For decades, the retail narrative for February has been written in red ink and heart-shaped boxes. It was a month defined by "The Other", finding the perfect token for a partner, a spouse, or a friend. But if you look closer at the data emerging in 2026, the story is changing.

Don’t let your marketing momentum go cold on February 15th! The days immediately following Valentine’s Day are the "sweet spot" for re-engagement.

The strategy: Send a "Love Yourself" promotion on February 15th or 16th.

• The hook: Target customers who didn’t purchase during the Valentine’s rush.
• The offer: Offer a "Double Points" weekend or a small bonus credit for every gift card purchased for personal use.
• The result: You capture the "gift-fatigue" audience and ensure your sales curve stays high throughout the shortest month of the year.

When you think “gift card,” you probably imagine a retail store, a restaurant, or maybe an online marketplace. But around the world, companies have gotten wildly creative with what you can buy via gift cards. Some of these unusual offerings might surprise you ...

In Istanbul, on stage, I said something that made a few people shift in their seats:

“Loyalty as we know it is dead.”

Not dying. Not evolving. Dead.

And Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and whatever comes next aren’t waiting around to mourn it.

Insights from JLL’s European Retail Market Outlook 2026 and the European Retail City Profiles: Europe’s prime retail markets are reasserting their role as anchors of physical growth. Tightening supply, recovering consumer confidence and the enduring value of stores within omnichannel models are reshaping leasing decisions across the continent’s leading cities.