Valentine's Day Archives - Green Market Report

StaffFebruary 14, 2023

Demand for products with holiday themes spiked in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day.

Julie AitchesonFebruary 12, 2021

As with all holidays over the last unprecedented year, Valentine’s Day 2021 will be marked by the realities of limited travel, social distancing, and Covid-era shopping trends that have consumers preferring to fill their virtual shopping carts rather than plucking their purchases from retailer shelves. 2020 was a big year for Valentine’s Day, with celebrants spending a record-breaking average of $196.31 per person according to a National Retail Foundation survey. Though Valentine’s Day 2021 spending is projected to total 21.8 billion dollars, it will not reach 2020 proportions, especially when it comes to spending on evenings out. According to the NRF survey, less than one quarter of consumers plan to celebrate their Valentine with an evening out, which is the lowest percentage in the survey’s history.

V-Day dinner plans aren’t the only things that have changed due to the pandemic. Spending on gifts has dropped as well, down $32 per person on average. Still, 73 percent of consumers who intend to celebrate the hearts and flowers holiday this year feel that it is especially important to do so given the pandemic. 41 percent of those surveyed plan to cook up a special celebration in the safety of their own homes.

Restaurants may suffer from reduced safe seating capacity and the number of diners electing to observe the holiday from home this year, but certain product categories (like topicals, beverages and edibles) see regular gains around this time of year, with 2021 looking to be no exception. Sales of cannabis-infused massage oil and lube enjoyed a 20% sales jump relative to the four weeks preceding Valentine’s Day 2020 according to Seattle-based Headset Analytics. Apothecanna’s Sexy Time Personal Intimacy Oil is poised to capitalize on that trend, as is CBD by Playboy’s Pleasure For All kit, which includes intimacy gel, arousal spray and bath bomb. If a bath with your boo ends up being your favorite way to ring in a new year of romance, Love Spell CBD Bath Bomb infused with essential oils that act as aphrodisiacs as well as tension tamers might be just the thing.

On the edible front, CBD and THC chocolates are a favorite gift item on just about any holiday, but as candy is the currency of Valentine’s Day, it’s only natural that an array of sweet treats get top billing in the month of February. Papa & Barkley’s Releaf Chocolate bars (available in milk chocolate or dark chocolate and sea salt) are slow-churned, cannabis-infused creations with Fair Trade certified ingredients. Chill Chocolate offers an array of THC-infused “Mood” chocolate bars, including “Peace”, “Inspire”, and “Dream” to set the tone for a special night. If gummies are more your sweetheart’s speed, Select Nano Gummies (in Lemon-Berry or Strawberry-Peach) or Deli Nickels Passionfruit Gummy Rounds might make better stuffers for that heart-shaped box. Whatever your solo or partnered pleasure this Valentine’s Day, there will be no shortage of cannabis-infused ways to pursue it and restore a little pre-pandemic pleasure to February 14th.

StaffFebruary 14, 2020

Data analytics company, Headset, and cannabis wholesale marketplace LeafLink have released some steamy stats about top cannabis products that are sold leading up to Valentine’s Day and some interesting stats on cannabis-infused massage oils and lubes. (like the self-care line Quim that makes CBD and THC infused intimate health products).

According to LeafLink

Top Product Categories in the month before Valentine’s Day 2019 (by sales $)
- Cartridges
- Flower
- Edibles & Ingestibles
Top Products in the month before Valentine’s Day 2019 (by sales $)
- Sour Gummies, Assorted Flavors – Wana Brands, CO
- PR OG Indica 28g pouch – Pacific Stone, CA
- Wedding Cake Cartridge – Platinum Vape, MI
- Gummy Sour Smash 100mg – Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, CO
- Estate Eighth Jar, Sativa Crescendo – THC Design, CA

Number of products on the LeafLink platform with the word “love” in the title
- 618

According to Headset:

Massage oil/lube grew faster than total California market between 2018 and 2019; an increase of 119% vs 91%
During the week of Valentine’s Day the highest amount of sales for Massage Oil/Lube was on an actual day (2/14) but the highest average discount occurred the day before followed by Valentine’s Day.
The average price of Massage Oil/Lube during the week of Valentine’s Day is $28.76 with an average discount of 8%, while the previous week was $31.83 with an average discount of 6%.
While males do most of the cannabis shopping on any given day and did so on 2/12-2/14, females strongly over-indexed (+29%) in the Massage Oil / Lube segment during that time period in 2019.

