Make the most of this lucrative holiday.
By Nita Robertson, AIFD
Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Are you ready for it? This special holiday is a cornerstone for the flower industry, as flowers consistently rank among the top gifts chosen to honor the mothers in our lives. It’s a day that brings families together and drives significant business for florists.
According to the National Retail Federation, 84 percent of U.S. adults plan to celebrate Mother’s Day. Consumers intended to spend an average of $254 per person on Mother’s Day gifts in 2024, with flowers being a significant portion of this expenditure. As in previous years, the most popular gifts to give are flowers (74 percent), greeting cards (74 percent) and special outings like brunch or dinner (59 percent).
Mother’s Day presents an incredible opportunity to create emotional connections with customers through beautiful, memorable floral designs. By curating unique arrangements, offering bundles and delivering exceptional customer service, you can make this Mother’s Day your most successful yet. Don’t forget to promote your offerings early, engage with customers through creative marketing and always stay on top of trends to remain ahead of the competition. With planning and organization, you’ll be able to make this holiday one to remember for both you and your customers.
Tips for Success
Loann Burke, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, a seasoned retail florist with more than 30 years of experience at Furst the Florist, located in Dayton, Ohio, shares her insights for making Mother’s Day a thriving event.
Burke highlights the importance of early planning and organization. One of her key strategies is to create signature designs for your Mother’s Day offerings. “You know your customer base best. Create specials that resonate with your clients’ preferences and tastes,” she explains.
To further enhance your offerings, develop a comprehensive gift guide highlighting a variety of mom personas—such as grandmother, mother-in-law, mom-to-be, best friend or other maternal figures. For each persona, include several thoughtful gift ideas at different price points, showcasing options that appeal to a wide range of budgets and styles. Promote this guide extensively through your website, social media channels, email marketing and in-store. This thoughtful approach not only engages your audience but also makes it easy for them to find the perfect gift for every type of mom.
Burke suggests that when crafting your floral recipes, you should pay attention to stem counts per bunch to maximize profitability. For instance, using half a bunch of 10-stem tulips can create a more cost-effective arrangement than using seven stems, which might result in waste or increased costs. “Focus on creating designs that are both easy to replicate and built on profitable recipes,” she says.
Efficiency is another critical element for success. Burke recommends adopting a production-style approach when designing. Instead of creating one arrangement at a time, work in multiples. For example, if you’re producing 10 identical designs, prep all the containers, insert the base greenery for all of them and then add focal flowers and so on. This method not only saves time but ensures consistency across your designs.
Additionally, group similar tasks to further streamline your process. If a specific arrangement requires bind wire, pre-cut it enough for all designs in one go rather than stopping to cut the wire repeatedly. This batching technique reduces interruptions and keeps your workflow smooth and efficient, notes Burke.
Add-Ons and Pairings
Suggesting add-ons with every order is a simple yet powerful way to elevate the customer experience and increase the value of each sale. By offering convenient, high-quality options at the point of purchase, you give customers the opportunity to personalize their gifts, making each arrangement feel more thoughtful and unique. These add-ons seamlessly enhance the overall gifting experience while boosting your revenue.
Select carefully curated add-ons and pairings that complement your flower arrangements. From luxurious gift bundles to distinctive keepsakes, these extras amplify the perceived value of your offerings and create lasting memories for the recipient. By providing customers with personalized and meaningful options, you create an experience that encourages future business and ultimately strengthens your bottom line.
Gift Bundles: Pairing flowers with chocolates, candles, bath products or locally sourced artisan goods can significantly elevate your gift offerings and provide more value to customers looking for a complete gift experience.
Plant Gifts: Potted plants, succulents and flowering plants like orchids are growing in popularity. Make sure to have an ample inventory of fresh plant options to cater to this demand and offer a long-lasting alternative to traditional cut flowers.
Flower Subscriptions: Promote flower subscriptions as a unique and thoughtful Mother’s Day gift that keeps giving all year long. With flexible options like three-month, six-month or full-year subscriptions, this unexpected gift provides continued joy for the recipient while ensuring future sales for your business.
Greeting Cards: Don’t forget to offer greeting cards with your flower arrangements. Ensure that every order comes with the option to upgrade a basic greeting card to a premium version. Customizable cards with special messages or premium paper quality offer a personal touch that will be appreciated by the recipient.
A Touch of Tech: Consider providing innovative options like the QRMessage™, which allows customers to send a personalized video message along with their flowers using a QR code. Imagine the emotional impact of receiving a stunning bouquet paired with a heartfelt video from loved ones. The QRMessage™ also lets multiple people upload messages, creating a collective experience of love and connection. Visit qrzipper.com for more information.
Permanent Botanicals
Permanent botanicals are a chic and versatile addition to any florist’s Mother’s Day or spring collection, providing a unique option that appeals to a broader audience. They’re also perfect for last-minute orders. With advancements in craftsmanship and materials, permanent botanicals now offer a more realistic appearance, taking their beauty to the next level.
“It is often hard to tell the difference between the real and the artificial,” says Mary Ragon, founder of Bolivar, Ohio-based Ragon House, a distributor of high-quality permanent botanicals, home decor, furnishings, and decorative accessories. “So many of the current artificial florals are crafted by hand with great attention to detail, life-like textures, and realistic colors,” she explains. Visit ragonhouse.com for a beautiful assortment of permanent botanicals
Offer smaller arrangements that complement home décor, such as bedside or office arrangements. You can also create unique wall decor or door accents using permanent blooms. The possibilities are endless.
