US: Nearly half of florists report increased holiday sales

The December holidays brought sweet returns to many florists. According to a Society of American Florists post-holiday survey, 46 percent of respondents said 2016 holiday sales increased. About 21 percent said they were the same and roughly 32 percent said they decreased.

The average transaction was $67, exactly the same as last year.

In write-in responses, respondents suggested the election of Donald Trump as both a reason for sales increases (“customers feel things are going to be better with a new administration”) and drop-offs (the “unsettling political climate”), but they also noted the effect of more routine challenges: good/bad weather, increased/decreased competition from other florists, mass marketers and non-floral vendors, and the value of wire-in orders, among other factors.

Breaking down respondents by size and location, businesses in the middle range of annual sales ($300,00 to $499,999) and those in urban and small town locations appear slightly more likely to have seen a sales increase, compared to the overall average response.

Read more at safnow.org