Changes to the Flower Industry Due to the Pandemic

Now that it has been 1 year, we are reflecting on the changes that have taken place in our industry due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

One year ago, there was less demand for fresh flowers because of event closures and statewide lockdowns. Even grocery stores canceled orders, and many of the nation’s largest growers had to think about how to adjust. Sadly, many flowers from growers in the Netherlands had to be destroyed in the spring of 2020 as they were perishable and couldn’t seem to find homes.

While consumers around the world had to cancel or postpone weddings and other celebratory events, halting demand for fresh flowers, growers, wholesalers, and florists eventually began to see stronger demand for everyday flowers for the home. After all, so many of us were (and still are) working from home, and what could make your home look cheerier than some fresh blooms? In a time of such darkness, fresh flowers have provided a much needed pick-me-up for many around the world. In addition, many consumers leaned into gift giving flowers. When it seemed like almost no one could see his or her mother on Mother’s Day of 2020, fresh flowers were there to save the day once again. On days where we simply just couldn’t be there in person, a fresh flower delivery on the doorstep felt similar to a hug you weren’t able to receive from a loved one.

The “new normal” of demand for fresh flowers has unfortunately been met with great difficulty while supply chain issues have persisted during the pandemic. Since the initial dip in demand, production has become more limited, and shipping restrictions have caused many headaches in the business.

 

How Fabulous Florals has been working behind the scenes to provide our customers with the very highest quality flowers despite all of these challenges

In order to keep these valued perishables in the freshest condition, Fabulous Florals works on a wholesale, direct to consumer model, purchasing bulk flowers from Certified American Flower Growers, and by importing a wide variety of flowers from around the world. Most imported flowers are shipped in on the airlines and when airlines cut schedules and flights this not only increase pricing, but it causes delays. Delivery delays with FedEx and UPS have become more common and both carriers dropped their guarantees FedEx has dramatically expanded its fleet and work force to handle e-commerce better and we are confident that this service is getting better. While we are shipping far more orders out than we did last spring, and we are hopeful of events returning to a safe, “new normal” soon enough, our “new normal” of shipping still has some kinks to work out. While the majority of our orders are shipping out and arriving overnight with no issues, we want to encourage our customers to be understanding of any delays that may be out of our control.

 

What this means for Mother’s Day 2021

The next big holiday on the calendar for those in the floral industry is Mother’s Day, and it is one of our favorite times of the year! Especially for this Mother’s Day 2021, we suggest placing your order(s) as early as possible and choose an arrival window time of either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Remember that all of our deliveries are contactless- meaning your box of fresh flowers will be left at your door for you to intercept, so it’s always a good idea to choose a delivery window on a day that you (or your loved ones you are gifting) will be at home at some point to bring the flowers inside and put them right into fresh water.

All of us at Fabulous Florals want to once again thank you for the business and your loyalty over the past year. While stock may be more limited than we are used to, we are working overtime to source and ship you the best varieties we can get, and we are hopeful for a great Mother’s Day.