May 5, 2016

Mother’s Day By the Numbers By Tim Hodson

As if you didn’t know already, Sunday is Mother’s Day.

It’s also the No. 2 flower and plant buying holiday of the year after Christmas/Hanukkah.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend more than $21.4 billion on Mother’s Day gifts this year and $2.4 billion of that will be spent on flowers and plants — approximately the same amount that was spent in 2015. The average Mother’s Day flower purchase this year will be $28.77.

What types of flowers will consumers be buying for their mothers this year? According to aboutflowers.com, fresh flowers (72%) is the top category, followed by outdoor bedding and garden plants (30%), flowering houseplants (28%) and green houseplants (16%).

Research from the Society of American Florists (SAF) shows that pink is still the No. 1 color for Mother’s Day flowers. Other top color scheme choices are monochromatic colors; blush pink, antique ivory and cream tones; and hot pink and berry tones combined with shades of red.

SAF says bold and vibrant colors continue to grow in popularity. Among the more exciting color combinations that wow Mom are hot pink and orange; citron and purple; shades of orange (tangerine to peach); and purple accented with bright green.

The SAF also reports that the most popular varieties for Mothers day are (in alphabetical order):

• Callas
• Freesia
• Gerberas
• Hydrangeas
• Irises
• Lilies
• Orchids
• Roses
• Tulips

How are Mother’s Day sales for your business? What are your top sellers for Mother’s Day? Which colors and varieties fly off the bench for Mom?

Drop me a line at thodson@greatamericanpublish.com and let me know.

— Tim

Home Depot CMO Resigns

The Home Depot recently announced that Trish Mueller has resigned as the company’s chief marketing officer. Last week, Adweek reported that Mueller resigned in mid-April and that Kevin Hoffman, Depot’s president of online operations would replace her. Hoffman will hold both titles. Mueller joined the home improvement retailer in 2009 as vice president of advertising. She was named CMO in 2011.

Wal-Mart Seeks High Tech Startups

This October Wal-Mart plans to host a Technology Innovation Open Call in its quest to find the latest retail technology. During the event, vendors will meet with Wal-Mart execs to pitch technology applications for retail, logistics, big data, security and social media. The Open Call will take place during the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit on Oct. 7, in Bentonville.

Lowe’s Program Raises Money to Fight Muscular Dystrophy

This year, Lowe’s stores raised more than $7.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Shamrocks program, which helps raise funds to save and improve the lives of children and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases. As MDA’s largest Shamrocks retailer, this year marks 15 years of Lowe’s Shamrocks support, which now totals more than $57 million in overall funds raised since 2001.