Growth at first sight: How apps can win on Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air—and so are last-minute gift shopping and restaurant reservations 👀. Coming off high-consumption periods like Q5 and the Super Bowl, users are already in a spending mindset and showing higher engagement. Valentine’s Day builds on this momentum at a time when users are likely to browse for romantic movies and TV series, plan the perfect night out, or even try to secure a last-minute date. 

In this article, we’ll explore key consumer trends around Valentine’s Day and how mobile advertisers can make the most of this special holiday.

We’ll go over the following trends:

1️⃣ How Entertainment & Streaming apps can take advantage of users' Valentine's Day consumption habits

2️⃣ How CTV’s shared viewing experience can help you maximize campaign reach

3️⃣ What are the types of Valentine’s Day shoppers and how they contribute to mobile commerce spikes

4️⃣ Recipe apps vs. Food Delivery apps: Key moments to drive engagement during Valentine's Day campaigns

Valentine’s Day consumer trends

What users watch

📺 Entertainment & Streaming apps: How users set the mood

As Valentine’s Day approaches, users turn to Entertainment apps to set the mood well in advance—whether it’s by creating themed playlists, adding seasonal content to their watchlist, or lining up a romantic movie night with their special someone or friends. 

Interest peaks early in the month, when users start exploring the available themed content. In the first 10 days of February 2024, Music and Audio apps experienced a steady rise in installs, peaking on February 10, with a 35% increase over the annual average. Similarly, Video Streaming apps saw notable spikes in activity, with installs jumping by 25% on February 3 and 21% on February 10. 

Engagement also ramps up in the days leading up to February 14, with sessions increasing by over 10%, especially on the weekend before Valentine’s Day. This trend highlights the importance of targeting users early in the month, when they’re actively searching for themed content, and later on, in the days just before the key date, when user engagement peaks [1].

💡 Pro tip: Test ad formats such as Multiproduct or Carousel ads to highlight up to three Valentine's-themed series or movie options in one single ad unit—or even limited-time promotions for different subscription plans. Every item featured in Multiproduct and Carousel ads comes with its own description, CTA, and deep link to make sure users are redirected to the right app section. 

👀Who’s watching Valentine’s Day content this year?

While there will always be users who enjoy binge-watching romance movies alone, Valentine’s Day is a time to connect with loved ones—and this is reflected in CTV consumption habits, where 80% of users typically enjoy a shared viewing experience [2]. 

From couples cozying up for a classic romantic comedy (67% of viewers watch with their spouse [3]) to friends hosting Galentine’s watch parties (27% enjoy CTV content with friends [3]), Valentine’s Day presents a great opportunity to add CTV to your media mix. This channel not only allows you to reach multiple users with a single impression, but also helps you drive measurable growth for your mobile business via your preferred MMP partner.

💡 Pro tip: Run CTV performance campaigns to diversify your reach and drive measurable in-app conversions. Check out this article to learn how mobile marketers are leveraging CTV to grow their mobile businesses. 

​​What users shop

🎁 E-commerce & Shopping apps: Gift planning and last-minute shopping

Consumers are ready to spend big and make Valentine’s Day special. This year, total spending is expected to hit a record 27.5 billion (7% higher than in 2024), and shoppers plan to spend $188.81 on gifts for their significant others. The most popular options include candy (56%), flowers (40%), greeting cards (40%), an evening out (35%), and jewelry (22%) [4]. 

When it comes to planning the right growth strategy for Valentine’s Day, E-commerce apps need to consider three types of shoppers:

• Early planners who start browsing and comparing deals well in advance, often purchasing their gifts early in the month to avoid the last-minute rush.
• Promo seekers who browse early, get ideas, and compare options, but don’t make the actual purchase until closer to February 14.
• Last-minute buyers who wait until the final days before Valentine’s Day to make their purchase, often driven by urgency or pressure.

With these types of users in mind, the ideal strategy should engage shoppers across at every key moment—whether it’s early February, when they’re looking into different gift options and deals, and closer to the actual event date (February 10-14), when they’re looking for last-minute presents.

💡 Pro tip: Showcase gift ideas and discounts early in the month, then shift to FOMO-driven messaging (e.g., “Last chance”, “Only today”, “Limited stock” or “Offer ends soon”) as the holiday approaches. To create further urgency and encourage shoppers to act quickly, we recommend testing Countdown ads to highlight the launch of the final days of a special promotion, or how much time is left until Valentine’s Day. 

🍴 Food Delivery & Recipe apps: From home-cooked meals to urgent orders

Food is at the heart of Valentine’s Day celebrations, from cooking homemade meals and gifting chocolates to dining out at a restaurant. Recipe apps see steady growth leading up to the holiday, with installs peaking on February 12 (+60%) as users search for the perfect meal to cook for their loved ones and gather the necessary ingredients. Sessions also spike between February 12 (+38%) and February 14 (+28%), reflecting the planning and preparation that goes into a romantic dinner.

But not everyone sticks to the plan—because let’s be honest, recipes don’t always turn out as expected 😂— and Food Delivery apps come to the rescue for last-minute celebrations. Last year, Delivery apps experienced a notable 27% spike in activity on February 14, as users opted for convenience over cooking [1]. 

And, of course, many choose to dine out—Restaurant Booking apps saw a huge surge on February 14, with installs jumping 156% and sessions going up by 88% as users rushed for last-minute reservations [1].

💡 Pro tip: Leverage Time-Frame ads to align with users’ Valentine’s Day routines and needs, keeping your message relevant throughout the day. This ad format allows you to alternate between different products and messaging based on the time of the day. For example, Food Delivery apps can spotlight themed breakfast options in the morning and romantic dinner menus at night. Restaurant Booking apps can promote early reservations during the day and offer last-minute bookings in the evening. 

How users get ready

💘 Dating apps: A seasonal rebound

Users tend to take a break from Dating apps in late January as the New Year rush dies down, gradually returning by the end of February. But during this period, Dating apps not only face the challenge of attracting new users, but also struggle to keep existing users engaged.

In 2024, only 24% of new users returned to Dating apps on Day 1 after install, and only 11% remained by Day 7 [1]. This highlights the importance of activation campaigns and App Retargeting strategies to keep users engaging with the app and prevent uninstalls—and  Valentine’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to spark interest and keep users coming back to the app.

💡 Pro tip: Use Valentine’s Day as a hook for mobile and CTV App Retargeting campaigns, boosting engagement and retention by encouraging users to complete the registration phase, interact with others, upgrade to a premium plan, or return to the app after a period of inactivity.

Make the most of Valentine’s Day for your app!

Seasonal events like Valentine’s Day create powerful opportunities for app marketers to attract new users and drive conversions. Whether it’s capitalizing on increased engagement in Entertainment apps, leveraging the surge in shopping activity, or tapping into last-minute restaurant bookings and food delivery orders, the key is to reach users with relevant offers when their buying intent is at its highest.

Ready to craft the perfect Valentine’s Day strategy for your mobile business? Connect with one of our experts or explore our case studies to find out how the leading mobile businesses across the world are using Jampp to meet their ambitious growth goals. 

References

[1] Adjust, 2025.
[2] MNTN Research, 2023.
[3] mediasmart, 2023.
[4] NRF, 2025.