Mother’s Day 2019 has the potential to be a major retail event, according to predictions from national companies in the floral industry and the National Retail Federation.
Last week, NRF released results from its 2019 annual survey, which pegged predicted spending at $25 billion, up from $23.1 billion last year. The figure is the highest number in the survey’s 16-year history, said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Consumers are excited to celebrate all the moms in their lives, and retailers are ready to inspire consumers with unique gift options.”
While NRF predicts the number of people celebrating the holiday (86 percent) will be comparable to 2018 returns, “those celebrating are expected to spend more at an average $196 compared with $180 in 2018. Consumers ages 35 to 44 are likely to spend the most at an average $248, up from $224,” according to a news release.
This year, flowers remain the second most popular gift, behind greeting cards. The group estimates that 67 percent of consumers will buy flowers, spending a total of $2.6 billion (or, on average, $20.31 per customer). That’s about on par with 2018, when NRF predicted 69 percent of Mother’s Day shoppers would spend $2.6 billion.
The survey does not ask consumers if they plan to purchase flowers, nor does it differentiate among floral gift types.
Other highlights from the survey:
- Experience Matters. 24 percent of shoppers plan to give a “gift of experience” this year, compared to 2018’s 29 percent.
- Battle of the Sexes. Men plan to spend, on average, $263.83 on the day; women, on average, will spend $158.14
- Unique Offerings. 44 percent of consumers say that “finding a gift that’s different and unique” is important to them on Mother’s Day; 39 percent said it’s important to find “a gift that creates a special memory.”
A final stat from the survey that should be heartening to local florists: Mother’s Day shoppers are expecting to get purchasing advice from you and your team. Eighty-one percent say they will “look to retailers for gifting inspiration.”
This week, EBrief editors also heard from some national companies in the floral industry about sales predictions and holiday plans. Some of those highlights include:
BloomNation. Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer David Daneshgar said BloomNation continues to focus on trends in consumer purchasing as it creates products and services. “More customers continue to go online,” on holidays such as Mother’s Day and year-round, he said. “And millennials are ordering more things for delivery,” thanks to the rise of specialized services (UberEats, Postmates, etc.). For Mother’s Day, some BloomNation florists are testing a delivery management tool that allows senders to track their gift. The technology meets the expectations of customers accustomed to tracking their dinner delivery and creates more efficiency for the retailer, who fields fewer “Where are my flowers?” calls on a busy holiday. The company is also testing timed delivery options, which let a customer set a delivery window and pay an up-charge. “It’s something customers are coming to expect,” he said. Beyond BloomNation, Daneshgar sees opportunities for florists to leverage segmented marketing on Facebook this holiday. “Facebook has created more tools to do the heavy lifting, so that florists can do more tests and figure out what works for their business,” he said. “They’re tools I would consider if I wanted to gain new customers or connect more with existing ones.”
BloomNet/1-800-Flowers.com. A company representative said the outlook for Mother’s Day is positive and would build on the momentum of a “strong Valentine’s holiday.” Referencing third-quarter earnings, she noted, “we saw strong growth in our Consumer Floral and BloomNet businesses, with revenue in those segments up 6.7 percent and 15 percent respectively.” 1-800-Flowers.com recently introduced its Local Artisan Collection, “a curated assortment of arrangements designed and inspired by talented local florists,” and launched its Perfectly Pink Collection, to capitalize on customer interest in the color, along with a collection of plants and succulents. 1-800-Flowers.com also “implemented Google Home as a new voice platform for shopping and transacting.” In addition, BloomNet’s “Early Pay Cash Your Way” promotion allows member florists who sign up by May 8, 2019 to receive payment for Mother’s Day delivered orders 10 days early for free during the months of May and June.
The Bouqs. Chief Revenue Officer Kim Tobman noted the company has introduced “new mobile optimized landing pages and shopping funnels” for Mother’s Day. “Our mobile traffic continues to increase year-over-year, and we have been laser focused in 2019 on enhancing the experience to make it simple and easy to use for our customers,” she said. The company has also “been focusing on deeper personalization” in its email marketing. “We’re serving customers what they want based on data around their previous shopping experience,” she added. “We’ve seen this new strategy already paying off, with substantial year-over-year growth in April on email.”
Flower Shop Network. Co-founder and CFO Loranne Atwill said member florists have seen “significant” website order volume increases year-over-year and “we expect this holiday to be no different. Our florists are already on track to beat last year’s order numbers. The economy is strong, and consumer confidence rebounded in April, so we anticipate that order volume will reflect that optimism.” Atwill noted that her company remains focused on ongoing initiatives, including SEO best practices, product selection and check-out optimization. “Our most recent website update simplified the mobile checkout process, which is imperative because of the increasing trend of customers checking out on mobile devices,” she said.
FTD. Tom Moeller, FTD’s executive vice president of its florist division, said the company is “expecting a strong holiday period with higher average order values compared to last year.” He added that, “with consumer satisfaction scores rising on florist-filled products, we’re increasing the number of florist-designed and -delivered orders. Both of these expectations can drive higher sales and margin dollars for our florists.” FTD is offering additional rebates on orders sent through its Mercury system during the month of May and limiting its product assortment on FTD.com starting May 6 to “streamline sourcing and fulfillment.” This year the company has a buyback program on codified containers to “reduce risk to a florist concerned about overbuying,” said Moeller, adding that the company is also “investing in marketing, specifically in social media and online channels,” and has a new online video that promotes local FTD florists.
Teleflora. Vice President of Consumer Marketing Danielle Mason said the company is expecting “another strong year of holiday sales,” thanks to new marketing initiatives, including a series of humorous “Love Like a Mother” videos. The campaign, created by the The Wonderful Company’s in-house creative team, Wonderful Agency, with a planned distribution across social media platforms, includes 10 videos that highlight “a series of scenarios ranging from mundane activities to major milestones where strangers jump in and have intensely endearing reactions, like a mom would display toward her own children.” Teleflora will also be leveraging its partnership with ABC’s “Strahan & Sara” and an “influencer program featuring more than twenty moms” to help promote the campaign and the company’s holiday offerings.
UrbanStems. CEO Seth Goldman said his company is “expecting a big lift for Mother’s Day — 20 percent above Valentine’s Day, and nearly double what we did last year.” The holiday should represent “our biggest week of the year,” he added. Among the initiatives UrbanStems has lined up for the holiday: a partnership with JCrew (now in its second year); “exclusive bundles” that offer high-end combinations such as floral designs paired with a signature fragrance from Jo Malone; and a new partnership with Venmo, “which will make it easier for siblings to split a gift for mom,” Goldman said.
Look for more holiday coverage in upcoming issues of SAF’s Wednesday EBrief.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management.
