How have the habits and preferences of flower-buying consumers changed over the past year — and what can florists do to make the most of those changes? Industry experts and event attendees shared their perspective during SAF’s “Capitalizing on Today’s Floral Consumer” webinar, which revealed the findings of a new consumer survey commissioned by SAF.

The survey, conducted by the global market research firm IPSOS, gathered information over two days following Mother’s Day 2021, from a sample of just over 1,000 adults, calibrated to be representative of the U.S. population.

There was plenty of good news. A full 32 percent of respondents reported that they had purchased flower or plants for Mother’s Day in 2021. “What I love about this data is that it shows we’re reversing a trend,” said Charlie Hall, PhD, an economist and professor in horticultural sciences at Texas A&M University. The numbers had been declining over the prior four years, from 35 percent in 2017 to only 28 percent in 2020.

That last figure may seem surprising, given that many in the industry recall Mother’s Day 2020 as a resounding success. One explanation: “Last year, we didn’t have all the product available, so there may not have been opportunity for people who wanted to buy flowers to do so,” noted panelist Carlos Oramas of Gems Group, Inc.. “But we also saw a big uptick shortly after Mother’s Day last year that has held steady today.”

Retail florist and SAF President Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, of Penny’s by Plaza Flowers in Philadelphia agreed with Oramas: “What’s encouraging to me is that we’re really seeing a change in buying habits. During the pandemic, consumers have used a lot more flowers to connect with people. Now it’s up to us to keep that momentum going.”

It’s especially encouraging that the trend in floral buying is supported by wider consumer trends that are expected to continue in force, said Melanie Spilbeler of FreshPath Marketing: “People are looking for convenience, ease, and connection, and our industry is poised to capitalize on those trends.”

Local + Online = Convenience

Here’s another result that seems, at first, counterintuitive. The common perception is that since the beginning of the pandemic, more and more consumers have started buying everything online. Yet, in 2021, only 17 percent of consumers said they purchased their Mother’s Day flowers from internet retailers like 1-800-Flowers.com, FTD.com, or Proflowers.com — a smaller percentage than in 2020.

The 17 percent figure for internet sales, however, does not include online sales by traditional retail florists, which were lumped in with walk-in and phone purchasing at local flower shops. With all these types of sales counted together, retail florists garnered a full 21 percent of Mother’s Day purchases. That figure pulled even with independent garden centers (also at 21 percent) and with mass merchandisers like Walmart and Target. Supermarkets were favored by 33 percent of purchasers, basically consistent with prior years but reflecting a slight decrease.

What’s going on there? “Over the past year, a lot of attention was given to local businesses,” Oramas pointed out — the businesses most susceptible to pandemic failure. “I think people did say, ‘We need to take care of our own community.’ That’s a good thing to embrace and jump on. I wonder if we are riding that wave.”

Many retail florists who operate their own websites have reported increases in online orders, over the time of the pandemic, to the tune of 100, 150, even 200 percent, said Drummond. That points to a consumer trend that embraces both online and local. “Some may have discovered a local florist website for the first time,” he continued, “and now they’re using it over and over again.”

Young and Ready to Spend

In other good news, of three age groups (18-34, 35-54, and 55+), the youngest is the one that shot up over the past three years in terms of how many consumers in that group bought flowers or plants for Mother’s Day: from 36 percent in 2019 to 44 percent in 2020 to 50 percent in 2021.

While that’s a welcome trend, it’s one that florists can further encourage by offering the distinctive, “unique” products favored by the younger generation — not excluding some with higher price points.

Indeed, when asked “How much did you spend?”, survey respondents answered with a high average of $68 (versus $54 in 2020 and $35 in 2018). It’s likely that figure reflects not only higher prices, but also more units sold. But Drummond, who had spoken with more than a dozen fellow florists since Mother’s Day, believes dollars are going up faster than units.

Certainly, cost increases, at the farm level and also in terms of freight, pushed the price points up for most florists. But it does seem, said Oramas, that “real estate is available north of the price points we have traditionally catered to.” At the same time, as a webinar participant noted in one of the breakout sessions, it may be wise to maintain some inventory at entry-level prices, to draw new buyers ins.

This past Mother’s Day saw a significantly higher percentage of purchases for someone other than “Mom”: 36 percent, versus 32 percent in 2020. The change reflects a trend to broader gift giving: “We’ve almost redefined the definition of mother,” said Oramas. “The first 10 days of May are becoming a time of gratitude expressed also toward people like teachers and nurses. It opens opportunities for us as marketers.”

“The card companies have figured this out,” Spilbeler added. “Just look at the card section in any store around the time of Mother’s Day. We have to make sure that our own messages appeal to a bigger audience.”

Future Forward

What do consumers say will be the most important factors influencing their flower and plant purchases over the next six months? At the top of the list: convenience (34 percent), finances (also 34 percent), and connection (30 percent). Ranking lower were “pick-me-up” (24 percent), reminders and promotions (14 percent), and social distancing (11 percent). The figures add up to more than 100, since respondents could check more than one).

While the importance given to convenience is about the same as in a similar survey last year (33 percent), consumers are now learning that a purchase from their local florist’s website can be just as convenient as picking up something at the supermarket — or more so, depending on the situation, said Drummond. “When you have a system that keeps orders on file and makes it easy to reorder, that’s convenience for the customer,” he pointed out. “They can do it all on their phones.”

And, while finances weigh up there with convenience, consumers are less concerned about the money factor than they were last year. Meanwhile, those who said the need to connect would play heavily in their future flower-purchasing decisions were up eight percentage points over 2020.

The bottom-line trend, year over year? “Consumers have financial resources and are making purchases based on emotion and the need for connection,” said Drummond.

“Big spenders” (those who spent more than $70 for Mother’s Day 2021) self-reported as more likely than others to spend on pick-me-up flowers: 36 percent, versus 29 percent of those who spent less than $70. This group was also more concerned about social distancing requirements: 21 percent of big spenders, versus 15 percent for others. Overall, and not surprisingly, more of these big spenders self-reported as likely to increase their purchases in coming months (43 percent, versus only 29 percent of the under-$70 crowd).

Respondents were asked whether they would be likely to spend more, less, or about the same, in each of two categories: for themselves, and for others. “About the same” was the most common response in both cases — but younger consumers self-reported as the most likely to increase spending, both for themselves and for others.

Again, that’s great news for the future of the industry. “The pandemic was a turning point for many people,” Oramas observed. “For younger people, there have been some resets: What makes me happy?” Social media is another factor influencing the younger set, Spilbeler theorized: “With this age group, everything is highly visual, and if you look at what they are posting online, you will very often see flowers and plants in the background.”

Supermarkets and grocery stores are projected to continue as the top outlets for flower purchasing. The survey did reveal a significant jump, however, for self-purchase at retail flower shops, and flower shops were the outlet of choice for a higher percentage in 2021 over 2020. The higher-dollar purchaser, in particular, is more likely to migrate from mass market retail to a retail florist for self-purchase.

“We’ve said this for years,” noted Drummond: “We can’t compete on price.” It needs to be, in part, on selection: “Generation Z consumers are coming into my greenhouse and picking out the most unique thing they can find. It may not be large, but they’re willing to pay more for it. We have to ask, how are we capturing that purchase, right when they walk in?”

Watch “Capitalizing on Today’s Floral Consumer” to learn more about the study results and how to apply them to your business. Access is free for SAF members.

Bruce Wright is a contributing writer to Floral Management.