Christmas is right around the corner! Most florists aren't sure what to expect for the upcoming holiday season. With COVID-19, it's hard to predict what might happen. Will Christmas be bigger than usual? Smaller? About the same? Many florists are asking themselves these questions and might have some idea about their answer, but what are others saying? Here are some things you should know about Christmas 2020.

It's going to be big and it's going to be online

While COVID-19 has caused some uncertainty for most holidays and how busy they will be, we think it's safe to say that Christmas is going to be bigger than normal for most florists. SAF conducted a survey of its members and found that 64% of retailers are predicting an uptick in Christmas spending.

This comes as no surprise when looking back at springtime holidays, like Easter and Mother's Day. At FSN, we surveyed our members after Mother’s Day and Easter and found that most florists saw an increase in orders. Thirty percent of florists had above-average orders on Easter, even with 90% having a stay-at-home order in effect. Mother’s Day saw 78% of florists getting above-average orders.

78% of florists saw an increase in orders during Mother's Day

Now more than ever, consumers are wanting to connect and show some love and flowers are the best way for them to do that. Flowers are a "convenient, beneficial, safe, and beautiful gift." This eagerness to connect is one of the main reasons we fully expect Christmas to continue the upward trend exemplified in the spring holidays.

Ecommerce and online shopping were already becoming more and more popular in previous years, but now with COVID restrictions, it’s the way of the holidays. Studies have shown that holiday searches have already begun, with many consumers making their first purchase before Halloween. This is earlier than normal, with first purchases and search times usually beginning around mid-November.

Consumers are looking to connect and flowers are the answer

This plays back into why Christmas is going to be big. People want to connect and bring some joy into an otherwise dark and exhausting year and they're turning to Christmas for that. This means that most consumers are going to be a little extra this year on Christmas, from decorating to gift-giving and everything in between. They want to make this holiday extra special and bring some extra excitement into their lives. Flowers help them do that.

Since most people will be staying at home this holiday season, they’re going all out with their holiday decor. Home decor is a huge selling point opportunity for florists right now. Wreaths, garland, centerpieces, Christmas tree decorations, all of these things are what the consumers are wanting. They aren’t going to let COVID ruin their holiday so they’re decking out their homes. On the flip side, there will still be last-minute shopping. Fifty-three percent of retailers fully expect consumers to wait until the last minute to order. Just be prepared to have a potential steady flow over the holiday season.

Christmas is not far away and customers are already looking forward to it and planning. It's not too late to start planning and preparing for Christmas. Start making a few Christmas designs on the side and post every so often throughout the week and see if your audience is ready to start shopping for the Christmas season!