From holiday gifts to daily embellishments, from offline purchase to instant delivery, from popular flowers to niche customization...... Since the Spring Festival this year, Lanzhou's flower consumption is undergoing a profound change. Diversity, immediacy, and self-pleasing have become the core keywords driving the market, and flowers have faded away from the label of "ceremonial luxury", accelerated their integration into the daily life of citizens, and given birth to a new consumption ecology and industrial pattern. Our reporter visited Fangcao Garden, Yantan Flower and Fish Market, and a number of local flower shops and instant retail platforms to decode the new trend of flower consumption in Lanzhou and explore the upgrade code of the "beautiful economy".
Young consumers and diversified needs:
From "single hit" to "a hundred flowers blooming"
Walking into the Fangcaoyuan Flower Market in Chengguan District, there is a dazzling array of colorful fresh-cut flowers, unique potted plants, and creative floral ornaments, changing the traditional pattern of roses and lilies "dominating the world" in the past. Phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidiums and other perennial hot sales, new products such as wax seal vermilion red, macaron color calla lilies, dyed tulips and other new products are popular, ferns, monsteras, ficus lyrea and other green plants and flower combinations have become a trend, and niche flowers, creative combinations, and full-scene coverage have become the distinctive characteristics of Lanzhou's flower consumption.
"In the past, when buying flowers, either red roses were given to lovers, or carnations were given to elders, and the choice was very simple. Now it's different, the desk should have a small bouquet of fresh cut flowers, the home should be potted green plants, a friend's birthday should be customized a bouquet, and relaxing by yourself should heal floral art. Ms. Li, a "post-90s" citizen who is buying flowers, told reporters that she buys flowers 2-3 times a month, changing varieties according to the scene and mood, and flowers have long become a "necessity" in life.
The reporter visited and found that Lanzhou's flower consumer group has shifted from middle-aged and elderly people to the "post-90s" and "post-00s" young main force. Young consumers pursue personalization and differentiation, reject homogeneous explosive models, and promote the transformation of the market from "single explosive models" to "diversified supply". In mainstream flower markets such as Fangcao Garden and Yantan Flower and Fish Market, imported flowers, domestic high-quality flowers, and local characteristic flowers were unveiled on the same stage to meet different aesthetic and budget needs.
Diversified demand is not only reflected in the variety, but also extends to consumption scenarios and prices. From 9.9 yuan affordable fresh cut flowers to 1,000 yuan high-end customized bonsai, from office mini potted plants to large family green plants, from business gift bouquets to wedding floral installations, Lanzhou flower market has formed a full-price, all-scene, and all-age coverage system. Zheng Lihua, the owner of the Yantan Flower Nuan Pavilion Flower Shop, introduced that young people are now more rational in buying flowers, the student party prefers affordable small bouquets, office workers choose mid-range potted plants and weekly flowers, and high-end people favor customized floral art and imported flowers.
Instant retail has become mainstream, and the speed has upgraded:
From "next day arrival" to "half an hour delivery"
"Table flowers are needed for meetings in the afternoon, and mobile phone orders can be delivered in half an hour, which is so convenient!" Mr. Zhang, who works in an office building on Zhangye Road, orders flowers through an instant retail platform and can receive fresh bouquets without leaving home. The consumption model of online ordering, offline fast delivery, and instant satisfaction has reconstructed the flower circulation pattern in Lanzhou, and "immediacy" has become a new rigid demand for flower consumption.
In the past, Lanzhou flower consumption was mainly purchased in offline physical stores and traditional express delivery, and the fresh cut flowers had a short shelf life, large transportation loss, and slow delivery time, which restricted market development. With the landing of platforms such as Meituan flash sale, Ele.me, and local intra-city delivery, Lanzhou's flower industry has entered the era of instant retail. The reporter learned from a number of local instant retail platforms that the average annual growth rate of Lanzhou flower delivery orders in the same city has exceeded 80%, and the proportion of non-festival orders has risen from 30% in 2020 to more than 60% at present.
