SAF: Mother’s Day Sales Dip Again

Fewer consumers bought flowers this Mother’s Day than last, according to a Society of American Florists (SAF) survey conducted by Synovate eNation.

According to the survey, 32 percent of adult Americans purchased flowers or plants as Mother’s Day gifts. In 2007 and 2008, about 37 percent of adult Americans purchased flowers or plants as gifts.

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The most popular Mother’s Day gift this year was fresh flowers, although it is decreasing in popularity. Seventy percent of purchases in 2008 were fresh flowers; only 63 percent of purchases this year were in that category. Outdoor bedding plants and garden plants (35 to 31 percent), green houseplants (12 to 11) also fell.

The average amount consumers spent this Mother’s Day also fell–more than 10 percent–to $39 from $45.60 in 2008. There was a noticeable drop in spending in one of the higher spending categories, namely the $51-$75 range (from 17 percent last year to 10 percent in 2009).

Demographically, those most likely to buy floral gifts included males (37 percent), those under 55 years of age (36 percent), households with annual incomes over $50,000 (38 percent) and households with children (44 percent).

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Supermarkets or grocery stores (35 percent) remained the most popular place to buy flowers, followed by garden centers (24 percent) and then retail florists (19 percent). Men were more likely than women to buy their floral gifts from retail florists (26 percent to 10 percent).

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