This dissertation focuses on three marketplace activities and their associated consumer behaviors: a) onground "o-dating", b) electronic "e-dating", and c) Valentines Day (e.g., as it is associated with romantic rituals and holiday retail and e-tail). Multiple methods are used to address the research objectives. This dissertation is a series of four research chapters, which lead to a concluding chapter focusing on the implications to marketing theory and practice, limitations, and avenues for scholars to extend this research.