With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, many U.S. adults are preparing to celebrate love with a romantic partner. However, there’s another love-related holiday approaching that has nothing to do with romance and everything to do with friendship: Galentine’s Day – a non-official holiday for women who want to celebrate each other.
CivicScience asked more than 6,900 U.S. women 18 and older about their experience with Galentine’s Day and discovered that 6% celebrate the holiday. Six percent might seem like a very small number – especially when considering the majority of women (59%) said they have never even heard of Galentine’s day – but what’s really happening is a mighty group of spenders are getting ready to open their wallets this week and splurge.
CivicScience was able to profile the average Galentine based on a number of key characteristics that will likely help retailers, business owners, marketers, and more, enjoy this holiday as well.
All the Single Ladies
Of those who are planning to celebrate the day, the majority are single and between the ages of 18 and 24. Awareness of the holiday dropped significantly as age increased, with 73% of those 55 or older saying they’ve never heard of Galentine’s Day. When looking at relationship status, women who are single or have never married over-index as celebrators of G-Day.
Spending vs. Splurging
CivicScience identified a few common themes among Galentine’s Day celebrators in relation to what they spend their money on. Their monthly budgets often include significant spending on going out to eat or ordering takeout. About 59% of Galentine’s ate out or ordered takeout at least twice every week.
In addition, Galentine’s are more likely to drink wine, so it’s likely this will be their beverage of choice this Thursday.
Outside of daily spending, it is clear that when Galentine’s Day celebrators splurge, they most often enjoy a shopping spree followed closely by physical pampering. When it comes to physical pampering like the spa or salon, Galentines double in likelihood to splurge on pampering than those who don’t celebrate or have never heard of Galentine’s day. That said, no matter what they choose to splurge on, it’s a guarantee they will spend on themselves.
Ultimately, for U.S. women, Galentine’s Day is a holiday for spending. For those celebrating, this may mean pampering with food, wine, or clothing as celebrators rally around the idea of treating themselves and the women they adore.
