India, 17th February 2025: As India prepares to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Zomato has witnessed an early surge in demand for cakes, desserts, and more. There is a surge in demand for gifting occasions, reflecting higher adoption for celebrating special occasions in a memorable way.
Notable trends and offerings thus far include:
- Increased keyword searches: Searches for relevant keywords like ‘Valentine,’ ‘heart,’ and ‘gift hamper’ are already increasing. Additionally, some quirky yet humorous keyword searches include ‘lover’, ‘boyfriend’, ‘girlfriend’, and ‘romance.’
- Rose Day: Sales of rose-themed and/or flavoured dishes on Rose Day (February 7th) soared by a twofold increase. Delivery of rose-flavored beverages also rose by 70%.
- Chocolate Day: On Chocolate Day (February 10th), over 125K chocolate-based dishes were sold.
- Promising fondue sales: The newly launched chocolate fondue boxes are showing promising early sales figures.
- An uptick in sales across new launches: Restaurant partners and brands have introduced special Valentine’s Day offerings on the app, including:
- Heart-Shaped Treats: A range of heart-shaped food items, including cakes, donuts, cookies, tarts, French hearts, pizza and more.
- ‘Secret Message’ Cake: Cakes with a hidden message for a personal touch.
- Valentine’s Day Gift Hampers: Curated gift hampers, with optional add-ons, are available, building on the success of similar offerings for previous special occasions.
- Growth beyond desserts: Categories like pizza and Asian cuisine are experiencing increased demand.
For consumers looking for a more immersive experience, the app is also offering at-home date night options in select locations in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, including:
- DIY Culinary Kits: Offerings include DIY sushi, ramen, taco, and cocktail-making kits.
- Curated Cheeseboards: A selection of cheeseboards for sharing.
- Chocolate fondue box: Boxes with an assortment of dippable treats.
Looking back at some key trends from 2024’s Valentine’s Day:
- Significant Sales Growth: Last year, on Valentine’s Day, sales of popular categories like cake and desserts increased three to four times compared to an ordinary day, with chocolate and velvet cakes being particularly popular picks.
- Gift Hampers Popularity: Sales of gift hampers saw a twelvefold increase compared to a regular day, making them the best-performing category across special occasions in 2024.
- Emerging categories: The fastest-growing upcoming categories on the app include jar cakes, bento cakes, themed assorted dessert boxes, a combination of chocolate and strawberries.