Floral Market 2017

Growing Confident

  • According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), US consumption of flowers, seeds and potted plants was $30.769 billion for 2016, a 3.93% increase from $29.591 billion for 2015. This was an improvement from the previous year’s increase of 2.88%.
  • The Society of American Florists (SAF) reported that floriculture retail sales during 2015 were $31.3 billion, an increase of 1.3% from 2014. The discrepancy could be from florists’ sales of non-plant gift items that were not included in the BEA report.
  • There are approximately 16,182 floral shops in the US, with average annual sales of $322,331 per shop. Wholesale florists and suppliers surveyed were optimistic about 2017 sales: 62.5% expected an increase, 16% flat and 6% a decrease.

FloralRetail Sales Projects, by Holiday, 2017

Holiday / Spending per HH / Number of HH / Sales
Mother’s Day / $76 / 55 million / $4.2 billion
Valentine’s Day / $75 / 43 million / $3.3 billion
Christmas / NA / NA / $3.4 billion
Easter / NA / NA / $1.2 billion

Prince & Prince (LinkedIn) April 2017 and January 2017; AboutFlowers.com

and National Retail Federation

Valentine’s Day Is a Floral Bonanza

  • Valentine’s Day 2017was a Tuesday, which is one of the top days of the week for flower purchases and deliveries because of deliveries to loved ones at their workplaces.
  • Although the percentage of households buying flowers for Valentine’s Day has decreased during the years (48% projected for 2017), the increase in the number of American households has helped to offset the decrease.
  • Households with people younger than 35 and those with teenagers are the largest buyers of flowers for Valentines’ Day, at 63% for <35 households and 58% for homes with teens.

Floral Retailers’ Sales Increase for

Valentine’s Day 2017 vs. 2016

Amount of Increase Compared to 2016 / Percent
1-5 percent more / 11%
6-10 percent more / 17%
11-15 percent more / 16%
16-20 percent more / 18%
More than 21 percent more / 34%
Don’t know / 3%

Society of American Florists, March 2017

Mother’s Day Blooms

  • Mother’s Day 2017 was great for florists. Approximately 35% of Americans bought flowers and plants as gifts, and spent more – an average of $59.30, compared to $50.10 during 2015, when the survey was last conducted.
  • Supermarkets continued to be the top sales channel, but their share decreased from 45% to 42%, while retail florists’ share spiked from 17% to 26%. Garden centers were third at 22%, an increase from 18%, and mass merchandisers were steady at 17%.
  • The average amount spent at retail florists for Mother’s Day 2017 was $78, an 11.3% increase from $70.10 for Mother’s Day 2015.

Floral Mother’s Day Gifts, 2017

Type of Product / Percent
Fresh flowers / 88%
Flowering houseplants / 44%
Outdoor bedding, garden or container plants / 40%
Green houseplants / 32%

Floral Daily, May 2017

Wooing Millennials

  • According to a report from the Produce Marketing Association, Millennials view flowers as the choice of older adults and prefer to give other types of gifts; however, Millennials enjoy flowers themselves and like, but can’t afford, artistic arrangements.
  • The best ways to attract Millennial customers is to host fun activities and in-store events, create a casual space and let them arrange their own flowers and design packaging. Florists can be more visible by partnering with other businesses and events.
  • Millennials prefer to buy flowers in person at local florists, 69%; grocery store/mass merchandisers, 63%; farmers’ markets, 57%; or nursery/garden centers, 50%. When ordering online, they like local florist Websites, 35%, or national floral retailers, 34%.

Top 12 Ways to Improve Millennials’ Purchase Likelihood at Local Florists, 2017

Incentive / Score / Incentive / Score
More affordable prices / 6.14 / Clean damaged or rotted leaves, flowers / 5.33
In-store deals / 5.81 / Have well-designed Website / 5.23
Friendly, knowledgeable staff / 5.65 / Attractive store design / 5.18
Affordable delivery / 5.55 / Offer Groupon or Living Social deals / 5.11
More unique flower varieties / 5.53 / No hard sell / 5.02
Order online, pickup in store / 5.43 / Sell edible plants (fruits, veggies) / 4.99

Produce Marketing Association, February 2016 1= very unlikely, 7= very likely

Love in Full Bloom

  • The Knot 2016 Real Weddings Study reported a 10.2% increase in the national average spent on the florist/décor, from $2,300 for 2015 to $2,534 for 2016.
  • The 2016 Wedding Report found that only event centerpieces decreased in average cost, by1.4%, while bridal bouquet increased 2.7%; bridesmaid bouquets, +5.0%; table centerpieces, +0.3%; and flower girl flowers, +4.2%.

