1-800-Flowers to deliver millions of roses, tulips and more for Mother’s Day: ‘Highly complex’ process

Mother’s Day is one of the busiest holidays of the year for 1-800-Flowers.com. The company, headquartered in New York, expects to deliver 17.8 million stems for the occasion, including 6.9 million roses and 2.8 million tulips.

“Delivering so many flowers in such a tight timeframe, as with the Mother’s Day holiday, is a highly complex operational process,” Jim McCann, the founder of 1-800-Flowers.com Inc., told FOX Business. “But we have conducted nearly 50 Mother’s Day campaigns, and we know this holiday very well.”

THE BEST ONLINE FLOWER DELIVERY SERVICES

Planning for Mother’s Day, which this year falls on May 11, begins a year in advance for the retailer. To ensure deliveries go smoothly, 1-800-Flowers.com has been analyzing and reviewing every aspect of the business – from the product design to the supply chain, according to McCann.

The business has 125 retail locations in 23 states around the country. It also works with around 5,000 local florists across the U.S., giving shoppers the opportunity to buy locally from a “trusted florist,” McCann said. 

“A consumer can trust that we have vetted and found the best florist in their communities,” McCann said.

After a customer places an order on the 1-800-Flowers.com website, the business sources to one of the local florists based on the customer’s zip code. 

HOT FLOWER TRENDS FOR 2024: HERE’S WHAT’S IN AND WHAT’S OUT IN THE WORLD OF BLOOMS

For 1-800-Flowers.com, the most popular flowers during the Mother’s Day season are roses, tulips, daisies and carnations, lilies and peonies – in that order, according to McCann.

“Pink, purple, and bright mixed bouquets in hot pink, orange, and yellow are in-demand colors for this season as well,” he said.

The company’s “Amazing Mom” bouquet is also very popular. It was so well-received by shoppers last year that the company launched an “Amazing Moms” collection for the holiday this year, McCann said.

VIRAL FLOWER HACKS ARE BUSTED BY FLORAL EXPERT: ‘GOOD INTENTIONS GONE A LITTLE TOO FAR’

“With many of our local florists being women, we like to say our Amazing Mom bouquets are ‘by mom for mom,'” he said.

McCann started 1-800-Flowers.com nearly 50 years ago as a single floral shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Through the usage of “innovative” technology and by expanding the company’s products, it has since grown into an almost $2 billion business, McCann said.

“The majority of our products are American-made and grown,” he said.

The delivery company has acquired businesses and created new brands with the goal of creating a one-stop gifting destination. With 19 brands in its portfolio – such as The Popcorn Factory and Cheryl’s Cookies – 1-800-Flowers.com today delivers more than 30 million gifts each year. These include floral arrangements and plants, gourmet food and gift baskets, greeting cards, personalized keepsakes and more, according to McCann. 

“At its core, we are a relationship company,” McCann said. “The most important part of our business is being there for our consumers for each and every milestone.”