As anyone in the flower business knows, some holidays are bigger than others when it comes to flower sales. Today, holiday flower delivery has made it easier than ever for customers to get beautiful bouquets delivered, and flower sales show no signs of slowing down this year.
While a steady stream of weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays ensures flower orders are placed year-round, it’s the year’s biggest flower holidays that can really make a difference to your company’s profitability. Keep reading to learn more about the most popular holidays for flower delivery — and how to use this information to grow your business.
1. Valentine’s Day
A bouquet of big red roses is nearly synonymous with romance, so it should come as no surprise that one of the biggest and most important holidays for flower delivery is Valentine’s Day. In fact, About Flowers estimates that more than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day each year.
On the day of love, customers in the US and Canada will spend billions of dollars celebrating their loved ones — and flowers are one of the most popular gift choices, year after year. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $21.8B on Valentine’s Day gifts for loved ones last year.
What makes Valentine’s Day so busy? Compared with other holidays that can be celebrated over a weekend, Valentine’s Day is one special day. A sales clerk from Piano's Flowers and Gifts explained to eHow, “On other holidays, orders are spread out over the week of the holiday, but on Valentine's Day, everyone wants their order for that very day, or at earliest, the day before.”
Ready to help your customers send flowers to their loved ones? Get ahead of the Valentine’s Day flower delivery rush by preparing your store ahead of time: pre-make the classics, offer unique arrangements, get all hands on deck, and more.
2. Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is one of the biggest holidays of the year for flower sales and flower deliveries, with Fortune calling the holiday the “Super Bowl for florists.”
How do flowers stack up against other gifts for mom? Highly: depending on the business, Mother’s Day flower sales generally account for 25-30% of annual flower sales. 31% of Americans reported buying flowers for Mother’s Day, spending a total of $2.9 billion on blooms. In Canada, children spend an average of about $50 more on gifts for their mothers over gifts for Father’s Day to a total of $110.
Additionally, flowers seem to be an even more popular gift with younger generations including Gen Z and Millennials, according to Best Florist Review, showing a strong interest in sending flowers to show they care. This is likely due in part to the growing popularity of houseplants — today, more than ever, customers value having fresh blooms, branches, and leaves to brighten their homes.
As new generations order more flowers and plants, online sales are increasing too, with a survey from the Society of American Florists showing that over 40% of recent Mother’s Day flower orders were placed online. To get ready for an influx of online orders, make sure your website is up to date, share your offerings on social media, and partner with a Mother’s Day flower delivery partner to increase your online flower delivery capacities.
3. Christmas and Hanukkah
Darker days call for brighter blooms. At the end of the calendar year, when the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, many customers are looking for a pick-me-up in the form of a beautiful arrangement.
Christmas and Hanukkah flowers account for about 26% of annual flower orders, according to About Flowers, which is about the same as Mother’s Day but slightly less in dollar volume (24% vs 29%).
During this time of year, customers are often looking to fill their homes with festive arrangements and there are many seasonal plants to consider. For example, poinsettias are a top-selling Christmas flower, with a total of over 35 million poinsettias sold in the US in 2020. Despite originally being native to southern Mexico, poinsettias now have a global retail impact of nearly $1 billion, a measure of how popular this flower is.
To meet demand, make sure to have a variety of options on hand for all of your customers to choose from, no matter what holidays they celebrate. Not sure if you’ll have enough hands on deck during the busy holiday season? Consider signing up with a holiday flower delivery partner like DoorDash to help you manage the delivery of seasonal orders — especially customers looking to send holiday flowers last-minute.
4. Easter and Passover
Easter and Passover are up next on the list of important holidays for flower delivery, adding up to 9% of all holiday flower transactions. During this light and happy season, make sure to stock up on seasonal blooms that capture the spirit of spring and renewal.
Not sure where to start in today’s global flower market? Think about what might grow in your own backyard in the spring. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, some of the best Easter blooms include:
Easter lily
Easter cactus
Daffodils
Crocus
Hyacinth
Tulips
5. Thanksgiving
A holiday that might be surprising for those not in the industry, Thanksgiving accounts for 8% of all holiday flower sales.
During this time of year, customers are looking for rich, beautiful arrangements that bring a sense of warmth into their homes and complement their Thanksgiving tables. Pay special attention to varietals that are non-toxic and are safe to be around food. Additionally, consider offering budget-friendly offerings so that everyone can enjoy your beautiful blooms this holiday season.
Everyday holidays
Outside of the big holidays, don’t forget the other holidays that happen year-round. The occasion can be a birthday, an anniversary, or even a “just because.” These dates might not be on your calendar yet, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t equally important to your customers and their loved ones. In fact, birthdays and anniversaries account for 24% of annual flower sales according to Petal Republic.
An everyday bouquet can mean a lot to your customers: in fact, nearly 40% of Americans say florists have helped them in a relationship, and 60% of Americans believe a gift of flowers has a special meaning unlike any other gift.
In order to keep your business top of mind for these everyday moments, it’s important to invest in marketing. Ensure that your business is easy to find online through SEO, a strong social media presence, and by listing your brand on on-demand delivery platforms like DoorDash. Boost your holiday flower marketing with creative ideas, and consider investing in paid marketing campaigns to guarantee your business gets seen by customers in your area.
Meeting the demand for holiday flower delivery
As your business prepares for the next big day on the calendar, ensure that you’re ready to meet the holiday flower delivery rush. With a flower delivery partner like DoorDash, you can provide delivery instructions to Dashers, track deliveries through the Order Manager app, contact customers directly, see analytics and get insights, and more.
Learn more about how DoorDash works for flower delivery, and sign up for flower delivery with DoorDash today.
