Insights from ING DIRECT have revealed that whether in a relationship or single, Valentine’s Day is getting Australians in the mood for love.

Traditional gifts are keeping romance alive and well on Valentine’s Day, with purchasing spikes across flowers (up 368%), chocolates (up 173%) and jewellery (up 80%) topping the gift list.

And while couples are flocking to the florist, Valentine’s Day is putting Aussie singles in the mood for romance too, investing in the search for their potential future partner with a 44% increase in spending on online dating sites during 13 and 14 February.

Mr John Arnott, Executive Director of Customers, ING DIRECT, said it was great to see Australians’ embracing the true spirit of Valentine’s Day:

“Australians aren’t getting caught up in the commercialism of Valentine’s Day. More people are buying traditional gifts to show their loved one they care, but the amount they are spending isn’t increasing significantly. It really does seem to be a case of the thought that counts, a small gesture that doesn’t blow the budget.”

ING DIRECT spokespeople are available for comment. To arrange an interview, please contact Kristen Costandi, ING DIRECT PR Manager.

Media contact:

Kristen Costandi
PR Manager, ING DIRECT
+61 2 9018 5160
+61 413 317 225

Notes
ING DIRECT Insights are based on the spending trends and behaviour of more than 250,000 Orange Everyday transaction account customers. The Valentine’s Day spending insights measure spending behaviour on 13-14 February 2014 against all 2014 transaction data.

About ING DIRECT
ING DIRECT changed the way Australians bank 15 years ago by launching the country’s first high interest, fee free online savings account. Since then, we’ve brought this low fee value to home loans, transactional banking and superannuation. With over 1.5 million customers – and $32 billion in savings and $38 billion in mortgages – ING DIRECT has the highest Net Promoter Scores of any other bank in Australia (Q4 2014). Please note ING DIRECT is never abbreviated to ING.