Valentine’s Day 2025: A Bull Run in the Stock Market of Love! Swiggy Reports Record-Breaking Sales

Valentine’s Day 2025 saw a massive surge in consumer spending as couples across India indulged in sweet treats, fine dining, and heartfelt gifts to celebrate the day of love. Swiggy and Swiggy Instamart, two of the country’s leading food delivery and instant grocery platforms, witnessed record-breaking demand, with 581 chocolates and 607 cakes sold per minute on February 14, 2025.

The trend highlights the evolving consumer behavior around Valentine’s Day, as people increasingly turn to quick-commerce platforms for last-minute gifts, confectionery, and restaurant bookings. Beyond the metros, tier-two cities such as Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, and Indore also contributed significantly to the spike in orders, demonstrating the widening reach of digital commerce and the growing affluence of smaller cities.

Let’s take a closer look at how Valentine’s Day became a market-moving event for India’s food-tech and e-commerce industry, setting new benchmarks in sales and consumer trends.

Valentine’s Day Sales Surge: Key Data Insights

1. Record-Breaking Chocolate and Cake Sales

According to Swiggy’s official data, the platform recorded an astounding 581 chocolate orders and 607 cake orders per minute on Valentine’s Day 2025. This marks a significant jump from previous years, reflecting a growing preference for online purchases over traditional brick-and-mortar shopping.

• Chocolates remain the top-selling Valentine’s Day gift, with demand peaking between 4 PM and 8 PM, as last-minute buyers rushed to surprise their loved ones.
• Cakes witnessed all-day demand, especially heart-shaped and customized options, with bakeries and cloud kitchens witnessing unprecedented order volumes.

2. Food Delivery Boom: Romantic Dinners and Comfort Food Dominate Orders

Swiggy’s data further revealed a sharp increase in restaurant bookings and food deliveries, with trends differing across cities:

• Mumbai and Delhi led in fine dining reservations, with premium restaurants seeing full occupancy throughout the evening.
• Hyderabad and Bengaluru recorded high demand for midnight food deliveries, with a 50% increase in pizza and dessert orders.
• Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, and Lucknow emerged as surprise contributors, registering a 2x increase in Valentine’s Day orders compared to last year.

The rise of tier-two cities in Swiggy’s sales data underscores the growing spending power of non-metro consumers and the increasing penetration of app-based food delivery services beyond the urban hubs.

3. Most Popular Food Orders on Valentine’s Day 2025

Swiggy’s insights also revealed the most popular food items ordered across India:

• Top 5 Most Ordered Foods on Valentine’s Day
  1. Red Velvet Cake The undisputed best-seller, with bakeries struggling to meet the demand.
  2. Chocolate Lava Cake A favorite among dessert lovers, witnessing a 3x surge in orders.
  3. Heart-Shaped Pizza A creative Valentine’s Day special, especially popular in Bengaluru and Pune.
  4. Pasta and Wine Combos The preferred choice for romantic candlelight dinners.
  5. Sushi Platters A surprise entrant, reflecting India’s increasing appetite for global cuisines.

Valentine’s Day Trends: Beyond Food and Chocolates

1. Flowers, Gifts, and Quick-Commerce Growth

Swiggy Instamart, which offers instant delivery of groceries, gifts, and essentials, reported a huge jump in flower and gift orders, particularly in the last 12 hours leading up to Valentine’s Day.

• Roses remained the top choice, with over 200,000 bouquets delivered nationwide.
• Personalized gift items such as photo frames, greeting cards, and teddy bears saw a 400% increase in orders compared to regular days.
• Perfumes and luxury chocolates topped the gifting charts in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai.

The sharp increase in instant delivery purchases highlights the growing reliance on quick-commerce platforms for last-minute gifting solutions.

2. The Rise of Solo Celebrations and ‘Palentine’s Day’

An interesting trend that emerged this year was the rise in solo orders and group celebrations, dubbed as “Palentine’s Day”. Swiggy observed:

• A 25% rise in solo food orders, indicating a shift toward self-love and personal indulgence.
• Large group orders surged by 40%, as people increasingly celebrated with friends and family instead of just romantic partners.
• The demand for comfort foods like burgers, biryanis, and milkshakes spiked among those opting for a relaxed night in rather than dining out.

This shift signals a broader cultural evolution, where Valentine’s Day is no longer limited to romantic relationships but also extends to friendships and self-care celebrations.

How Valentine’s Day 2025 is Shaping E-Commerce and Food-Tech

1. Digital Platforms Continue to Disrupt Traditional Shopping

The massive sales spike on Swiggy and Instamart reinforces the idea that digital platforms are now the go-to choice for Valentine’s Day purchases. Unlike a few years ago, when people relied on in-store shopping, consumers today prefer the convenience of doorstep delivery.

This trend also indicates changing consumer habits, where ease, personalization, and last-minute convenience are shaping spending behavior.

2. Growing Economic Impact of Valentine’s Day in India

Once considered a Western festival, Valentine’s Day has become a multi-billion-dollar event in India, driving sales in food, retail, e-commerce, and quick-commerce sectors. Industry analysts estimate that:

• The total Valentine’s Day consumer spend in India surpassed ₹8,500 crore ($1 billion) in 2025, a 30% YoY growth.
• The online gifting segment saw an 80% jump in orders compared to regular days.
• Restaurants and cafes recorded 100% occupancy rates, contributing significantly to India’s hospitality sector.

3. Tier-Two and Tier-Three Cities: The New Growth Market

The rise of cities like Bhubaneswar, Indore, and Lucknow in Valentine’s Day sales rankings shows that e-commerce and food delivery adoption is no longer confined to metro cities.

With internet penetration and digital payments expanding, tier-two and tier-three cities are poised to become major revenue drivers for India’s digital economy in the coming years.