night – Pop some popcorn, cozy up in some cashmere, and curl up with classics like My Bloody Valentine or even The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
- Do the Math – Calculate how much your friends have spent on their loved ones for Valentines Day. Text/e-mail/call them with the amount. Put it into context by sending them listings for fabulous shoes, electronic gadgets or anything else that they could have spent their cash on.
- Stock Up – Stock up on essentials like chocolate before it gets melted down and remolded into gaudy heart-shapes. Wait too long and you’ll have to pay twice the price for half the amount.
- Unconditional Love – Want to experience unconditional love? Invite your mom out to dinner.
- Dress Accordingly – Put on your most striking black outfit. Doing so takes the away attention from starry-eyed couples (yelch!).
- DIY – Don’t wait for a secret admirer, send a gift to yourself. You’re guaranteed to love it. (Kate's note - You can probably pick up a coveted item for a good deal on eBay <wink> )
It will be interesting to see how this plays out on eBay - are well-meaning lovers just wasting their money? If you must get your sweetheart a gift for Valentine's this year, perhaps consider the gift that keeps on giving - like a gift card to CanadaHelps.org.
Photo Credit: ButterflySha (flickr)