Valentine’s Day has topped its historical spending record for the second year in a row. Many consumers show love for their partners, family members, and even pets through gift-giving on Valentine’s Day. Popular gift items include candy or chocolate, flowers, greeting cards, jewelry, and/or dinner reservations. Coming in close competition with Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is one of the top spending holidays in the United States. This year, consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion in total and about $193 per person, according to a National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics’ survey (NRF, 2023).

This survey also highlighted a new trend in gift-giving: the gift of experience. Many consumers have started to give the gift of experience over tangible objects. Examples of experience gifts are concert tickets, cooking classes, weekend getaways, subscriptions, etc. Experience gifts are making an impact in the local food and business scene, as local producers offer various “experiences” to consumers. For Valentine’s Day, many cut flower growers offered the gift of a bouquet subscription that could be purchased for someone. These subscriptions usually come with a weekly or bi-weekly floral arrangement for a specified number of weeks. As many of the cut flower growers advertised, why buy your special someone one bouquet of flowers when they can get a subscription for the same price? Many cut flower growers were able to capture consumers interested in giving their loved ones a subscription or an experience gift over just one bouquet of roses.

Additionally, many consumers are becoming increasingly interested in supporting local growers and more aware of the local businesses around them. For Valentine’s Day specifically, many consumers purchased floral arrangements from local cut flower growers and florists. Many consumers are beginning to understand the benefit of buying local flowers. Local floral arrangements have a longer shelf life and a higher quality than those bought elsewhere; mostly because the bouquets are not being shipped from overseas. Alongside single and subscription arrangements, cut flower growers often offer workshops on their farms, U-Pick fields, and/or wedding and event services. On-farm workshops and U-Pick fields could also be an experience gift for your special someone. To find a cut flower grower near you, visit the Directory of Kentucky Commercial Cut Flower Growers.

Recommended Citation Format:

Columbia, S. "Valentine’s Day: One of a Flower Grower’s Favorite Holidays." Economic and Policy Update (23):2, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky, February 28th, 2023.  

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Author(s) Contact Information: 

Savannah Columbia  |  savannah.columbia@uky.edu