Valentine’s Day is NOT cancelled!!!
I usually enjoy hanging out with dear ones on Valentine’s Day but this year there are digital options to beat the social-distancing blues.
I have always been a huge sucker for holidays and family get-togethers! The laughter, the ‘remember-the-time-when’ stories, the clinking of glasses, the gifts. There is something strangely intoxicating about playing a perfect hostess or a delightful guest. I have been known to turn up at events with the best or the worst of gifts. Yes, I have a warped sense of judgement when it comes to giving gifts. However, it is oddly satisfying to always end up being the topic of conversation.
I usually enjoy hanging out with dear ones on Valentine’s Day. I cook up a storm enough to feed a village to over-compensate for what’s coming their way. I had once gifted a superhero steering wheel cover to a cousin. ‘I don’t even have a car! I can’t afford a car! I am still a student!!!’, he had said incredulously. ‘Buy one. I spent a fortune getting it customized’, I had said defending my choice. To be honest, it had completely slipped my mind. Did it make me a cautious buyer going forward? Nope. Did he finally buy a car? Yup! He later mentioned that he had woken up to the sight of that cover for one whole year before he caved into eating ramen and saving up. It always works out in the end.
This year is going to be different. It’s almost Valentine’s Day. I already have endearing messages pouring in from friends and family, vehemently professing their love for my over-the-top luncheon spread and ‘who-is-stuck-with-Lord-knows-what’ gifts. With the external world shrinking and the digital world expanding, the way we celebrate Valentine’s Day is going to change this year.
Venue — Video Calling Apps: With the pandemic redefining our lives, dining-in is a preferred choice these days. However, this definitely doesn’t mean that one is forced to skip the meal-time chatter. Apps such as Google Hangouts Meet, WhatsApp, Signal, Skype and Zoom have seen a surge beyond just corporate usage. Video conferencing apps saw a whopping 62 million downloads last year. Even the nay-sayers are happily purchasing online concert tickets to enjoy Mozart from the comfort of their homes. For people across geographies and with travel restrictions, at least getting to connect in a virtual room brings some relief.
Gifts — Digital: A large part of the in-store shopping experience is being replaced with online purchases. Secure payment gateways, flexibility of ‘try & buy’, lower shipping timelines are boosting confident buying. According to a survey, U.S retailers sold 114% more digital gift cards in 2020 as compared to the year before. With augmented reality, predictive analytics and multiexperience interfaces gaining limelight, digital will kick-up a notch the playing field in the ecommerce industry. The best part — there are no tiring check-out lines!
Entertainment — Over-the-top (OTT)/ Online Gaming: With 5G technology’s sweeping adoption enabling faster data speed, OTT services are now an alternative source of entertainment. According to the Research Dive report, the global OTT market is expected to grow by 19.1% by 2026. Netflixing is now part of the urban lingo. One can definitely expect some hardcore binge watching this Valentine’s.
Another option that has cropped up as an entertainment choice is online gaming. The global gaming market size is expected to grow $90.13 billion by 2023. Gone are the days when gaming attracted only a specific demographic. With the mind-numbing rise of virtual and augmented reality and emergence of cloud gaming driving this market, a wider gaming community of diverse participants, is not only strategizing and collaborating but is also socializing on personal levels.
My Yoda Moment
Nothing replaces spending time or doting on loved ones and not such on a specific day. These are extraordinary times but there are options to interlink our lives digitally. Don’t be alone this Valentine’s. While you let technology help you decide on a wonderful evening filled with stories, gifts and times together, it is time for me to raid some online stores for the ‘oh! this again’ gifts. After all, who doesn’t like to be the topic of conversation.
**Disclaimer : The views expressed here are mine alone based on hours lazing around research reports. If you are itching to blame somebody, please redirect all your complaints to Pepper - my neighbor’s cat. She is way more opinionated than I am.
