• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 10, 2016

While department stores will see 34.5% of the traffic for Valentine's Day purchases, 27.9% of consumers say they will shop online, per National Retail Federation estimates. The data identifies new opportunities for advertisers mapping out cross-channel campaigns during holidays throughout the year.

This Valentine's Day, Adobe estimates that on Wednesday, Feb. 10, online jewelry sales will peak at 168% higher than a typical online-shopping day. The amount consumers will spend that day will reach more than $13 million. Online flowers and gift sales will peak Friday to 695% higher than a typical day. Spend that day will total more than $30 million.

With Valentine’s Day on Sunday, Adobe Digital Index pulled data about how certain retail categories will fare this week, but it's the cross-channel advertising that influences in-store and online purchases.

Results of a survey commissioned by Magnetic in January 2016 show that of the 79% who search for gifts online, more than one-third start their searches a few months or more before the holidays, while another 17% search all year.

The survey, commissioned through market research company Ipsos, analyzed end-of-year holiday shopping trends, but provides insights into year-round holiday trends.

More than half of consumers spent more than five hours doing holiday shopping online, and 30% researched online and made a majority of purchases online, the study shows. This past holiday season, people made faster purchase decisions after visiting fewer sites.

Magnetic's data shows that among its clients, sales rose 2.5% and orders 1.86% for November and December 2015 compared with the same months in 2014. The data also shows a flat number of sites visited.

One-third of Millennials used a mobile device or tablet to make holiday purchases. Fifty-six percent of Millennials used multiple devices to make purchasing decisions, and 30% of respondents made a purchase on a smartphone or tablet.