Valentine’s Day boom brings cheers for Q-comm brands: More shopping for jewellery, greeting cards, and plush toys

Valentine’s day is here and people are rushing to shower their loved ones with gifts. February 14 is emerging as a big sales opportunity for quick commerce firms and digital-first brands, as people are shopping for fashion, jewellery, beauty, personal care and sexual wellness products. To tap into the momentum, platforms such as Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart began activating special features on their apps from February 7. These include themed storefronts and interactive layouts built around gifting needs for the season. Zepto marked the start of the period with an on-ground event titled ‘Valentine’s Prom Night’. “We have seen a massive surge in Valentine’s gifting this year, with key categories like jewellery, greeting cards, and plush toys growing up to 10X year-on-year,” a spokesperson for Instamart told ET. “Notably, the sexual wellness category has more than tripled.” Competition to attract younger consumers is intensifying. Flipkart Minutes has introduced a dedicated section called RelationShop on its platform. “We have recorded 8X year-over-year growth (February 7-11, 2025 vs. February 7-11, 2026) and anticipate a 7X surge in overall demand this year,” Flipkart spokesperson told ET. At the same time, D2C brands supplying through these channels are also reporting strong traction. MyMuse, which sells sexual wellness products, is seeing sales climb 50–60% year-on-year across quick commerce marketplaces. “This is our third Valentine’s Day on quick commerce and each year the demand is increasing,” said Sahil Gupta, cofounder of MyMuse. “The number of brand searches on platforms have significantly increased as well.” Experts say speed and privacy are central to the appeal for many buyers. Rajat Jadhav, cofounder and chief executive of men’s sexual health and wellness brand Bold Care, linked the seasonal bump to changing conversations around intimacy. “Valentine’s is significant as it changes the mood around intimacy,” he said, adding, “It is one of the few times in the year when people talk about it openly, without overthinking or hesitation. We see that convert into higher curiosity and a lot of first-time buyers.” While February 13 and 14 remain the busiest days because of last-minute shopping, companies note that spending is now distributed across the broader Valentine’s week. “We usually see a 4X spike in revenue, which is from January 15 to February 14, so those 30 days is what we capture,” said said Twishaa Gupta, cofounder of fashion and accessories brand Salty. “This year, targets are super high and we want to close somewhere around Rs 20 crore for just this month.” Data from Unicommerce also highlights the scale of the build-up, with the firm registering a 48% year-on-year jump in quick commerce orders between February 1 and 10. For the occasion, platforms have assembled curated lists linked to days such as Rose Day, Chocolate Day, Promise Day and Hug Day. “Carts are bigger, more premium, and the celebration now spans an entire week, signalling a clear move from impulse buys to planned, thoughtful gifting,” the spokesperson from Instamart said, adding that the company increased inventory across dark stores in advance and expanded staffing and delivery partners to handle volumes.