Perhaps buoyed by a better than expected Easter, 95 percent of retail florists responding to a Society of American Florists survey said they plan to be open for Mother’s Day. About 55 percent of respondents to the survey said Easter and Passover sales dropped this year, but in write-in responses, retailers also detailed positive results and how those returns are shaping Mother’s Day plans.

“Easter was one of the strongest we have seen in many years in both retail and wholesale,” wrote one respondent from the West. “I think people sent flowers because they could not do many other things. We placed ads in the paper for our wholesale floral customers encouraging people to support the local florists and we placed ads for our retail stores to encourage people to buy flowers.”

The survey was emailed to SAF members from all industry segments on April 17 and had a response rate of 8.4 percent. Most of the respondents to the survey, about 90 percent, were retail florists.

Holiday Returns

Overall, three-quarters of the respondents to the survey said they were open for some kind of business on Easter/Passover this year — on average operating with about one-third of their normal workforce — and 95 percent say they plan to be open for Mother’s Day, with 52 percent predicting a sales drop for that holiday and 29 percent predicting a sales gain. (Looking at retailer respondents only, 48 percent are planning for a sales decrease and 31 are expecting an increase.)

Among all respondents who saw a decrease in Easter/Passover sales this year, the majority (58 percent) saw a steep decline of 21 percent or more; however, about a quarter of those who saw an uptick classified their sales gains as 21 percent or more.

“Initially, I thought Passover, which is a big holiday for me, was going to be a disaster,” wrote one retailer in the Southeast. “I canceled all the extra flowers I had ordered above and beyond my regular weekly order. But as we got closer to the holiday, I got signs that there would be some business, so I slowly added flowers to my order. We sold most of the flowers I ordered! I am cautiously optimistic about Mother’s Day, but we shall see.”

SAF’s annual spring holiday surveys have for years charted stagnant or declining Easter and Passover sales. Last year, about 45 percent of retailer respondents said sales for the holiday were flat.

Challenges Abound in Crisis

This year’s survey did not show significant variation by geographic location; however, smaller businesses (those with less than $299,999 in annual sales) were more likely to have experienced a sales increase, with about 46 percent reporting an uptick.

Other respondents shared stories in write-in response that helped paint a fuller picture of the challenges the industry has faced this spring, including reduced staff, difficulty sourcing product, concerns over safety and sanitation, financial worries compounded by anxiety surrounding federal loan programs and restrictions placed upon industry businesses by state and local governments. Respondents shared stories of being “lean and mean” and working nonstop to keep their businesses afloat in conditions that are far from business as usual.

“We have never run so efficiently,” wrote a florist in the Northeast, noting that the business is operating with “no employees,” reduced wire-in orders and fewer hours. “All of our efforts are building resources to keep operations funded for rent, suppliers, utilities and health care… I have worked harder, for no pay, in the 35 years of my life that I have dedicated to this business.”

A florist in the mid-Atlantic region explained, “We have shortened our hours and are only open four days. Basically, the owner has been running the shop. We were happy to have one designer needed for the Thursday and Friday for Easter and a driver on Friday. We had to close on Saturday as there was no more product available.” Overall, about 20 percent of respondents said they had trouble sourcing product this year.

A florist and garden center in the Northeast commented that “our delivery sales were up, however, we did lose quite a bit on church orders as churches canceled their services. We are anxious about logistics for Mother’s Day if we expect an increase in sales.”

Survey Highlights

Other highlights from this year’s Easter/Passover holiday survey:

Reasons for sales increases. About 55 percent of those who saw sales increase credited increased demand to social distancing and consumers’ desire to use flowers and plants to erase the physical distance between loved ones. Meanwhile, 23 percent cited less competition from other floral industry businesses as a positive sales factor, and about 18 percent said they faced less competition from non-floral vendors this year.

Reasons for sales decreases. Among those who saw sales decrease, nearly 70 blamed COVID-19 related restrictions on their business as helping to diminish their returns, and 48 percent pointed to reduced demand because of social distancing (e.g. crowd size restrictions and cancellation of religious services).

Promotion efforts. The survey found that about 42 percent of respondents promoted the holidays at about the same level as last year; 26 percent decreased those efforts. 

Product selection and pricing. On average, 68 percent of sales were cut flowers, 20 percent were flowering or green houseplants and 5 percent were outdoor bedding plants. That breakdown is similar to 2019 returns. Retailers reported their average transaction amount to be $36.50. In 2019, it was $64.

Look for more coverage of spring holidays, including Administrative Professionals Week and Mother’s Day, in future SAF publications.

Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.