At one time, Valentine’s Day activities included creating cards and cutting out hearts of pink and red construction paper. According to Pinterest’s recent data, however, Valentine’s Day isn’t just a huge topic on the network, but it has gone scientific, with pins including Valentine’s Day and science experiments up over 300 percent when compared to last year’s activity.
The increase in pins showing images with recipes explaining how to create love potions or crystal hearts indicates an increased interest in science-based ways for children and adults to celebrate the “holiday of love.” According to Mashable, the increase isn’t entirely surprising: Over the last year, scientific pins and those that are STEM-related, have risen 30 times, and search terms like “experiments” have increased in the parenting category more than 55 percent. Also, these increases often occur most during craftier holidays such as Halloween and Valentine’s Day – no surprise there either.
Valentine’s Day by itself results in more than 29 million Pinners sharing 200 million pins, says Pinterest. For businesses and adults, the primary categories seem to be those based on “falling in love” and recipes for the most romantic dinners. Further, 12 million Pinners have contributed to 58 million Valentine’s Day searches for terms such as “Valentine’s ideas” and “Valentine’s Day crafts” indicating that the demand for Valentine’s holidays to extend much further than just teachers and preschool activities. Pinterest also shares tips for businesses looking to capitalize on these increases through incorporating holiday-themed crafts, sharing creative recipes for romantic dinners, and promoting pins targeting specific audiences during the Valentine’s Day season.
Pinterest’s 2016 trends include DIY photo prints, brunch at home, and STEM projects and educational activities, which all seem to be perfectly designed categories meant exclusively for Valentine’s Day. Other trends that Pinners and businesses can look forward to this year include an increased awareness of healthy habits like jiu-jitsu and using coconut oil, and what Pinterest refers to as “finding fresh ways to get some peace of mind” through adult coloring books and capsule closets.
