Etched into everyone’s calendar is February 14th. The day, more commonly referred to as Valentine’s Day, is the one occasion that many would argue cannot afford to be forgotten! From cards and chocolates to flowers and jewelry, every year millions of people take the opportunity to show their affection by ordering gifts from around the world.
This week at nShift, we are feeling the love for our data and have crunched the numbers to reveal just how organized and committed to Valentine’s Day each country across Europe is.
So, here are the facts!
Pre-Valentine’s Day packages surpass 16 million
In the two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day this year, an impressive 16.8 million packages were registered and shipped around the world using our services. Putting this into perspective, the figure represents a 21% increase since Valentine’s Day in 2020 which saw almost 3 million fewer packages ordered than this year.
Comparing this year’s results with data from 2021, the analysts at nShift also found that Sweden, Norway, France, and Finland witnessed the largest increase in package orders during the fortnight leading up to Valentine's Day. Sweden came top of the list with an additional 193,000 packages ordered this year, which equates to a 4.2% increase from 2021.
Conversely, the Netherlands and Belgium both registered slightly fewer shipments than last year. However, while not matching last year’s total, both countries did place a significantly higher number of package orders than in 2020.
Same-day orders rocket
When it comes to the day itself, this year’s Valentine’s Day surpassed both Valentine’s Day in 2021 and 2020 in terms of parcel volumes. Completely overshadowing them during the 24hour window, 1.5million packages were created.
Further results showed that Norway had the greatest rise in on-the-day packages created. Similarly, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany all registered great increases in number of packages created compared to last year.
Denmark and Sweden return the Favor
Valentine’s gifts can be a lottery, and certainly for those in the early stages of a relationship, getting it right can be tricky. While we are awaiting the results for this year’s returns statistics, we wanted to share how things turned out last year.
In the week following Valentine’s Day (14th-21st February), nShift recorded a total of 195,000 returns in 2021, compared with 117,000 in 2020. This significant increase was reflected by, and can be attributed to, several European countries. Most notably, Sweden and Denmark had major increases (150%) in returns during the preceding week. Interestingly, returns in the week after Valentine’s Day dropped by almost 50% in its neighboring country Norway, with just 27,000 packages being repatriated.
Lars Pedersen, CEO of nShift explains:
“When it comes to annual statistics, it is always interesting to see the quantity and geographic distribution of orders and returns that relate to an international day of celebration. This year, we have seen more packages created on Valentine’s Day itself which can perhaps be attributed to the speed at which orders can be processed and shipped nowadays. We also saw a major rise in returns, which is hopefully more a reflection of how much easier and frictionless retailers have made the process for their customers, rather than an increase in poor gift-giving! Ultimately, these trends show continued growth and confidence from consumers, which should instill businesses with optimism for the year ahead.”
