Valentine's Day 2026: 48% rise in quick commerce orders; chocolates, perfumes top the cake, says report
Whether it is a box of chocolates, a skincare kit, or a small but thoughtful present, speed has become as important as sentiment. Details here
- Feb 12, 2026,
- Updated Feb 13, 2026 5:15 PM IST
Valentine’s Day shopping in India is changing. Instead of planning gifts days in advance, many shoppers are now waiting till the last moment—and relying on instant delivery apps to save the day. Whether it is a box of chocolates, a skincare kit, or a small but thoughtful present, speed has become as important as sentiment.
According to a Unicommerce report, overall e-commerce volumes grew by about 17% compared to the same period in 2025 and order volumes on quick commerce platforms jumped by 48% on-year.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) websites recorded a 16% rise in order volumes and marketplaces saw a growth of 14%. Besides this, consumers moved beyond traditional gifting categories, signalling that “anything can be a gift”.
Popular picks included food items like gourmet snacks, artisanal teas and chocolates, along with beauty and personal care products like perfumes, skincare kits and makeup combos.
Gifting products such as couple coffee mugs and cushions also found favour, while practical lifestyle and wellness products emerged as thoughtful gifting options, showing that Valentine’s gifting is becoming more personal and less predictable.
E-commerce demand during the Valentine’s sale grew across the country, showing how online shopping for special occasions is becoming common even beyond big cities. Tier 1 cities and metros recorded around 19% growth, Tier 2 cities saw about 14% growth, while Tier 3 cities matched metros with close to 18% growth.
Behind many of these last-minute purchases were personalised recommendations and timely reminders by top brands. During the Valentine’s season, brands handled over 1.2 million customer interactions through SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and its AI voice agent, Catalyst.
These targeted messages converted into more than 18,000 orders worth around ₹35 million, underlining how communication tools are now tightly linked to sales performance.
Analysis of over 15 million orders processed across quick commerce platforms, marketplaces, and brand websites between February 1 and 10, 2026, highlights how impulse purchases and fast deliveries are reshaping Valentine’s shopping.
“As Valentine’s Day continues to evolve into one of the most significant gifting moments of the year, we are seeing strong momentum across categories like chocolates, fresh flowers, fragrances, jewelry, beauty, fashion, electronics and gift cards. This reflects the growing enthusiasm among customers for celebrating special occasions, with an increasing preference for premium and curated gifting options. For customers seeking last-minute indulgences with ultra-fast deliveries, Amazon Now offers thousands of products, delivered within minutes in parts of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore,” said Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President, Amazon India.
Valentine’s Day shopping in India is changing. Instead of planning gifts days in advance, many shoppers are now waiting till the last moment—and relying on instant delivery apps to save the day. Whether it is a box of chocolates, a skincare kit, or a small but thoughtful present, speed has become as important as sentiment.
According to a Unicommerce report, overall e-commerce volumes grew by about 17% compared to the same period in 2025 and order volumes on quick commerce platforms jumped by 48% on-year.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) websites recorded a 16% rise in order volumes and marketplaces saw a growth of 14%. Besides this, consumers moved beyond traditional gifting categories, signalling that “anything can be a gift”.
Popular picks included food items like gourmet snacks, artisanal teas and chocolates, along with beauty and personal care products like perfumes, skincare kits and makeup combos.
Gifting products such as couple coffee mugs and cushions also found favour, while practical lifestyle and wellness products emerged as thoughtful gifting options, showing that Valentine’s gifting is becoming more personal and less predictable.
E-commerce demand during the Valentine’s sale grew across the country, showing how online shopping for special occasions is becoming common even beyond big cities. Tier 1 cities and metros recorded around 19% growth, Tier 2 cities saw about 14% growth, while Tier 3 cities matched metros with close to 18% growth.
Behind many of these last-minute purchases were personalised recommendations and timely reminders by top brands. During the Valentine’s season, brands handled over 1.2 million customer interactions through SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and its AI voice agent, Catalyst.
These targeted messages converted into more than 18,000 orders worth around ₹35 million, underlining how communication tools are now tightly linked to sales performance.
Analysis of over 15 million orders processed across quick commerce platforms, marketplaces, and brand websites between February 1 and 10, 2026, highlights how impulse purchases and fast deliveries are reshaping Valentine’s shopping.
“As Valentine’s Day continues to evolve into one of the most significant gifting moments of the year, we are seeing strong momentum across categories like chocolates, fresh flowers, fragrances, jewelry, beauty, fashion, electronics and gift cards. This reflects the growing enthusiasm among customers for celebrating special occasions, with an increasing preference for premium and curated gifting options. For customers seeking last-minute indulgences with ultra-fast deliveries, Amazon Now offers thousands of products, delivered within minutes in parts of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore,” said Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President, Amazon India.