The Industry Solutions
Onto the Industry's Solutions
The truth can be difficult for some to hear. But it must be said.
The Numbers Don't Add Up
In America, SAF reports a decline in flower shops — yet an increase in memberships. Is this new floral shops joining? We do not think so. We do not know every country's population loss of flower shops, but we suspect a similar situation exists worldwide based on industry numbers. The industry claims it is changing, but who is doing the talking? SAF is only the example here, not the villain. They are a mirror reflecting an industry that has yet to ask itself the harder question — not who is speaking, but who is being left out of the conversation.
The shift toward online flower sales is presented as progress. But it is not the flower shop owner driving that narrative — it is the associations and platforms that profit from it. Selling more flowers online does not save the flower shop. It redirects the customer away from it. That is not a solution. That is the problem wearing a different label.
"SAF claims floral shops are on the decline, yet memberships are up. Why? Because the new members are not flower shops. They are grocery stores."
Who Is Really Joining SAF?
SAF is a sponsor of mass marketing conventions. Consider FloriExpo — claimed to be North America's largest B2B floral event, uniting floral category vendors with mass market buyers from supermarkets, chain stores, wholesale distributors, and online retailers. You only need to look at the advisory board (down below) to know who the B2B truly is. Their increase in new members is coming from mass merchandisers — in other words, grocery stores. The very businesses that are putting independent flower shops out of business are now funding and influencing the association that is supposed to represent those same flower shops.
That is not a conspiracy. That is a conflict of interest. And it explains why the industry's answers have consistently pointed away from the flower shop and toward the channels that serve the grocery store.
Google Is Marketing Flower Shops. SAF Is Not.
The truth is, Google is marketing flower shops today — and SAF is not. This is happening across many industries, not just our own. But in floriculture, it carries a specific and damaging consequence: Google markets flowers alongside its direct competition. Sweets. Diamonds. Luxury gifts. Big money, steering consumers away from flowers — all on the same platform, in the same search results, competing for the same attention and the same wallet.
And it's about to get harder. Online search is changing fast — where it once handed customers a full list of florists to sort through, AI now narrows it to a few, often just one, meaning the shop the AI names is the shop that gets the sale while the rest disappear. The industry has no idea this shift is already underway. Its answer? Change the tagline from 'Say it with flowers' to 'Petal it forward.' Flower shops are still closing
| The Industry's Answer | What's Actually Needed |
|---|---|
|
Push more flowers online through large platforms |
Put marketing power back in the hands of the flower shop |
|
Change taglines and run conventions |
Build direct connections between florists and growers |
|
Recruit grocery stores as new members |
Support and grow independent flower shops |
|
Control information through the status quo |
Create transparency — grower to florist to consumer |
|
Point to online sales as the future |
Educate consumers to buy from flower shops |
The Real Problem:
Lack of Transparency
The industry's problem is not online flower sales. The problem is lack of transparency. Information is controlled by the status quo — the businesses and associations funded by the middle of the floral industry. The status quo benefits from confusion. It benefits from complexity. It benefits from a supply chain that is difficult to see through, because visibility would reveal the margins being extracted at every layer.
The status quo is not evil. It is simply protecting what it has built. But that protection comes at the cost of the independent flower shop — and ultimately at the cost of the consumer who pays more for less because the information that would help them choose better never reaches them.
"The industry's problem is lack of transparency. Information controlled by the status quo who fund the associations. Working outside the middle was our solution."
Why We Stepped Outside
We stepped outside the status quo to build this cut flower app. Not to disrupt for disruption's sake — but because we know this industry and its people, really well. We know what the flower shop needs. We know what the grower wants. And we know that the information connecting them has been sitting in the middle, filtered and controlled, for too long.
The status quo may NOT support this kind of connection. And privately — they do. Because privately, everyone in this industry knows that a stronger flower shop is good for everyone. That is clarity. That is the acknowledgment we are building on.
Our Solution
Working Outside the Middle
A direct link of information shared between florists and growers. Marketing power returned to the flower shop. Transparency from the farm to the front door. The result will be simple — everyone flourishes.
Sure, the middle will have their concern and right not its unanswered questions. But as they know the middle of this industry is huge. There are many people where our only focus is you. Later we will talk and they will listen. Remember, the truth is, they all want more flower shops as well!
Be Part of the Solution
Whether you are a florist, a grower, or someone who simply loves flowers — this is where change begins. Join us.
- © 2026 World Cut Flower Commission. All rights reserved.
Reference · FloriExpo Advisory Board (Public Record)
FloriExpo describes itself as North America's largest B2B floral event — uniting floral category vendors with mass market buyers from supermarkets, chain stores, wholesale florist distributors, and online retailers. The following advisory board members are listed on the public FloriExpo website and industry press releases. We invite you to draw your own conclusions about who this B2B event is built to serve.
Floral Sales Manager, Shaw’s / Star Market
Floral National Category Director, Albertsons
Sales Director, Tessa Corp.
Director of Sales, Bayview Flowers
Marielle Catillo
Sales Account Manager, Bayview Flowers
Retired National Category Manager – Floral & Garden Centre, Sobey’s
Head of Floral Category Management, Metro (Canada’s 3rd largest grocery chain)
VP of Floral Sales & Corporate Marketing, PPC Flex
Manager of Floral, The GIANT Company (nearly 200 grocery stores)
Sources: floriexpo.com/advisory-board · floraldaily.com · thursd.com · Public press releases 2024–2025