The person in charge of a chain flower shop in Yantan said that after the store was connected to the instant retail platform, the average daily order increased by 3 times, of which 70% came from online instant orders, and the distribution scope covered the four districts of Chengguan, Qilihe, Xigu and Anning, and even extended to Yuzhong County.
Instant retail not only speeds up the consumer experience, but also forces the industry supply chain to upgrade. A number of flower wholesalers in Lanzhou have introduced vacuum pre-cooling and cold chain storage equipment, established a three-level cold chain system of "base-front warehouse-store", and reduced the flower loss rate from 30% to less than 10%. Merchants in Fangcaoyuan and Yantan Flower Fish Market are generally equipped with professional preservation equipment, optimize the packaging and distribution process, and provide special personnel and car distribution for large-scale green plants and fresh-cut bouquets to avoid transportation damage, and "meticulous distribution + instant service" has become the core of flower shop competition.
Self-pleasing consumption has become the mainstream, and the concept is innovative:
From "pleasing others" to "pampering yourself"
"Buying flowers is not for gifts, but to add some color to ordinary days." Ms. Liu, a citizen of Anning District, orders weekly flowers every week to replace flower ornaments at home. In Lanzhou, more and more consumers, like Ms. Liu, have shifted their original intention of buying flowers from "gifting to others" to self-pleasure, and "self-pleasing consumption" has become the strongest driving force in the flower market, completely changing the underlying logic of the industry.
Self-pleasing demand gives birth to new formats and new products. A number of flower shops in Lanzhou have launched a flower subscription system, and models such as "weekly flowers" and "monthly packages" have become popular, and users pay monthly and receive matching fresh bouquets every week, with a repurchase rate of more than 60%. This model normalizes flower consumption, steadily increases store customer flow and sales, and becomes a new growth point in the industry.
In addition, self-pleasing products such as "lazy flowers", "healing floral art" and "creative micro-landscape" are highly favored. low-maintenance flowers such as wax seal vermilion red, succulent combination, and automatic watering potted plants lower the threshold for flower cultivation and are suitable for busy urban people; Experiential consumption such as floral experience classes, parent-child flower arrangement activities, and flower DIY handicrafts has become popular, and consumers have shifted from "buying flowers" to "playing with flowers" to enjoy the fun of immersive floral art. A number of cultural and creative florists in Lanzhou have joined forces with psychological counseling institutions to launch stress-relieving floral courses, combining flowers with mental health, increasing the added value of products, and greatly increasing the unit price of customers.
Self-pleasing consumption also promotes the normalization and democratization of flower consumption. The average price of Lanzhou's flower market has decreased year by year, and 9.9 yuan of fresh cut flowers and 19.9 yuan potted plants can be seen everywhere. Merchants in Yantan Flower Fish Market said that there is now a stable flow of customers every day, and the proportion of daily sales has risen from 20% in the past to more than 50%, and "no flowers and no life" has become a new trend in Jincheng.
Single flower gift to compound experience consumption:
Pre-holiday warm-up and multiple activities detonated the market
As spring blooms approach, the women's holiday consumption boom is also warming up in advance. At the Yantan Flower Nuan Pavilion Flower Shop, the owner Zheng Lihua is busy packing flowers for distribution. She told reporters that in response to the upcoming "38th Festival", she deliberately launched a traditional group buying activity and instead prepared for a "38 Goddess Day Salon".
"Instead of engaging in simple group buying orders, it is better to do a more textured offline salon." Zheng Lihua said that today's female consumers, especially the "post-90s" and "post-00s", pay more attention to experience and emotional value. She joined forces with a local cultural and creative studio to set up a floral experience area in the store, inviting professional teachers to guide everyone in making preserved flower ornaments and aromatherapy. This form of light social and light healing can impress customers more than simply sending flowers, and can also enhance the stickiness and reputation of the brand.
This change is a deep embodiment of the trend of diversified and self-pleasing flower consumption in Lanzhou. From a single flower gift to a compound experience consumption, flower consumption is continuously extending from "product" to "scene" and "lifestyle", injecting more vivid colors into Jincheng's spring economy. ( Our reporter Sanjay Cairang text/photo)