Cascade/Waterfall Charts of Valentine's Day Spending by Recipient and Gift Type

Valentine's Day Spending: What Are We Buying and Who Are We Buying For?

Americans will spend almost $19 billion on Valentine's Day gifts.  Spouses and significant others will get almost $12B, while pets will get over $700 million.  More money will be spend on jewelry, even though only 20% of purchasers plan to buy it.  Over 50% will buy candy or cards, spending $1.7B and $1B respectively.  The cascade (waterfall) charts below summarize planned spending by recipient and gift type based on a survey commissioned by the National Retail Foundation.

Valentines Day Spend

The cascade charts provide a nice alternative to a pie chart or a single bar 100% stacked bar chart.  Each cascade breaks down the 'Valentine's Day spend' along a different dimension--by recipient and by gift type.  Mekko Graphic's data rows allow you to show related information about each category.  In this case, we have the percentage of people who plan to buy and the average amount they plan to spend.  These add key information to the Valentine's Day spend story.  We know that even though jewelry accounts for the most spending, relatively few people will buy it .  Download the chart from SlideShare to view and manipulate the data: