With less than a week to go to Valentine’s Day, greeting card retailers are bracing themselves for an anticipated last push for sales.
It has been predicted that Brits are set to spend an astounding £1.1bn on cards, gifts and food for loved ones this Valentine’s Day, with the hope that an extra boost will come from the increased engaged with Galentine’s Day, celebrating female friendships on 13 February.
Originating in the US, Galentine’s Day was first mentioned in 2010 on the sitcom Parks and Recreation when Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope says the day is about “ladies celebrating ladies.” Fast forward eight years and the concept has moved to pop culture, with the term trending on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram among bloggers and brands.
Vicki Loomes, head of premium content at consultancy TrendWatching, told Verdict.co.uk that: “It’s a great example of a trend we’ve been seeing for a while around the breakdown of traditional relationships and the idea of what a traditional family looks like. You see people buying houses with their friends or brands using same-sex couples in advertising, and it’s a big cultural shift towards the new normal. Galentine’s Day is another example of that. You don’t need to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you can celebrate it with your friends and that’s an acceptable relationship to have.”
Galentine’s Day may not have the profile of Valentine’s Day in the UK, but there has been a nod by Moonpig and Etsy to this trend, with both offering Galentine’s Day cards and gifts. And while it still might be a niche celebration, card publishers and retailers are keeping an eye on the trend with Jill Alexander, marketing communications director for UK Greetings saying: “We definitely think there is something in it. We have seen lots of activity on social media, online retailers are offering discounts and even radio stations promoting and suggesting cinema visits with friends. We are seeing a shift in Valentine’s Day to a more general celebration of love. Friends are taking a bigger role in celebrating and with many individuals staying single longer; friends are like family.”
Indie retailer, Leona Janson-Smith of Postmark comments “it’s great to see something like this, that encourages card giving ‘just because’, grow naturally through word of mouth and social media.” She’s not convinced it should be commercialised as “it might actually turn people off the idea. Getting people excited about sending cards in a non-commercial way will definitely help the industry more in the long-term and this could be part of it.”
