The Easter Bunny delivered great sales for the floral industry this year, with many retailers reporting increases above both 2020 and 2019 sales marks.
A recent poll by the Society of American Florists shows that 74 percent of respondents noted this year’s sales had increased over last year, and almost half of those saw sales increases of 20 percent or more. Many of the respondents (56 percent) attributed the increase in demand to continued social distancing and consumers’ desire to connect through flowers and plants when they can’t be in person. Respondents also cited the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on businesses as giving a boost to sales.
“This year, our sales doubled over last year because we were fully open,” says Carly Anechiarico, of Blossom Flower Shops, Yonkers, New York. “Even when compared to 2019, Easter this year was definitely one of the best we’ve seen in a very long time.”
Jen Barnard, of Tillie’s Flower Shop, Wichita, Kansas, noted that her shop’s Easter sales were up almost 90 percent over last year. “Last year we were up due to the shut down, but things have lifted here in Kansas and people are getting together more,” Barnard said, adding that, with t, she expected sales would be slightly up from 2019, but not as big as sales in 2020. Shockingly, she notes, “We ended up 89 percent up compared to 2020.”
The survey also noted that this year saw an uptick in orders placed via retailers’ websites, with 72 percent responding that they saw increased traffic via the web, along with increased orders from walk-ins and phoned-in orders.
Every-Bunny Needs Flowers and Plants
With increased sales comes an increased need for product, and sourcing the right products for customers remains a significant challenge for many. Tim Dewey of wholesaler DV Flora, Sewell, New Jersey, noted that flower production in South America has been lower due to La Niña effect, as well as demand that is exceeding current production levels. Additionally, he notes, “Many farms pinched heavily for Valentine’s, leaving a gap in rose availability for the March/early April timeframe, to add to the shortage of product effect that the marketplace is experiencing.”
One survey respondent noted that by sourcing locally, their shop was able to meet the needs of their customers during Easter week. “Easter lily plants we pre-ordered gave us the ability to fill our special church and customer sales,” the respondent said, though noted that their attempts to get more products at the end of the week weren’t successful. “We bought directly from a local grower that we supported last year during the start of the pandemic. I think that made a big difference, to shop locally.” Others noted that they worked with customers on alternative offerings to meet their needs.
Encouraging customers to preorder their plants and flowers for Easter also helped mitigate product shortages for retailers. “We encouraged our customers to pre-book early as many of our suppliers asked for earlier holiday cut-offs,” said Dewey. “After the experience of product shortages for Christmas and Valentine’s Day, our retail customers are getting used to pre-booking early in order to secure their needs for the holiday.”
Molly Olson is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
