Mother's Day 2017: Good News For Florists

According to an SAF (Society of American Florists) survey published in the July issue of Floral Management, 61% of florists reported that Mother’s Day sales were up in 2017, with 21% reporting flat sales and a further 16% declining sales. With only 27% of florists predicting increased sales, this is positive news for many.

Most reported that the bulk of their orders came in on Thurdsay, Friday or Saturday (67%) - this finding supports recent research from Cardyltics citing customers are waiting longer to make holiday and special event purchases. While customers may be accustomed to buying items online for fast delivery through outlets such as Amazon Prime, they forget that florists benefit from being able to plan ahead.

Other highlights from the survey:

• The bulk of florists experienced increased sales of 15% or less
• The average sale was up slightly, from $64 to $66
• Some of the main reasons florists felt sales were up: increased advertising/promotion, overall better economy in their region, higher price points and the weather 
• On the flip side, reasons given for experiencing a decline in sales were: competition from big box stores or order gatherers, competition from other types of gifts, and the weather
• The bulk of sales (78%) were cut flowers 
• Keep your phone line - 44% of orders were taken by phone, with walk-ins and websites both scoring 21%

The biggest two takeaways for florists when planning ahead for Mother’s Day 2018 are:

1) be ready to take and deliver orders as late as possible Saturday and/or Sunday to maximize sales

2) use advertising and promotions to encourage and incentivize your customers to order early.