What's Next? What Should the Floral Industry Expect Going Forward?
With Lori and Ellie in Miami speaking at the Society of American Florists' NextGen Conference, Vonda flies solo this week from Phoenix, where she's presenting the anchor program at the Arizona State Floral Association's convention — celebrating 70 years as an association. Her Teleflora-sponsored program is called "What's Next," and in this episode she shares its heart: what history tells us about where the floral industry is headed, and how to get your shop ready for it.
History repeats itself — in design and in downturns
Vonda started in floristry in 1975, in the era of chicken wire, clear vase designs, and styrofoam. Today chicken wire is back, rebranded as florist netting, and armatures and foam-free techniques are having their moment. Colors, fabrics, and design trends all cycle around again. But history repeats itself in a less fun way too: recessions. Since 1948 there have been eleven of them, averaging one every six to seven years — and Vonda remembers the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, the longest since World War II, vividly. She also notes what economists like former Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke discussed in a webinar she attended: economic cycles are getting shorter and more exaggerated, from the pandemic recession of 2020 to the roaring recovery of 2021 to the rapid slowdown many are feeling in 2022.
The good news: flowers are surprisingly recession-resistant
Here's the number worth remembering, from a smartasset.com report asking whether flower shops are recession-proof: during the 2007 recession, FTD reported sales dipped only about 5 percent — and saw no further drops through 2008. Flowers serve as a symbol of good cheer, and holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and sympathy work keep orders coming even in lean years. The shop owners Vonda met in Arizona who survived 2008 all tell a similar story: they made changes, they pivoted, they found a niche and ran with it. If you've been through a downturn before, you already have the survival skills. Success, as Vonda puts it, equals attitude, strength, and perseverance.
Control what you can control
The biggest pressure right now is cost of goods sold: wholesale prices are up, and so are wages. Vonda's marching orders are clear — price out your flowers yourself, don't assume last year's website prices still work, and don't eat the increases. Your cost of goods, payroll, and facilities numbers are the controlling factors of your business, and just because costs are rising doesn't mean your profit has to shrink.
Then protect the niche you found during the pandemic — plants, weddings and events, sympathy tributes, personalized memorials, whatever your customers can't get anywhere else — and keep marketing it. Vonda also shares a thought-provoking angle from a 2009 study on the spiritual response to financial crisis: in hard times, families draw closer together, communities come together to solve problems, and what defines leaders is how they behave and the compassion they show. For a flower shop, that's not abstract — it shapes what gifts you offer and what you listen for on the phone.
This isn't a crisis — it's your first real summer in years
If your shop feels slow right now, Vonda's message is: breathe. This is a normal summer, the kind florists haven't had in two years of running a hundred miles an hour. Meanwhile, weddings are booming — The Knot reports this is the busiest wedding season in 40 years. Use the breather to prepare, "now and later" style: bring back classes (Flower Clique members shared great twists, like tiered skill levels, container upgrades, and bring-your-own-container nights with pick-your-own flower stations), lean into the plant-parent trend now that plants are available again, and watch the fall season closely — it's only a month away.
Key takeaways
- Floral is remarkably recession-resistant — FTD sales dipped only about 5 percent in the 2007-2008 downturn.
- Take charge of your cost of goods sold: reprice proactively and never eat wholesale increases.
- Identify the niche you found during the pandemic and keep marketing it hard.
- A slow summer isn't a crisis — it's the normal cycle returning. Use it to plan classes, plants, and fall.
- In uncertain times customers seek comfort and connection; flowers are exactly that. Believe in yourself — you've done this before.