South African consumers continue to buy gifts in February, with data from Standard Bank showing a double-digit increase in shopping activities on Valentine’s weekend. As Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year, shopping activity spiked compared to previous years, with jewellery stores, luxury goods retailers, spas and salons, and restaurants seeing the biggest boost.
Tumelo Ramugondo, Head of Credit at Standard Bank, notes that the day of the week Valentine’s Day fell on this year significantly influenced spending on jewellery and other gifts. “Transaction volumes were noticeably higher compared to years when Valentine’s Day fell mid-week,” he says.
Looking specifically at spend over the Valentine’s weekend (Friday to Sunday), 2025 volumes and values were 12% higher than in 2024, and 25% higher than in 2023. However, the average transaction value for 2025 was R411, slightly lower than in previous years. “While customers spent more overall, many opted for lower-ticket value items. But there were some eye-popping transactions which show that some people take gifting very seriously during this time,” adds Ramugondo.
Below are additional spending patterns observed by Standard Bank:
Where people spent their money:
- Popular spend categories include restaurants; department stores; hobbies, speciality goods & gifting shops; spas & salons; florists; and jewellery stores.
- Spending at jewellery stores increased by 154% year-on-year with an average transaction value of R2,000.
- There was a 48% increase in spend at spas & salons, followed by a 43% increase in spend at restaurants.
- On average, customers spent R700 at florists.
Highest spend on a gifts:
- The highest local purchase was a gift costing R475,000 at a jewellery store in Sandton.
- The highest internationally purchased gift cost R5.5 million at a jewellery store in Paris.
Spending patterns by gender:
- Males generally spend more than female customers. The two highest transactions on a gift mentioned above were by male customers.
- This year males spent an average of R386 per transaction, compared to females who spent R357.
- The highest spend on a gift by a female customer was R52,500 at a luxury fashion house.
Grave Scuttlebutt
Ian Fuhr – Sorbet Group: After 40 years as a serial entrepreneur, founder of Sorbet, Ian Fuhr, has learnt more than his fair share about business in multiple industries. In his 50\’s he decided to launch a new brand in an industry he wasn\’t familiar with, 13 years later the business is still going strong with more than 138 franchises. In 2015, Sorbet opened its first international salon in London. Dermalogica is an international brand, and South African brand Environ is in more than 60 countries with a firm foothold in the UK, which means consumers are aware of Sorbet\’s products.