Source: SAF’s 2016 December Holidays and 2017 Valentine’s Day Intentions Survey, emailed Jan. 2 to all SAF retailers. Response rate 7.7 percent.
A high-profile reason for a romantic gesture in the middle of the week? Florists are saying, “yes, please.”
More than 90 percent of florists surveyed by the Society of American Florists expect higher sales on Valentine’s Day this year, when the holiday falls on a Tuesday, compared to last year’s holiday, which fell on a Sunday and during a long weekend.
Last year, two-thirds of respondents saw sales drop compared to 2015 (when the holiday fell on a Saturday).
Respondents said they plan to charge, on average, $62 for a dozen long-stemmed unarranged roses and $82 for a dozen long-stemmed arranged roses.
That’s about on par with last year, when surveyed florists reported charging about $65 on average for a dozen long-stemmed unarranged roses and $83 for a dozen long-stemmed arranged roses.
This year, nearly 70 percent of florists plan to market Valentine’s Day flowers and gifts as a workplace surprise.
Source: SAF’s 2016 December Holidays and 2017 Valentine’s Day Intentions Survey, emailed Jan. 2 to all SAF retailers. Response rate 7.7 percent.
Other popular messages respondents plan to include in promotions:
- Flowers make people happy (as proven by research), 44 percent
- Deals and special offers, 32 percent
- Flowers as “affordable luxuries,” 29 percent
- Flowers as a complement to romantic dinners/weekend getaways, 14 percent
- Flowers as a “green alternative” to other gift choices, 5 percent
In write-in responses, florists noted plans to partner with other local businesses for Valentine’s Day-themed events, including men’s shopping nights, and packages and putting together enticing point-of-sale options for customers in a rush to get home on a Tuesday afternoon.
Compared to last year, 50 percent of respondents said they plan to pre-book more fresh product for the holiday. Forty-four percent said they’ll pre-book about the same amount.
Forty-four percent of respondents said they’ll offer incentives for early delivery and 51 percent said they’ll do the same for early ordering. About 18 percent said they will offer incentives to encourage likes on Facebook or other social media acknowledgements.
The last time Valentine’s Day fell on a Tuesday, in 2012, 79 percent of surveyed florists reported higher sales than 2011. That year, 77 percent of owners attributed sales increases to the holiday falling on a Tuesday.