Every special occasion comes with a lot of smiles and happy memories. In addition to gifts and delicious food, flowers also play an important role in festivities. But where do they come from? And how big is the floral supply industry? We’ll attempt to answer these questions and many more in this article about floral supplies. If you’re interested in the floral industry, make sure to also check out our posts on where to buy wholesale flowers and how to start a flower business. We’ve also gathered a list of some of the best floral distributors in the US.
Key takeaway: The floral supplies industry includes a variety of products such as artificial and fresh flowers, packaging materials, decorations, and maintenance equipment. Florists are the main customers of these goods. Restaurants, retail stores, and event planners also purchase bulk floral supplies.
What Are Floral Supplies
With a wide range of products and accessories in the floral industry, the term floral supplies can include a variety of goods used to create bouquets, display flowers, or maintain their freshness. Let’s examine the main subcategories of floral supplies.
Fresh Flowers and Other Plants
Naturally, this is the main category in the industry. Fresh flowers are the most important products in the floral sector and make up the majority of the sales and revenue of florists and other businesses in this market. Foliage such as ferns and eucalyptus are also included in this category. They add additional greenness and volume to bouquets. Some market researchers consider fresh flowers and plants to be separate from floral supplies. However, companies that purchase or sell wholesale flowers usually also offer supplies such as containers, wraps, and packaging materials.
Decorative and Packaging Accessories
From tissue paper and boxes to ribbons and wraps, there are hundreds of different packaging and decorative accessories sold by distributors of floral supplies. In recent years, sustainability has been one of the trends among these packaging accessories. They are used primarily to arrange bouquets or add small accents like figurines and beads.
Tools
Florists use a variety of tools to transform flowers into beautiful bouquets. This category includes products such as floral scissors and glue guns.
Event Supplies
That includes bigger items such as arches and garlands. A lot of florists also organize decorations for special occasions such as weddings and corporate events. That’s why they aim to find suppliers that can also offer different types of stands and floral backdrops.
Flower Maintenance and Supply Storage
Businesses need to properly organize hundreds of different floral supplies. That’s why most distributors in this niche market also offer shelving and storage solutions for such items. Furthermore, maintaining the freshness of flowers is also a tricky task. It requires equipment such as floral coolers, sprayers, and misters. Floral supplies such as preservatives and other solutions aimed at extending the life of flowers are also used extensively.
Other Floral Supplies
There are many additional types of supplies used by florists and other businesses that purchase bulk floral supplies. Examples include gift boxes and bags, candles and lanterns, rose petals, balloons, and other goods. Sales of silk flowers wholesale have also increased in recent years. That's because a lot of customers search for an eco-friendly and reusable alternative to traditional fresh flowers.
What Businesses Buy Floral Supplies
Although retail florists are the main clients of floral supplies distributors, there are other businesses that need such products. Let’s examine some of them.
- Event planners. The process of organizing weddings or corporate events often involves using a variety of floral supplies and making table arrangements.
- Restaurants and other hospitality businesses. In order to improve the customer experience, businesses in the restaurant industry often use fresh flowers to enhance the mood of their customers. The same is also true for hotels and resorts that employ or use the services of gardeners and landscapers.
- Retail stores. As floristry is a popular hobby, a lot of retail stores also sell a variety of floral supplies. Big grocery stores also offer seasonal fresh flowers and other plants.
- Businesses in the art and DIY sectors. From craft stores to event production companies, they might order various flowers or floral supplies. DIY retailers usually resell these products while theaters, photographers, and other art businesses use them as stage elements or props.
Where to Buy and Sell Bulk Floral Supplies
The majority of retail trades happen in florist shops and DIY stores that sell a wide variety of floral supplies, accessories, and decorative elements. However, most revenue is generated from B2B sales of floral supplies. In the past, florists and other businesses used to purchase their fresh flowers and supplies from physical markets. Nowadays, online sales make up a large percentage of the revenue in this industry. Thanks to platforms like BlueCart, distributors can use a variety of tools to market their wholesale business. Optimizing the delivery process and making ordering easier for their customers are other important features.
Since fresh flowers have limited life, properly managing inventory can help distributors and retailers reduce waste. That’s why wholesale inventory management is paramount in this sector and many distributors of floral supplies and their customers use tools like BlueCart to manage their orders.
Frequently Asked Questions about Floral Supplies
Interested in how to run a wholesale business successfully? Or perhaps you want to know more about the high-demand products to sell online? Either way, there are multiple useful resources on our website. Business owners and entrepreneurs in various industries can benefit from our posts. Below we’ve shared the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding floral supplies.
Where Do Wholesale Flowers Come From?
Most distributors of flowers and floral supplies partner with flower farms in the US. Some wholesalers also purchase flowers from Europe and South America. The majority of supplies are manufactured in the US, China, or other Asian countries. Some flower farms also specialize in wholesale sales and distribution of their products. This way, they eliminate intermediaries and can have higher profit margins. Alternatively, they can sell to distributors or offer contract growing services.
Are Flower Shops Profitable?
Yes. Operating a florist shop can be a profitable business. The main expenses include rent and floral supplies. However, these retailers purchase flowers and supplies at wholesale prices and add a lot of value by turning them into beautiful bouquets. They usually have profit margins of more than 50% that can go as high as 70%. A big advantage of operating a flower shop is that this business can easily be expanded in various directions. For example, you can offer flower delivery services, start an eCommerce website for gifts, or offer decoration services for homes and special events. Some flower retailers also sell floral supplies at retail prices to enthusiasts or floristry hobbyists.
What Are the Trends in Floral Supplies?
Sustainability is a major trend in floriculture and production of floral supplies. Both regulators and consumers push for more eco-friendly practices in the field. That’s why the sector is switching towards biodegradable packaging, reduction of single-use plastic, and increased usage of local and seasonal flowers.
Another trend in the sector is related to technological advancements. Thanks to solutions like BlueCart, distributors can effectively manage their customers and product catalogs. Other technologies help to achieve better customization in floral supplies. Thanks to automation and modern inventory management solutions, businesses can reduce their costs and waste.
BlueCart: From Wholesale Specialty Foods to Bulk Floral Supplies
Do you operate a catering business and wish to purchase wholesale from a variety of vendors? Or are you a distributor looking for an easy way to create online catalogs and manage orders? Either way, BlueCart is the right solution for you. Thanks to our wholesale ordering software, suppliers can easily sell to other businesses. Buyers can also sign up for our platform and compare prices between different vendors. Schedule your demo today and find out why BlueCart is the one-stop shop for wholesale sales.