More than half (52%) of Americans owning smartphones or tablets say online and mobile activities will be critical to their Valentine’s Day plans, with the most popular activities including visiting social media sites, shopping and booking dinner reservations, according to SOASTA's 2015 Valentine’s Day Survey.
More than one-quarter (26 percent) of smartphone/tablet owners say they will use social media apps like Facebook and Twitter on Valentine’s Day, followed by finding the perfect gift for their Valentine on sites like Amazon, FTD and 1800Flowers (23 percent). Nearly one in five (19 percent) say they will use apps like Open Table and Urban Spoon to book Valentine’s Day dinner reservations.
SOASTA’s study discovered that one in five (20 percent) millennial men say that dating apps like OKCupid and Tinder will be critical to their Valentine’s Day plans, while more than one in three (35 percent) will use their smartphone or tablet to play music using apps like Spotify and Pandora and nearly one in three (32 percent) will use picture sharing apps like Instagram and SnapChat. Millennial men are also much more likely to use their smartphone or tablet to book a Valentine’s Day dinner reservation than their female counterparts, with more than one-third (34 percent) of men saying they will do so compared to only one in five (20 percent) of millennial women.
Additional online and mobile activities that will be popular with smartphone and tablet users this Valentine’s Day include:
- Picture sharing (17 percent)
- Playing music (16 percent)
- Sending ecards (13 percent)
- Buying movie tickets (11 percent)
- Playing games (10 percent)
- Dating (6 percent)
- Booking transportation (5 percent)
“Our research shows that millions of Americans will be relying on websites and apps to plan their Valentine’s Day this year, whether it’s shopping for a last minute gift or making a dinner reservation,” said Tom Lounibos, CEO of SOASTA. “Performance is everything, and online retailers may only get one shot at meeting and exceeding users’ demands for quality before they move on to another website or app. Online retailers need to take every holiday seriously and be ready to deliver the best possible digital experience even at peak traffic conditions.”
Survey Methodology: SOASTA commissioned the Valentine’s Day Survey to raise awareness around the peak traffic and high download rates expected during the holiday. The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of SOASTA from Jan. 21-23, 2015 among 2,057 adults, 1,496 of which own smartphones or tablets.
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