Valentine’s Day in India is being redefined, not through grand gestures, but through small changes in how and why people choose gifts. (India, Feburary 2026): There was a time when Valentine’s Day looked
the same every year—flowers, chocolates, and fixed plans. That pattern has quietly disappeared. By 2026, gifting in India is no longer about following a script. It is personal. It is flexible. It is thoughtful. People still celebrate love, but they do it their own way. That’s why IGP’s Valentine’s Day gifts now focus on curated experiences, personalised keepsakes, and meaningful gestures-reflecting how modern relationships choose to express love.
Talk to anyone in their twenties or thirties, and you will hear the same thing. Valentine’s Day looks different depending on where you are in a relationship. Someone newly dating approaches it carefully. A long-term couple may not even leave the house. Others use the day to acknowledge friendships or treat themselves. Valentine day gifts now reflect that variety. They are less symbolic and more personal.
Spending data shows this change clearly. Valentine’s Day retail in India reached nearly ₹28,000 crore in 2025. Early signs show it is likely to grow again in 2026. The growth itself is not surprising. What is interesting is how that money is being spent. There is less interest in generic items and more towards things that feel personal or practical. People are pausing before buying.
One reason for this change is the rise of personalised gifting. A few years ago, personalisation felt optional, even gimmicky. Today, it feels expected. Names, dates, photos, inside references, small notes. These details show up more often because they carry context. They tell the receiver that the gift came from familiarity, not obligation. That matters more than price.
Another reason is how online gifting in India has matured. Digital platforms have changed behaviour in subtle ways. People browse longer. They save items. They return days later. The act of gifting now happens over time rather than in a single, rushed decision. This has also widened participation. Valentine’s Day is no longer just a metro-city event. Smaller cities and towns are very much part of the conversation now.
Convenience has quietly reset expectations, too. Earlier same-day delivery used to feel like a luxury, but now in 2026, it’s a norm. Life runs late. Plans change. People forget dates. They remember late. They still want the moment to count. Delivery that works on time has become part of how Valentine’s Day functions.
Distance plays a role as well. Many relationships today stretch across cities and countries. Valentine’s Day often arrives when people are not in the same place. The ability to send gifts internationally has turned gifting into a way of showing presence rather than proximity. It allows people to say “I’m still part of this” even from far away.
There is also a noticeable softening around who Valentine’s Day is meant for. It is no longer limited to romantic couples. Friends exchange small gifts. People acknowledge themselves. Long-term partners keep it simple. This has taken some of the performance out of the day. It feels less like something you have to prove and more like something you can interpret.
All this leads to a larger transformation in how gifting works in India. People are not rejecting tradition; they are transforming it. Flowers and chocolates are still used, but they are frequently accompanied by something more significant. A note, a memory, or a shared experience. Gifting is no longer about the item itself but what the item signifies.
Platforms operating in the gifting space are responding to these changes rather than creating them. IGP is one such example. Its approach reflects how people now choose gifts rather than how brands once tried to sell them. By supporting personalised gifting alongside familiar categories, and by making logistics less of a worry, it fits into modern gifting habits naturally.
With delivery coverage across 400+ cities offering same-day services, and the ability to send gifts internationally to over 100 countries, IGP addresses both immediacy and distance, two defining factors of modern Valentine’s Day gifting.
By 2026, Valentine’s Day in India is no longer about following a fixed script. The evolution of gifting tells a simple story. Relationships are changing, and the way people express care is changing with them.
(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR
