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Navigating The New World of Sympathy
One of the top reasons consumers visit a flower shop or floral website is to express condolences.
Funerals and celebrations of life have evolved in recent years. To continue our mission of serving floral professionals, there are a few key trends worth understanding. Let’s keep your floral business relevant in this time of need.
Designing With Urns
Last year, the cremation rate surpassed 60 percent, with a forecast for the national cremation rate reaching 80% in the next 10 years. Did you realize it was this high?
Florists certainly know how to create designs featuring an urn. However, it is worth keeping creative ideas flowing as this need continues to grow.
Think creatively about classic designs that can complement an urn.
When designing florals that encircle an urn, think about starting with a base of artificial greenery. You can feel secure in the base mechanics of the design. It also helps avoid the risk of water damage to any surfaces where the design is being displayed.
Designing for Photos
To accompany an urn, most families will also feature the deceased’s photo. Accenting with artificial flowers ensures water won’t affect a featured photograph.
Alternately, wreath bases can provide a creative way to feature multiple photos throughout the celebration of life.
Designing “Green”
60% of consumers are interested in “green” options when it comes to sympathy designs.
Using a straw wreath base is a natural, earth-friendly and biodegradable alternative to foam. Try using this mechanic when building your floral tribute. For additional stability, and a finished décor look, these 18” wreaths can nest inside of our rattan tray.
Overall, designing with permanent flowers and greenery makes these floral designs reusable keepsakes. Remind consumers who bring an urn home that adding permanent flowers and plants provides them a vibrant lasting symbol of life when compared to a bare urn.
Plants
Sending and using plants as a tribute is a trend that keeps growing. For individual shops to compete with national wire services, who have sympathy plants as an entire category, show the individual touches you can offer.
A living garden basket is a great way to provide a memory that can live on with their family members and friends. Large plant designs can be displayed at a service, and then individual pots can be taken home by family and friends to keep at home or to plant.
Designing for Celebrations of Life
Today we are also seeing an increase in delayed funerals, partly due to cremation trends, but also time, expense, weather, and a loved one’s wishes.
In this case, silk flowers and foliage also provide advantages to florists, who may have little or no control over services.
53% of funerals are at a “non-traditional location” leaving many unknowns including length of service, climate, and more. To avoid the stress on fresh flowers, consider lifelike botanicals.
With so many unknowns regarding set-up, you can’t always be sure if guests will be affected by scents and pollen (common especially with lilies when used as a tribute flower). Avoid this risk by using our truly lifelike lilies, roses and other silk flowers.
Traditional Needs
Of course, we must still be prepared for the 1/3 of consumers still seeking traditional options by being stocked for cemetery and memorial designs.
Saddles, with their stability, always provide a safe place for the flowers to lay. Plastic containers work well in the cemetery as they are easy to design in.
Flowers and plants play an important role in emotional expression. Therefore, it is important for florists to offer updated design options as well as maintain inventory of design basics for sympathy designs today.
Sources: The National Funeral Directors Association
A collaboration between writer Laura Vitale and Sarah Botchick of Pioneer.
