Changes in the types of cut flowers that a floral department carries have been shifting from simply offering traditional cut flowers and bouquets to including specialty cuts. As traditional floral shops continue to close, floral consumers are looking for alternative places to purchase their flowers. Floral buyers and floral managers who are willing to incorporate high-margin specialty cut flowers, such as orchids, will position themselves for repeat business.

Consumer choices concerning floral purchases are now based in large part on knowledge gained from social media. Floral images flood sites such as Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and wedding blogs. What consumers once thought of as seasonal, or found only in a book at the local florist shop, they now see every day and that creates an immediate desire for these flowers.  

Orchids are one of the 10 top wedding flower choices and they are no longer considered out of reach. Consumers want them and will go where they can find them. If you plan wisely, there are profits to be made from this demand.

Traditionally, supermarkets have always carried domestic cut orchids such as Cymbidiums. Cymbidium spray bouquets and corsages for Easter and Mother’s Day were staples for decades and when the domestic growing season was over, that was it for orchids. That all changed when the New Zealand market emerged and Cymbidiums slowly became considered by grocery store buyers as a year-round possibility.

Thailand, South Africa, New Zealand, Holland and Taiwan have all been selling orchid programs into the European supermarket segment for some time. They provide consumer bunches, bouquets, corsages and arrangements all ready for market. As more U.S. distributors form partnerships with these exporting farms, there have been efforts to change packaging and color choices that appeal to the U.S. market. The inability to meet U.S. supermarket labeling specifications is no longer an issue as farms are educated through these partnerships.

If a supermarket has a full-service floral department, they should be offering high-margin cut orchids such as Vandas, Oncidiums, Arantheras, Mokaras and Phalaenopsis, in addition to the popular Cymbidium and Dendrobium. If the floral department is not full-service, including everyday Dendrobium and Mokara orchid bouquets or consumer bunches will allow for a higher margin than traditional bouquets, while still being affordable. It’s important to understand what the customer wants and to be the one to provide it for them.

Suzie Schneider is director of sales and operations at Mrs. Bloom’s Direct Inc.’s West Coast division. She can be contacted at [email protected].