Filipinos show romance with flowers on Valentine’s Day
02/12/2014
How do people across Asia Pacific show their love on Valentine’s Day? In ways as diverse as the cultures of the region. Filipinos prefer to show romance with flowers, spending a whopping 955% more than average on flowers on Valentine’s Day, according to global payments technology company Visa.
Statisitcs are based on Visa card spend data [1] across the region, which compared purchases made on the week of Valentine’s Day (11th-16th of February 2013) with a control period (16th – 21th September 2013).
“The data shows that Filipinos best express their romantic side by giving flowers to their loved ones; spending approximately PHP 2,700 (USD63) per purchase,” said Iain Jamieson, Visa Country Manager for the Philippines and Guam.
When it comes to giving flowers, Sri Lanka and Thailand came in at second and third behind the Filipinos, with flower purchases growing by 334% and 190%, respectively. Hong Kong and Macau had the highest spend per transaction at USD119 and USD127.
Love is always sweet in Hong Kong, where sales of assorted confections and sweet treats grew by 110% on Valentine’s Day, with an average receipt of USD$52. Japan and Macau showed modest increases of 30% and 16% in confectionery sales.
India expressed affection by giving jewelry, posting a 124% rise in jewelry sales on Valentine’s Day, with average transaction size growing by 28%. Macau came in second, with jewelry sales growing by 64%, while the average transaction size remained the same.
A candle lit dinner is another popular way to show romance. Malaysia led the way in restaurant spending on Valentine’s Day, spending 78% more than usual, with an average bill of USD$87. Macau and Singapore outspent the rest of the region with 29% and 26% average increases in restaurant spending during the time period. The Philippines, coming in fourth, posted a 22% increase in restaurant spending on Valentine’s Day, with the average bill growing 8% to USD$39.
“This data allows us to see the differences and similarities in the markets that we serve,” said Mr. Jamieson. “Visa strives to find ways to better understand the spending habits of our cardholders across the region so we can continue to ensure our products and services are meeting their needs.”
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 47,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit corporate.visa.com