Mobile Brits get personal for Valentine’s Day

73% of UK consumers will spend more in stores on Valentine’s Day if they receive personalised offers via their smartphones. And 54% believe that hyper-local promotions relating to stores or localities will also increase their romantic expenditure, according to research from Vista Retail Support, involving 200 people.

75% prefer to visit a retail store or supermarket for Valentine’s Day, compared with only 19% opting for online. “The High Street is clearly still thriving as consumers with romance on their minds continue to prefer buying in-store rather than online,” says James Pepper, Technical Services Director at Vista Retail Support. “Technology such as the smartphone is now a driving force that increases consumer spending. Personalised or local promotions are great ways for retailers to get their customers to spend more around seasonal events like Valentine’s Day.”

When it comes to paying, cash is no longer king, with 62% choosing contactless cards. “Consumers expect contactless payment technology to be in bricks and mortar stores,” adds Pepper. “Only 7% of consumers in our survey opted to use cash to purchase Valentine’s Day gifts, there is a real shift by consumers to go cashless in this country.”