Only about 10% of Russians celebrated Valentine’s Day outside their home, MTS experts concluded on February 15, after analyzing anonymized data on transactions of their subscribers.
The number of payments in restaurants, cinemas and stores increased by 10% on February 14 compared to other weekends in 2021. A year ago, the number of Russians celebrating a holiday outside the home was about a third higher.
At the same time, analysis of traffic flows, pedestrian traffic and transactions showed that on Valentine’s Day, visits to restaurants and cafes in Russia increased by 11% compared to a regular weekend.
MTS clarified that about 9% of the country’s residents started buying gifts on Valentine’s Day. A significant increase in transactions was recorded in cosmetics and perfumery stores, where spending was 28% higher than on a regular weekend. In 2020, 15% more Russians visited stores and shopping centers on Valentine’s Day than in 2021.
Despite the distribution of electronic valentines, congratulations on the holiday and viewing of romantic comedies by Russians, voice and Internet traffic also remained unchanged compared to a regular weekend. At the same time, on February 14, residents of the country went to bed 18 minutes later than on a regular Sunday – at about 00:10 Moscow time, the company added.
The day before the holiday, a SuperJob poll showed that only one in eight people in the country was going to celebrate Valentine’s Day, which was a record low in recent years. According to psychologists, this is due to the fact that couples now spend a lot of time together, working remotely, and simply do not feel the need for a separate romantic date.