UK Pet Owners Declare Their Love: Valentine’s Day Spending Trends for 2024 Revealed

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the affection between UK pet owners and their beloved companions is undeniable, as revealed by the latest survey from Jollyes. The findings illuminate a heart-warming trend of love and generosity towards furry, feathery, and finned friends alike.

Credit: Jollyes

From Greater London to Belfast, pet parents across the nation are gearing up to shower their pets with tokens of appreciation, underscoring the profound bond shared between humans and animals.

The survey conducted by Jollyes unveils the loving gestures that pet parents are planning for their beloved animals on the most romantic day of the year.

Who Loves Their Pets the Most?

UK pet owners are a lovey-dovey lot. The Jollyes survey found that 30.4% of pet owners have bought their pet a Valentine’s Day gift in the past – that’s almost a third of the population. Consider that a 2023 GroupOn survey found that 63% of UK consumers spend money on gifts for their human partners, and it’s clear how enamoured we are for our animals.

Credit: Jollyes

The insights show that Millennials are most likely to buy their pet a Valentine’s Day gift – just under half (49.04%) do so. Men were also more likely to buy their pets a gift on 14th February than women (34.81% vs 26.84%).

People right across the country purchase pet presents for St Valentine’s, but owners in Greater London are most likely to be in puppy love – 48.32% plan to do so. Belfast comes in second, with 39% buying their pet something special, and the West Midlands region comes third (34.95%).

Some pet owners are risking spending Valentine’s Day in the dog’s house, though. Only 21.38% of people in the South East and 26.97% of Scottish pet owners planned to buy a Valentine’s gift for an animal. Perhaps our hearts harden as we get older – only 13.78% of people aged 55 and above bought their pets gifts on this most romantic of all days.

Which Animals are the Most Spoiled?

Dogs are most likely to get special treats on Valentine’s Day – 33.74% of pooch parents buy their trusty hounds a gift, while our cats are also feline the love, with 27.95% of owners buying them a pressie (presumably reciprocating for all those half-dead mice they keep bringing in).

Credit: Jollyes

It’s lovebirds for our feathered friends – a quarter of fowl can expect a gift, while just over a fifth (21%) of rabbit owners buy thumper Valentine’s pet gifts, and February 14th isn’t a good day to be a fish. Less than 10% of our scaled friends can expect anything special. On the plus side, they’ll forget in three seconds’ time anyway.

How Much Do We Love Them?

Love doesn’t cost a thing, but how much do people across the UK spend on their pets for Valentine’s Day 2024?

The results show that most people who buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets are spending between £10 and £25 – 57.14% of pet owners fall into this bracket. Around a quarter spent under £10, and 15% have spent between £26 and £50. Only a tiny proportion (1.63%) have spent more than £50.

Credit: Jollyes

Men are likely to spend more money on their Valentine’s Day pet gift – just over 20% of men have spent between £26 and £50, whereas 9.63% of women have done the same.

Pet owners in Greater London, followed by those in the West and East Midlands, spend the most on their pets on February 14th, whereas those in the South East and South West tend to spend less.

The Most Popular Gifts

The survey revealed that – just like humans, the best way to an animal’s heart is through its stomach. Food and treats were the gift of choice – 85.93% buy them for their pets. Toys come in second, with 76.02% of people purchasing them for a pet. Bedding is always a thoughtful choice – 44.66% buy it for their pets on Valentine’s Day, while just over a quarter (26.10%) purchase clothing.

At different life stages, we buy our pets different sorts of Valentine’s Day gifts. That showed up in our survey results:

● 16-24 year olds are most likely to buy toys (82.67%), whereas 35-44 year olds are least likely (68.93%)

● Over 55s are most likely to buy both food/treats (88.01%) and bedding (45.66%). 25-34 year olds are least likely to buy food/treats (80.29%), and 16-24 year olds are least likely to buy pet bedding (41.33%)

● The most stylish pets will belong to those aged 25-34 with 33.65% planning to buy their pet clothes or accessories. Those over age 55 are less bothered with this, with only 21.43% spending in this area

Amazingly, 3.13% of our survey respondents claimed they’d bought their fish clothing as a Valentine’s Day present. Something fishy about that!