It’s expected that $1.7 billion will be spent on candy for Valentine’s Day, according to CandyStore.com.
So, do you know what Californians’ favorite candy is? It might not be what you thought.
Here’s a hint: It’s not Hershey’s Kisses. The latter is South Dakotans’ favorite holiday candy.
Using more than 10 years of sales data to determine the favorite Valentine’s Day candy in each state, CandyStore.com has released its Top Valentine’s Candy by State Interactive Map.
You can click on the interactive map HERE and quick-reference charts to see the top three favorite candies in your area and read more in-depth information about your state’s Valentine’s buying habits and candy history.
Every year the National Retail Federation estimates spending for holidays like Valentine’s Day. They divide it up into categories like jewelry, clothing, gift certificates, you name it. This year for Valentine’s Day they are estimating a slight drop off in spending in all categories. Except one: Candy.
So, if you have not figured it out yet, conversation hearts are the No. 1 Valentine’s Day candy in California. More than 513,000 are sold to Californians leading up to Valentine’s Day. Heart-shaped chocolates boxes were No. 2, followed by chocolate roses.
“The study confirmed what most people might expect, the most popular candies on Valentine’s Day are heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and conversation hearts,” Clair Robins of CandyStore.com told Uken Report. “The former likely gets a large portion of its sales for the purpose of gifting to a significant other. An easy and fun add-on gift when presenting flowers and a card. The latter is seen as more casual and its surge in popularity could be due to millennials hanging onto a childhood favorite even into their 30s. Whatever the case may be, these two were the top two in California and in many other states.
Here are some other Valentine’s Day Candy Quick Facts compiled by CandyStore.com:
- More than 40 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.
- Caramel-flavored chocolates are the most popular in those boxes.
- Chocolate-covered nuts were a close second, according to the NCA.
- Approximately 8.2 billion conversation hearts will be produced this year.
- Conversation heart candy vodka infusions became trendy last year.
- 69 percent of people prefer chocolate over flowers as a Valentine’s Day gift.
The Los Angeles-based CandyStore.com is an online bulk candy store in the United States and Canada, and offers candies of all shapes, sizes, colors, and brands. It has been featured in TIME, The New York Times, People, Martha Stewart Living, Huffington Post, and many more for its candy expertise and data pieces.