Top Floral Wedding Trends for 2018

Design Trends
Living greenery bouquets with organic succulents and delicate white flowers
Free-form bouquets with traditional flowers mixed with contemporary flowers, such as orchids and greenery
Floral chandeliers, wall decorations and archways
Mixed flowers in vibrant tones and shapes as bouquets and flower crowns

Florists’ Review, October 2017

Barriers for Florists

  • For Millennials, buying in grocery stores and mass-market stores is a matter of convenience. Almost 60% said it is convenient to buy flowers while grocery shopping and a similar percent cited the convenient location of grocery and mass-market stores.
  • Price is a major barrier for 75% of Millennials, especially when buying for themselves. Approximately half say that flowers are overpriced at local florists. Consumers said they would definitely buy more flowers if there were discounts, coupons or sales promotions.
  • After price, the next biggest reason for not buying flowers is short longevity, with 61% citing it as a top-three reason.

Top 10 Ways to Increase the Relevance of Flowers, 2016

Ways to Increase Relevance / Score / Ways to Increase Relevance / Score
Emphasize environmental benefits / 5.35 / Make floral products more diversified / 4.97
Emphasize health benefits / 5.28 / Make sending/receiving more adventurous / 4.93
Make sending/receiving fun / 5.20 / Make flowers part of modern lifestyle / 4.68
Educate about more occasions and reasons to send flowers / 5.00 / Make flowers trendier / 4.52
Make flowers more visible and available at convenient locations / 4.98 / Make flowers more visible in the media / 4.44

Floral Marketing Research Fund, 2016

Additional Analysis

The report, 2016 Marketing Tactics to Increase Millennial Floral Purchases, has a wealth of additional data that will help your floral clients to attract more younger customers, and increase their per-purchase spending.

Florist Advertising to Millennials, 2016

Advertising Media / Percent Preferred / Percent Noticed
TV / 72% / 60%
Social media / 58% / 43%
Word of mouth / 33% / NA
Email / 28% / 26%
Magazine / 22% / NA
Newspaper / 8% / 23%
Radio / 16% / 15%
Blog / 6% / 14%
Online news outlet / 7% / 14%
Billboard / 9% / 13%
Direct mail / 9% / 12%
Smartphone app / 5% / 6%

Floral Marketing Research Fund, 2016

Top 11 Ways Floral Advertiser Content Can Attract Attention, 2016

Type of Content / Score / Type of Content / Score
Creative, quirky / 5.57 / Trendy, cool / 4.81
Price and sales promotion oriented / 5.35 / Sustainable, harmonious / 4.73
Holiday reminder / 5.05 / Cause marketing / 4.61
Sentimental, touchy / 5.03 / Catchy slogan / 4.31
Funny, humorous / 5.02 / Educational / 3.58
Simple, straightforward / 4.92

Floral Marketing Research Fund, 2016 1= very unlikely, 7= very likely

Millennials’ Top 10 Preferred Sales Promotions, 2016

Type of Promotion / Percent / Type of Promotion / Percent
Discounted price / 57% / Free upgrade / 21%
In-store coupon / 37% / Mailed coupon / 18%
BOGO (Buy One Get One) / 32% / Discounts toward next purchase / 18%
Online coupon / 28% / Cross promotion with other businesses / 17%
Loyalty program / 23% / Price match policy / 16%

Floral Marketing Research Fund, 2016 1= very unlikely 7= very likely

Sources:Society of American Florists Website, 9/17; US Bureau of Economic Analysis Website, 9/17;Statistic Brain Website, 9/17; LinkedIn Website, 9/17; Flowers and Cents Website, 9/17;About Flowers Website, 9/17;Produce Marketing Association Website, 9/17;Floral Daily Website, 9/17;XO Group Inc. Website, 9/17;The Wedding Report Website, 9/17;Flower Trends Forecast Website, 9/17; Wholesale Florists and Floral Supplier Association Website, 9/17; Floral Daily Website, 9/17.

Updated: September 2017

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