Mobile users wait until last minute to plan Valentine's Day gifts, travel

Valentine's Day breaks remain popular but are increasingly being booked last minute, according to new research from travel site ebookers.com (via Travelbite).

The time between booking a Valentine's destination and the date of travel is getting shorter, found ebookers.com. Today, 22% of hotel bookings for a romantic break are left until less than three days before travel.

"As people are leading busier lives it's not surprising that we're seeing bookings left until the last minute," says Jessica Craker, UK Marketing Manager, ebookers.com. "There can be a lot of pressure to get it right on Valentine's day and we understand customers just want it to be an easy decision when booking a romantic holiday."

When it comes to mobile users, they are very last minute. In 2012, of the bookings made in the lead-up to Valentine's Day on a mobile device, 72% were booked on Valentine's Day itself.

Whether the timing was due to being too busy to make prior plans, or whether lovers were waiting for last minute deals via mobile, was not revealed in ebookers.com's research.

Another study, this time from MobiStealth, reveals an increasing reliance on mobiles for arranging Valentine's Day surprises and purchasing gifts. And again, the research reveals many people, around 20%, wait until the last minute before sorting out something for loved ones.

The question is, are mobile users simply forgetful, too busy or too disorganized, or is it just that the best way to make a last-minute booking or purchase without a partner discovering a lack of forethought is via your most private of communication devices? Or maybe mobile users are conditioned to wait until the last minute to receive the best deals?

What do you think?

Tags: mobile, mobile shopping, travel trends, Valentines Day