Image: ‘Zelmira,’ an oriental hybrid salmon lily presented by Oregon Flowers, won best in show in the SAF Outstanding Variety Contest.
After two years of double-digit profits—as well as unprecedented challenges—the flower industry is well positioned to weather inflationary headwinds and keep flowers top of mind for consumers.
That was the key message delivered by Kate Penn, CEO of the Society of American Florists (SAF), during her State of the Industry address at SAF Orlando 2022, the 137th annual convention in Orlando, Florida.
“This two-year growth period has created an urgency about how we’re going to retain those customers who buy flowers,” Penn said. He identified many opportunities for florists to develop loyal customers through digital marketing and excellent customer service.
Penn emphasized that the flower industry is growing. From the number of imports to sales of US-grown crops and spending on flower products, the flower industry has grown and even set records. Penn provided these statistics from various sources, including the US Department of Commerce, the USDA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis:
- Average florist sales are about $679,000. This average is expected to increase by 5 percent in 2023 and two percent for subsequent years.
- Total spending on floral products from 2020 to 2021 increased by 21.5% to $46.6 billion.
- Sales of flower crops in the USA grew by 16% from 2019 to 2021, reaching the $6 billion mark for the first time.
- More than a third of that is in bedding annuals, followed by perennials and potted flowering plants, with about $1 billion in sales each. Cut flowers comprise $360 million in sales and cut greens are $105 million.
- There was an 8 percent increase in the number of growers, and that number does not include the increase in flower and plant growers with annual sales under $100,000, which Penn said is significant.
- Imports to the US also increased. Year to date, there has been a 28% increase in dollar volume and a 15% increase in imported cut flower product volume, totaling $1.19 billion.
All of this is positive news for the industry and provides a strong foundation for the momentum to continue, Penn said. To that end, the industry has come together to collaborate on marketing initiatives to promote greater consumption of flowers. One such marketing campaign, “Flowers. Self Care Made Easy,” was created by CalFlowers and launched earlier this year to promote more Americans enjoying flowers more often. Initial results of the campaign show that it influenced consumers’ feelings about flowers.
Continue reading for more information, including strategies for retail florists to capitalize on the momentum created over the past two years, at SAFNow.org
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The floriculture wave shows no signs of slowing down
The Society of American Florists is the association that connects and cultivates a thriving flower community through training, education, marketing resources and advocacy. For more information, visit SAFNow.org. See all author stories here.
