Retail florists appear cautiously optimistic about Valentine’s Day 2021, which falls on a Sunday holiday during a long weekend — a typically challenging combination for the floral industry. About 48 percent of retailers responding to a new Society of American Florists survey said they expect sales to be down, compared to returns from 2020’s Friday holiday. Meanwhile, about the same number say they think sales could be higher than results from 2016, when Valentine’s Day last occurred on a Sunday. Adding a healthy dose of uncertainty to almost every facet of holiday prep, of course: the ongoing global pandemic.
The survey, which was emailed to SAF retailer members across the country on Nov. 17, 2020 and had a response rate of 3 percent (95 people), found that timing, labor and supply chain pain points are at the top of most respondents’ list of challenges. These topics (and much more) will be at the heart of SAF’s Gear Up for Valentine’s Day virtual event on Dec. 4. The program, sponsored by FTD, kicks off at 3 p.m. ET and will include a cross-segment panel discussion, time for Q&A and roundtable discussions and a “Pal-entine’s Day” Happy Hour + Design Demo. Find out more and register today.
Challenges, Trends and Areas to Drive Sales
Digging deeper into the SAF survey results, roughly three-quarters of respondents named the Sunday celebration as a potential sales dampener. Other top challenges:
- Uncertainty related to the pandemic/economy (66 percent)
- Pandemic-related restrictions (54 percent)
- Fresh product shortages/ costs (50 percent)
- Hard goods shortages/costs (46 percent)
- Staffing and labor shortages (45 percent)
“If we can find the staff, I think people will want to send flowers because of not wanting to go out,” explained one retailer in Washington state. “But finding staff right now is almost impossible.”
In Virginia, another retailer expressed some ambivalence: “Usually, Sunday is the worst for florists as people have the weekend to go out of town and/or spend their money on romantic dinners. So, maybe with COVID that will decline, and flowers will surge ? My gut has not yet spoken to me yet regarding that.”
A retailer in Ohio shared his plan to be open for business and delivering on Sunday, a day most shops are closed for normal operations: “Our biggest opportunity is to be able to become customers’ go-to florist for the future. We plan to be open and delivering on Valentine’s Day this year.”
A number of write-in respondents wondered if the timing could be an advantage and help spread the workload over several days— or even spill out to days after the holiday. “With it landing on Sunday, we should be able to spread out the deliveries for four or five days,” explained a retailer in Oregon. “People like to send to workplaces and that would mean a busy Friday… but, not like last year.”
Directives that seem clear: Florists are prepping for the significant uptick in online sales generated by the pandemic to continue through Valentine’s Day. More than 80 percent of retailers said they are planning for online sales to increase; 67 percent of respondents are expecting to spend more on online marketing.
And, at least some of those marketing messages will be directed at helping shops manage for volume and capacity: 56 percent of respondents plan to offer incentives for early delivery; 48 percent will do so for early orders.
The plan of attack for many: Plan ahead, prepare as much as possible, and be ready with Plan B, C, D and E, particularly with coronavirus cases swinging upward around the country and the possibility of new or tightened restrictions.
One retailer in Oregon said their shop is focused on “pre-ordering, getting the word out to customers and making sure that our website is up to date and current with prices.”
In New York, another retailer said they are looking for pandemic silver linings: “I am predicting an opportunity to have a little more control over consumer behavior. I think customers will be more agreeable to earlier delivery dates and designer’s choice ” which allow more flexibility in the design room.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.
