Based on that, the potential mobile spend on Valentine’s Day is $6.9 billion.
eMarketer posits slightly higher numbers: $4.50 billion will be spent on an evening out, $4.45 billion will be spent on jewelry, $2.02 billion will be spent on clothing and $1.99 billion on flowers.
However, those spending heavily on dating apps before the big day may mistime the market, as it would appear that warmer seasons bring warmer feelings.
According to mobile marketing firm Liftoff, spring is the season of love, or at least, dating apps. Compared to any other season, spring has the highest amount of dating app downloads, on average 131.7% higher. Conversely, fall is the worst time for dating, with 36.6% of subscriptions dropping for both males and females.
Those who date also spend differently depending on how and where they met, eMarketer says. Users coming from online dating sites like Match.com spend on average $24.30 on their first date, while using dating apps like Tinder or Bumble averaged $19.20.
If however, one meets someone through friends and family, the average amount spent on a date is $46.10.