Valentine’s Day Shopping Goes Agentic as Checkout.com Data Reveals Rise in AI-Led Gifting

WHY THIS MATTERS: This research from Checkout.com validates a key inflection point in agentic commerce, proving that the shift from AI assistance to AI delegation is gaining consumer traction, even for sentimental purchases like Valentine’s Day gifts. For the financial technology industry, this is significant because it fundamentally alters the crucial role of merchant discovery and trust. The movement toward giving AI agents autonomy to search, compare, and transact means that payment functionality and transparent, structured product data are no longer back-end considerations—they are critical front-end features. This trend connects directly to the need for enhanced merchant readiness in a machine-to-machine economy. If retailers fail to provide clear pricing, delivery timelines, and easily-accessible data, they risk complete invisibility to these automated buying tools, making compliance with agent-specific data standards the new competitive battleground for securing future transactions.

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, research from Checkout.com reveals how UK consumers are beginning to embrace agentic AI tools that can actively search, decide and even purchase on a shopper’s behalf when buying gifts for meaningful occasions.

Checkout.com’s recent Peak Season research found that over a quarter of UK consumers (28%) say they would consider using an AI agent to make a purchase on their behalf for Valentine’s Day, signalling growing appetite for agentic commerce alongside traditional seasonal spending.

Checkout.com payments data also shows a recurring surge in spending on flowers on the day before Valentine’s Day. Checkout.com found that UK online flower sales surged 600% in 2024 and 558% in 2025 on 13th February compared with the average day that month, as shoppers rushed to prepare for Valentine’s Day.

There is a notable uplift in food delivery spending on Valentine’s Day itself. In 2024, food delivery spending rose by 37% on 14th February compared to the day before, while in 2025 it increased by 27%. This reflects a growing preference for cosy nights in, shared celebrations and more affordable ways to mark the occasion, whether that’s with a romantic partner, friends or family.

Beyond last-minute purchases, Checkout.com’s agentic research shows that consumers are already using AI when buying gifts. More than two in five UK consumers (42%) have used AI to help with gift ideas or choosing a present for their partner, while nearly a quarter (24%) have used it specifically for gift inspiration. Others are using AI to compare products, find the best deals and manage budgets.

Rory O’Neill, CMO, Checkout.com, said: “Valentine’s Day is a perfect example of how commerce is becoming more agentic. Consumers still want emotional, personal gifts,  but they’re increasingly comfortable letting AI handle the heavy lifting, from researching options to making purchases on their behalf.

For merchants, preparing for agentic commerce means thinking differently about how they’re discovered, trusted and paid. AI agents will prioritise retailers that provide clear product data, transparent pricing and reliable delivery information. If that information isn’t structured and accessible, merchants risk being invisible in an agent-led journey.

It also raises the bar for payments and trust. The brands that win won’t just offer discounts – they’ll offer reliable, secure and machine-readable commerce that both consumers and AI agents can confidently transact with.”

FF NEWS TAKE: This study is crucial because it assigns quantifiable intent—over a quarter of UK consumers—to the abstract concept of agent-led purchases. It confirms that the path to purchase is fundamentally evolving from human search to AI execution. The immediate watch-point for the industry is standardization: successful merchants will be those that prioritize machine-readable data over traditional marketing copy. The future of payments and e-commerce will hinge on protocols that guarantee instant trust, transaction reliability, and transparent data feeds that AI agents can confidently process, moving market share toward those platforms that are the most programmatically compliant.

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