SAF Mother’s Day Purchase Study of Consumers, Ipsos Public Affairs, conducted May 2015 and May 2017
Feeling good about Mother’s Day? You’re probably not alone.
About 35 percent of Americans reported buying fresh flowers and plants as Mother’s Day gifts this year. That figure is in line with 2015 results and comes from a new Society of American Florists-commissioned survey from Ipsos Public Affairs, which points to some promising trends for the recent holiday: Customers spent more on floral gifts this year, compared to 2015 when the survey was last conducted, and more customers chose to buy from retail florists.
“This year’s survey provides a lot of good news for florists,” said SAF CEO Peter Moran, “and could point to strong overall confidence in consumer spending as we move into the summer and fall months.”
The survey found the median price paid for a Mother’s Day floral gift in 2017 was $40, up from a median price point of $30 in 2015. Meanwhile, the average price paid was $59.30, an increase over 2015’s $50.10.
This year, 26 percent of consumers patronized a retail florist, up from 17 percent in 2015. The average reported amount spent at retail florists was $78, an increase from the $70.10 in 2015 and $63 in 2014. Supermarkets/grocery stores (42 percent) were the leading outlet for Mother’s Day floral purchases, followed by retail florists, and nurseries/garden centers (23 percent).
Consumers with children in the household (52 percent) were most likely to have purchased a floral gift for Mother’s Day. Other demographic groups likely to make a floral purchase for Mother’s Day include young adults age 18-34 (52 percent), higher income households (41 percent), and men (39 percent).
Other highlights from the survey:
Fresh flowers continue to be the most popular Mother’s Day floral gift. Eighty-eight percent of floral gift purchasers said they purchased fresh flowers as a gift. Other floral gifts purchased include flowering houseplants (44 percent); outdoor bedding, garden, or container plants (40 percent); and green houseplants (32 percent).
Nearly three-quarters of Mother’s Day purchases are for the buyer’s mother. Wives (31 percent) and mothers in-law (18 percent) are other frequent recipients of Mother’s Day flowers.
Look for additional coverage of Mother’s Day returns next week, when EBrief editors report on results from SAF’s post-holiday survey of florists. Haven’t filled out the survey yet? Check your inbox or email ssantiago@safnow.org.
