Shocking new figures released today show that even Cavan people spend more on Valentine’s flowers than their Donegal counterparts.
Romantic Ireland is far from dead, according to new data from AIB with spending in cinemas and bowling alleys set to increase this Valentine’s Day. However, it appears, love is on life support in Donegal.
The data was compiled from over 62 million card transactions carried out by AIB customers in store and online during February 2023 and has been anonymised and aggregated. It reveals that we, or some of us anyway, are tighter than most on the ‘most romantic day of the year.’
The most controversial statistic is that Cavan people spend the most (€57) on flowers while people from Donegal (€37) spend the least.
Donegal is also bottom of the ‘tight’ table when it comes to the amount spent in jewellery shops. We splashed out just €64, compared to people from Kerry (€157), Galway (€157) and, yes, Cavan (€156).
We were ‘prudent’ too when it came to getting done up in hair salons, barbers and beauticians with a spend of €40. People from Roscommon (€56), Wicklow (€55) and Cork (€54) spent the most.
Donegal Daily has written to AIB to demand a recount.
Data provided by AIB, they claim, features one of the most comprehensive and accurate data sets on consumer spending in Ireland.
When compared with the other Tuesdays in February 2023, cinema spend increased 86% on Tuesday 14th February 2023 and spending in bowling alleys increased 73%, as lovestruck couples hit the town for Valentine’s dates.
It was also a bumper day for other businesses too, with increases in spending in restaurants (+58%), airports (+37%), bakeries (+35%) and fast-food restaurants (+27%). Spend on cosmetics and women’s clothes also increased by 25% and 24% respectively.
AIB’s Head of SME Banking, John Brennan said “Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day where couples look to bowl each other over, as it provides an opportunity for businesses to learn more about the customers’ needs by analysing spending habits data. It’s welcome that spending is set to increase across a number of sectors such as retail and hospitality and AIB’s Spend Trend data can help businesses plan accordingly, for example by having more staff available for that evening rush. AIB’s robust, comprehensive data allows us to better understand our customers and how to support them.”
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