This is how Indians are spending Valentine's Day

Tinder has beaten all its rivals to become India’s most popular dating app this Valentine’s Day.

Nearly 20% of respondents to a recent survey conducted in the country said it will be their go-to app to find a partner today (Feb. 14). “The popularity of Tinder is notable among men and younger people under 30, with 22% of them saying they currently use or have used this app to meet people,” said global market research platform YouGov India. It surveyed up to 1,025 respondents between Jan. 29 and Feb. 04 on their Valentine’s Day plans.

Tinder’s particularly popular in the northern Indian states, while it is OkCupid in the south, the survey showed.

“Online dating is becoming increasingly popular in India, especially in metros and big cities, and people are opening up to the idea of finding love through dating apps,” said Deepa Bhatia, general manager at YouGov India. An occasion like Valentine’s Day lets the apps tailor-make their offerings to suit this demographic, Bhatia added.

When it comes to exchanging gifts, over 40% of those surveyed preferred presenting and receiving lower-ticket items like chocolates and flowers.

However, one in three women expected jewellery and, interestingly, 18% of men planned to gift jewellery this year, YouGov found. A quarter of the women also looked forward to a holiday.

And these gifts will mostly be shopped for online.

The second most popular dating idea among Indians, after dinner, is watching movies or shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. “The growing popularity of video streaming and OTT (over-the-top) platforms is evident in that fact that 16% respondents are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day watching movies or online content with their partners,” YouGov’s report noted.