Survey About Valentine’s Day Gift Giving During the Recession Shows Discrepancies Between Men and Women

According to a new poll by leading online dating websites Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com, florists nationwide may be celebrating a lucrative Valentine’s Day despite the recession. Valentine’s Day is a billion dollar holiday; the National Retail Federation is forecasting $14.7 billion to be spent during this recession – with 36% of that on roses. But, if asked to choose between a dozen long-stemmed red roses, boxes of expensive chocolates, jewelry, a romantic weekend getaway, intimate love notes and dinner at a romantic restaurant, are roses really what women want? And, since money is so tight this year, we wondered - if there was just enough cash to do one thing this Valentine’s Day - are men and women on the same page?

“Based on our survey results, men assumed a dozen red roses is the ultimate way to show their love this Valentine’s Day, while women much prefer jewelry and love notes to roses,” said Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. “Women want their gifts to be just like their relationships – everlasting – and would appreciate a love note or a timeless piece of jewelry that they can treasure for years to come, more than a dozen red roses that won’t last a week.”

In a new survey of thousands of male online daters nationwide, we asked: Valentine’s Day is less than a month away and with the recession, you can’t spend like you used to. If you had someone special to celebrate with this year, which of the following would you be giving?

Following are the complete results:

Roses 41.7%
Jewelry 33.3%
Dinner at a romantic restaurant 25.0%
Chocolates 16.7%
Intimate love notes 16.7%
Romantic weekend getaway 8.3%

In a new survey of thousands of female online daters nationwide, we asked: If you had someone special to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, and knew that your guy could only afford to spend on one specific thing, what would you want?

Jewelry 27.8%
Intimate Love notes 22.2%
Dinner at a romantic restaurant 22.2%
Roses 16.7%
Chocolates 11.1%
Romantic weekend getaway 6.3%

This survey was conducted throughout the month of January.

About Avalanche, LLC
Avalanche operates several leading online dating websites, including Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. Date.com launched on Valentine’s Day 1997 and has become one of the world’s most popular dating websites. First started as a Bulletin Board System in 1986, Matchmaker.com is the oldest online dating site. It was acquired by Avalanche in 2006 and targets those singles seeking serious relationships. Amor.com, launched in 2007, is a rapidly growing destination for Hispanic singles. Avalanche hosts more than 10 million members worldwide, with the sites adding over 100,000 members each month. Additional information is available at Date.com.