Feeling Crafty?

If a handmade gift is more your speed, LEVO is a great Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other who enjoys creating infused recipes at home. The high-tech oil infuser for kitchen and beauty use simplifies the complicated and tedious process of small-batch oil infusion. Not to mention an easy cleanup! It doesn’t come cheap, the LEVO II retails for $349.99 and the LEVO I, the original infuser, designed for consumers who only require simple infusion capabilities, is available for $149.99.

Julie AitchesonFebruary 10, 2020

Whether you draw a red heart around February 14th on your calendar, giddily counting the days until Cupid arrives, or draw the blinds and hunker down with Netflix and nachos until the hysteria passes, the cannabis industry is vying to be part of your Valentine’s Day experience. Given the surging interest in the benefits of cannabidiols, more consumers than ever are likely to forego the standard bouquets and boxes of chocolates in favor of cannabis-enhanced treats and personal care products to commemorate the day.

Valentine’s Day Spending

According to recent statistics from the National Research Federation, a prominent retail trade association, Americans are set up for another record spending year to celebrate their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. The projected overall spending average for the holiday is up 21 percent from last year among those expecting to commemorate February 14th with romantic dinners and good old fashioned gifting.

A BDS Analytics report found that in 2019, sales in the recreational cannabis markets of California, Florida, and Oregon were 3.3 percent higher on Valentine’s Day than any other day in February, while Eaze, a technology platform providing direct delivery of medical cannabis from dispensaries, reports a 20 percent spike in orders on Valentine’s Day. These statistics clearly reflect the market boost from those seeking to add cannabis products to the standard Hallmark fare.

For those interested in giving the gift of cannabis (with or without significant THC content) this February, options abound. Weed-infused wines and gourmet chocolates enhanced with CBD and other herbs known for their mood-boosting and aphrodisiacal properties line specialty store shelves, while online retailers lure customers with special Valentine’s Day discounts.

Cannabis Beverage = Love Potion

In addition to billing it as a surefire hangover cure, ALT’s completely clear liquid cannabis product is being marketed as the perfect additive to a Valentine’s Day “love potion”, while California-based Humboldt Apothecary’s Green Cup-winning Love Potion No. 7 is a cannabis concoction that promises to give you that lovin’ feeling without worrying side effects.

Leading sexual wellness brand, Foria, offers a line of CBD-enhanced intimacy oils for solo or partnered pleasure. Their products include lubricant, suppositories, tonics, and capsules, as well as the option to get a sampling of these with an assortment of raw, hand-crafted chocolates in a Valentine’s Day gift package.

Apothecanna’s cannabis-enhanced “Sexy Time Personal Intimacy Oil” makes similar claims, and comes with some fairly glowing reviews from customers. Research from Headset, an analytics service provider for the cannabis industry, found that women over-indexed men in the massage/lubricant sector of the cannabis market during the February 12-February 14 window in 2019 by more than 29 percent, which suggests that brands like Foria, Apothecanna, and Quim (maker of a popular latex-safe cannabis lube offering a 15 percent V-Day discount) can expect a profitable week leading up to Valentine’s Day 2020.

Forget Godiva Chocolates

Satori is releasing a few new products that would fit perfectly in a gift guide for cannabis couples. Freshen your breath with Satori microdosed peppermints and you’ll be ready to meet your partner with confidence. Satori Mints allow you to conveniently ingest microdosed amounts of THC throughout the day. Sublingual absorption in your mouth allows the THC to take effect faster than traditional edibles, which must be fully digested before effects are typically felt. With only 2 milligrams of THC per mint, you can enjoy a Valentine’s Day date without feeling overwhelmingly high.

Traditional edibles can take up to two hours to be fully felt, which can be a drag when a romantic opportunity develops. Intended to improve on the user experience of edibles, our new fast-acting Strawberries in Milk Chocolate take effect quickly when compared with old-school infusion methods. These award-winning confections cut down on wait time by using VESIsorb technology, proven to help phytocannabinoids absorb more effectively into the body. Set the mood for love with fast-acting Satori Strawberries in Milk Chocolate as a delightful Valentine’s Day dessert.

For cannabis producers and vendors, Valentine’s Day provides an opportunity to win new customers and retain them with innovative products whose benefits last well beyond February 14th, ideally to become staples of an on-going wellness routine.