Lily's Boots: An American (sending flowers) in Holland

On Wednesday, I met with a novel experience: I sent flowers to a Dutch friend.

I'd kind of like to stop the story there, since I think that statement speaks volumes on its own, but let me clarify why I think this situation is unique.

Why it's weird for me to send flowers to a Dutch person

A flower shop in Schripol Airport (http://www.terminalu.com/)

My mentality stems from the whole European vs. American perception of flowers thing. The Dutch are much more inclined to keep flowers in the home and to make regular floral purchases. One just has to stroll through Schripol Airport or the canals of Amsterdam to see that flowers are being bought and sold literally everywhere. For the facts-oriented people, the Dutch spent about $79 per person on cut flowers in 2007, while Americans spent roughly $28 per person (Holland Flower Council 2008). The Netherlands also account for about 60% of the world's flower exports (The Economist 2009). Dated information, but still paints a picture. Because Holland is essentially the floral Mecca, I find an American sending flowers to a Dutch person in the Netherlands a bit backwards, like a kid giving his parents money.

I think this is just a shame. Not the Dutch growing so many flowers, but the fact that Americans as a whole seem to appreciate them less.

Why don't Americans appreciate flowers as much as the Dutch?
Where's the disconnect? Do we consume fewer flowers because we grow less? (North America is also one of the largest producers of cut flowers, albeit producing a much smaller volume that Holland.) Or do we buy less because we don't view them the in same light as the Dutch do?

I think I'll go with the latter, which brings me back to my spiel about uninformed floral consumers, specifically their perception of flowers as gifts. A whopping 67% of all cut flowers consumed in the U.S. are given as gifts (Ipsos-Insight FloralTrends Consumer Tracking Study 2005), which any grower, wholesaler or retailer knows after working through major "floral holidays" like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. While the decision to bring flowers home in Europe requires about as high involvement as buying toothpaste, it isn't even in most people's consideration set on this side of the pond.

http://www.cutcaster.com/

"Flowers are gifts." Period.

This attitude competes with the notion that flowers can be enjoyed just as much when we buy them for ourselves for no reason at all. Not only that, but they get grouped in with luxury items about which you'd say, "I would love to have that, but I wouldn't buy it for myself."

Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing that flowers are viewed as luxury gifts, as this makes them special to their receivers. My point is that Americans should feel comfortable giving these special luxury gifts to themselves, just like our European counterparts do.

Give the gift of flowers to yourself and your loved ones

My ideal American floral market would closely resemble what I picture the Dutch market to be like: One in which people hop off a plane and grab some Tulips before hailing a taxi; pick up a bunch of Irises along with the milk; keep a regular rotation of flowers in a particular vase; match their dining room floral centerpiece to their mood; throw a bouquet in their bicycle basket while en route to a date; and of course, send flowers to Mom each Mother's Day and to friends on their birthdays.

I can't wait to see if the flowers I sent to my friend for her birthday live up to her Dutch standards. I wonder if she'll send me an apple pie for mine...

For a user-friendly breakdown of flower consumption by country, visit the Holland Flower Council: http://www2.flowercouncil.org/us/marketinformation/

For information on the leading exporters of flowers, visit The Economist "Dutch flower auctions": http://www.economist.com/node/13447305
For more information on Consumer Buying trends, visit SAF's About Flowers: http://www.aboutflowers.com/about-the-flower-industry/consumer-trends.html

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