Valentine’s Day And Alcohol: Delivery Trends
When people think of Valentine’s Day, they typically think of a romantic dinner at a restaurant that they made reservations for a month in advance, a nice bottle of wine for two, and chocolate. Valentine’s Day is filled with people in a panic to make their partner feel special, going to the nearest grocery store for a bouquet of roses and an intimate and charming card.
Well, that seems to be how the holiday is commercialized at least. After looking at the Valentines’ Day delivery trends from Postmates for February 14th, the day might actually be more casual and relaxed than we anticipated.
Love Bug Booze
The chart shows consumers’ delivery purchases on Postmates for 2019; with a large chunk going to beer.
On Valentine’s Day in 2019, 37% of alcoholic delivery purchases were for beer, ranking it as the number one drink ordered. Beer doesn’t typically have a romantic connotation but could be the relaxed and easy approach on the ever so stressful and high expectation day. The expectation of Valentine’s Day is extremely posh and proper, with fancy attire and strong cologne. While that might be the route that some people want to take, others seem to want a relaxed environment to share either with themselves, their family, friends or partners. People tend to think of Valentine’s Day as a marketing scam, and while that may be the case in some circumstances, it doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of the warm and affectionate day. So don’t feel out of the loop when you order some beer to celebrate this year; it’s what other people are doing as well!
Taking second place, and a little less shocking is wine/champagne, at 31%. Wine has the reputation of being a romantic drink, and champagne is associated with celebrations. Historically, the Romans saw the silky texture of wine and it’s deep colors and connected it with glamour and love. With champagne, popping a bottle has been viewed as a symbol of wealth, and was brought out for special occasions. Celebrating the love that you share with someone pairs well with a bottle, and the tradition and image of wine and champagne have been consistent throughout the years. That being said, it wasn’t much of a shock that the combo was ranked as one of the top delivered on the special night of love.
Whether it’s for making your own cocktail at home or taking the straight shot of liquid courage, The number three spot for alcoholic deliveries on Valentine’s Day is vodka. You come home after dinner, covered all your talking points already, and can’t figure out what else to do or say. The holiday might be nerve-wracking or slightly awkward for some, so it’s not a shocker to see how commonly delivered it was on February 14th.
Champagne with a Side of Chipotle
The infographic above shows just how casual the deliveries were during last year’s Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Along with drinks, looking at the consumer trends for food purchases on Postmates was not exactly what we anticipated. Taking the crown as the top merchant on Valentine’s Day was Chipotle, with an overwhelming amount of people ordering the same meal: the Chicken Burrito Bowl. It might be the less stressful alternative; staying-in and dodging the crowded restaurants.
Just like the drink trends, ordering something familiar was the case for food as well. People were drawn to order from companies that were classic and common, like vodka. When ordering from Chipotle, you know exactly the quality and taste of what you are ordering, instead of risking the meal not turning out the way you want it to.
With the Shack Burger at Shake Shack, the same idea of commonality and familiarity is consistent. Ordering the most common meal at a fast-food chain is playing it safe, which isn’t necessarily the wrong route to take on the exhausting evening. Even looking at the top ten restaurants, none of them seem to be over one dollar sign on Yelp.
The expectation of Valentine’s Day in society has been shaped by this principle that more is more and spending a good amount of money results in a good night. Looking at the consumer trends within Postmates, that hasn’t been the reality for a lot of people. Going the simple and casual way of Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean it’s any less special. You can ditch the corkage fee and small-portioned restaurants by staying in instead. Valentine’s Day can be just as meaningful and exciting with fries instead of lobster mashed potatoes, ordering candy instead of Creme Brulee, and perhaps beer instead of champagne.
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