Marketing Ideas
Your website serves as a critical touchpoint for both loyal customers and potential shoppers, especially those searching for a last-minute Mother’s Day gift. To leverage this valuable traffic, optimize your site to capture attention and drive sales. A dedicated Mother’s Day landing page or a prominently featured section on your homepage can serve as an inviting destination for visitors, highlighting your offerings and creating a seamless shopping experience.
Unlike other high-demand holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day offers greater flexibility, as the celebration spans across the week. This extended window allows retail flower shops to better manage orders, streamline delivery schedules and adjust staffing—helping to reduce stress and increase efficiency. The added time also provides opportunities for more strategic sales and marketing efforts.
One way to capitalize on this flexibility is by launching pre-order campaigns that offer customers incentives for making early purchases. Discounts or perks can encourage customers to order ahead of time, easing the burden on your team and ensuring a steady flow of sales throughout the week.
In addition to your website, social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook provide excellent opportunities to engage with customers and exhibit your flower arrangements. Sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of your design process or highlighting your team’s creative efforts adds a personal touch and builds excitement. Showcase the inspiration behind your designs on these platforms, emphasizing the thoughtfulness and emotion that go into giving flowers. This will help create a stronger connection with your audience and encourage them to choose your shop for their Mother’s Day gifts.
By combining these marketing strategies—optimized web presence, early promotions and social media engagement—you can attract more customers, build anticipation and boost sales during this meaningful holiday, ensuring that your flower business thrives.
Mother’s Day Trends
Karen Kohout, trends and marketing insights manager at FloraCraft, a leading manufacturer and supplier of floral design supplies located in Ludington, Mich., says that key trends for Mother’s Day 2025 include quaint, cottage-style, and vintage decor and tablescapes that celebrate connection and nature.
“Garden flowers such as daisies, daffodils, peonies and wildflowers in heirloom vases or dried flowers as centerpieces for a special Mother’s Day brunch gathering create that cozy cottage ambiance,” explains Kohout. “Wreaths made with dried flowers, such as chamomile, cherry blossoms and wildflowers, with natural or macrame accents, will also make perfect adornments that moms will cherish this year.
“Color trends for Mother’s Day will range from nostalgic, muted and mid-tones with touches of vivid dark accents to bucolic brights inspired by the countryside and lots of natural or textural greenery,” she adds. “Feminine shades, including soft mauve, violet and plum berry, have a timeless beauty, and uplifting golden hues with rich neutrals, browns and greens reflect nature, comfort and wellness.”
Soft palettes like pinks, peaches, lavenders and creams are classic, but bright hues like coral, fuchsia and sunny yellow are increasingly in demand for a cheerful vibe. Single-color arrangements (monochromatic) are also trending for their modern and sophisticated aesthetic.
Roses, peonies and tulips remain timeless favorites, but many customers now seek modern arrangements featuring unique flowers like Ranunculus, Anemones and garden roses. Sustainability is also a growing priority, with more consumers opting for eco-friendly choices, such as locally grown blooms and sustainable packaging. Loose, natural arrangements with a “just-picked” feel are highly popular, while sleek, structured designs cater to minimalist aesthetics. Additionally, personalized bouquets that reflect the recipient’s favorite colors or flowers are also a popular option.
History of Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day has a fascinating history that spans centuries and cultural traditions, evolving into the modern holiday we currently celebrate.
Origins in Ancient Cultures
Early celebrations of motherhood can be traced back to ancient festivals, such as the Roman celebration honoring Cybele, the goddess of fertility, and the Greek festivities dedicated to Rhea, the revered mother of the gods. These events paid tribute to the nurturing and life-giving roles of maternal figures.
In medieval Europe, the tradition of “Mothering Sunday” emerged, observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Initially a day for Christians to return to their “mother church” for a special service, it gradually became a time to honor mothers, blending familial appreciation with spiritual reverence. Flowers, often gathered from the countryside on the way to church, became a cherished symbol of this heartfelt celebration—a tradition that florists beautifully continue to uphold today.
The Birth of Modern Mother’s Day
The journey to the Mother’s Day holiday in the United States is rooted in the heartfelt efforts of remarkable women.
Ann Reeves Jarvis: A pioneering social activist in 19th-century West Virginia, Ann Reeves Jarvis sought to improve community health through her “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs,” founded in the 1850s. During the Civil War, she encouraged mothers on both sides of the conflict to promote peace and reconciliation, embodying the nurturing spirit of motherhood.
Julia Ward Howe: Known for penning the song “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Howe brought a maternal voice to social activism. In 1870, she issued the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” urging women to advocate for peace in the aftermath of the Civil War. She envisioned an annual “Mother’s Day for Peace,” though her efforts did not result in a lasting tradition.
Anna Jarvis: Inspired by her mother’s work, Anna Jarvis became the driving force behind the Mother’s Day we know today. After her mother (Ann Reeves Jarvis) passed away in 1905, Anna campaigned tirelessly for a day to honor the sacrifices and unconditional love of mothers. In 1914, Anna’s vision was realized when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, a national holiday dedicated to honoring mothers. This milestone established a cherished tradition. Mother’s Day continues to evolve but remains a heartfelt occasion to celebrate mothers and maternal figures worldwide.
