5 key insights for your Valentine’s Day campaigns in 2023

Valentine’s Day is next month, which means we’re fast approaching one of the year’s biggest gifting holidays. When looking at 2022 query data, Microsoft Advertising Insights found searches and clicks containing the term “valentines” started ramping up around the end of January.From there, we saw three major spikes in activity: One two weeks before Valentine’s, one week before, and lastly on the holiday itself, February 14.

It looks like trends should follow similar patterns this year, so make sure your keywords are activated and ready to go as soon as possible. As for other actions you should be taking to prepare for Valentine’s Day 2023, we’ve outlined the top learnings found in last year’s Valentine’s Day analysis in the following five insights you can’t miss.

• 1. According to the National Retail Federation, the average spend per person last year was around $175 and over half of the United States (53%) celebrated and bought gifts for their loved ones.
• 2. Gift activity soared last February—with searches growing +22% year over year (YoY), clicks growing +3% YoY and spend growing +12% YoY.Forecasts indicate that searches should grow again, so make sure you increase spend from last season.

Chart outlining search growth over the last 2 years.

• 3. Almost half (41%) of the top 100 queries made in February 2022 had the terms gift, flower, or card in them.The most searched term overall in February 2022 was “valentines day gifts.” Use the Keyword Planner tool to help you find powerful new keywords to target around the top three categories.
• 4. By targeting users in-market for cards in January, you’ll see better results in terms of cost per click (CPC) on the Microsoft Audience Network. As we get closer to the holiday and expand into February, CPCs start increasing as clicks go down.
• Pro tip: Use our In-Market Audience tool for exclusive targeting specific to Cards & Greetings.

Chart outlining CPC on Valentine’s Day.

• 5. Experiential gifts are on the rise. Last year, Travel, Entertainment, and Dining categories all produced over +100% YoY growth in both searches and clicks in the 30 days leading up to Valentine’s Day.This coincides with third-party research as well, with the National Retail Federation reporting that 41% of consumers agreed they would “love to receive a gift of experience” in 2022.

Stay informed

Now that you’ve been able to read about our Valentine’s Day findings, are you interested in other seasonal moments as well? If you love insights, we have a lot more coming in 2023! Sign up for the Microsoft Advertising Insider
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