HK florists see decline in flower bouquet orders this V-day

Hong Kong florists have seen fewer customers purchase flowers for their loved ones this Valentine's Day as Hongkongers are still travelling abroad for Chinese New Year celebrations.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, florists in Wan Chai said that their business revenue has been impacted to varying degrees due to the long Chinese New Year holiday as a lot of their consumers are still spending their CNY holidays abroad. They said they would offer discounts on flower bouquets later today.

According to Miss Yeung, the person in charge of Peanut Florist, this year's business revenue has decreased by 50%. One contributing factor to this decline is the restriction on displaying flowers outside of the shop.

“We have noticed a decrease in flower orders this year. Some customers were still travelling yesterday. On Valentine's Day today, we have seen a modest number of customers purchasing flowers, but not as many as in previous years. We haven't reduced prices yet, but if there are fewer customers later, we might consider offering discounts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Miss Wong, the person in charge of Moons Flower Garden, said that the business has been slightly affected. “There are fewer people buying flowers today. In previous Valentine’s Day celebrations, customers would come in right after we were open,” she said.

“During the Lunar New Year, many people are still on holiday and haven't returned to work. The cost of supplies has increased slightly because of the extended vacation period. We will offer discounts on some items later today,” she added.

In general, lawmaker Peter Shiu told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that there has been a 30% decline in overall flower sales. He also attributed the decrease in sales to the extended Chinese New Year holiday period. 

According to Ming Pao, a florist on Flower Market Road revealed that flower bouquet sales for Valentine's Day this year have plummeted by at least two-thirds compared to last year. She believes that the impact on their business is due to Hong Kong residents' decreased spending on outbound consumption after the pandemic. While she could sell several hundred stems of roses per day in the one or two days leading up to Valentine's Day, she only sold around 100 stems per day before Valentine's Day.

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