Trends

We live in a fascinating time. We are growing accustomed to ordering healthy pre-prepped wellness meals. We constantly search for that new 10-minute wellness workout. We spend our lunch breaks figuring out that new meditation app – all in the name of taking better care of our minds, bodies and spirits.

“Wellness” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal.” Today, wellness is no longer just the opposite of sickness; it is the newest trend in luxury. And wellness and flowers and plants go hand in hand.

“The trends of wellness, wellbeing and self-care provide promotional and sales opportunities for flowers and plants.”

Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D., lead researcher of the 2018 study, “The Impact of Flowers on Perceived Stress Among Women,” which was funded by the SAF Fund for Nationwide Relations, shares, “There is a growing body of research that illustrates how environmental design positively impacts health. Now it is both intuitively and scientifically known that adding elements of nature, like flowers and plants, to interior environments promotes well-being.” SAF members can link to the results of this study at aboutflowers.com/stressless

The Society of American Florists (SAF) and universities including Harvard, Rutgers and Texas A&M have been providing information to the floral industry for years about the positive health aspects of flowers (safnow.org/health-benefits-research). With the world’s consciousness trending toward wellness and with consumers’ growing awareness of the benefits of plants and flowers to human beings and their environments, it is time for florists to take advantage of this knowledge and share it with their customers – and then continuously reinforce the message.

According to Pinterest, searches for the term “self-care” have increased recently by 140 percent. Practicing self-care can mean anything from an occasional stress-relieving bath to climbing mountains, with people focusing on being their best selves, inside and out.

True self-care does not mean escaping from our lives; rather, it means creating lives we don’t feel the need to escape from in the first place. When we encourage consumers to add fresh flowers to their wellness routines, it reminds them that every day should be special. If flowers make you happy, then, by all means, buy them. It’s an investment that should be a regular part of our lives. Letting people know that they can indulge in wellness through the power of flowers creates lasting habits that nourish our bodies and souls as well as our environments.

Instagram and Pinterest offer proof of how people are cataloging their lifestyles in this growing trend. We all need to recognize this trend and consider the need to rebrand and remarket the story of flowers in our trend-conscious society. Here are six suggestions.
• Proclaim, promote and publicize the wellness behind giving flowers.
• Trumpet to consumers what is locally grown, and for all other flowers and plants, share where they came from, how they got here, who grew them, their significance to their community and world, and how they were grown.
• Be transparent.
• Explain and promote recognized certifications.
• Create “wellness” lifestyle bouquets and designs, and explain to your customers their meaning and purpose.
• Learn to use social media to transform your brand into one that will remain relevant into the future.