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Flowers have always been associated with the big occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day.
But new Australian data suggests that the emotional role of flowers may be broader than the traditional occasion-based model suggests.
A year-long analysis of flower-card messages by Melbourne florist Fig & Bloom found that 93% of orders included a written message, with “thinking of you” emerging as the most-used phrase — ahead of “happy birthday”. The data covered anonymised messages sent with orders through June 2026.
That is an interesting signal for an industry that has traditionally organised its products around occasions.
Perhaps consumers aren't only buying flowers to mark an event anymore. Increasingly, they're using them to create a moment.
Fig & Bloom analysed a full year of customer messages, looking at the words Australians chose to accompany their flower deliveries.
The most common phrase was “thinking of you”, appearing on more than one in seven cards. Birthdays were still the most common identifiable occasion, accounting for 26% of messages, but sympathy and support were close behind.
The messages were also surprisingly personal. The average note was around 29 words, while almost one in five messages referenced love in some form. Around a third ended with kisses, while only about 6% used an emoji.
In other words, the humble card is doing more than confirming why the flowers were sent.
It is helping explain why someone felt they needed to send them in the first place.
That distinction matters.
Traditional floral retail is heavily occasion-driven.
A customer searches for birthday flowers, anniversary flowers or Mother's Day flowers, chooses an arrangement and completes the purchase.
But “thinking of you” isn't really an occasion. It's an emotional state.
And that opens up a much broader set of reasons to send flowers.
Someone might send them because a friend is having a difficult week. Because a partner has been away. Because a parent needs cheering up. Because a colleague is leaving. Or simply because they thought about someone that morning.
The finding is particularly interesting alongside broader Australian gifting behaviour.
Flowers remained the most popular intended Mother's Day gift in 2026, with 39% of Australians who knew what they planned to buy choosing flowers. The Australian Retail Council and Roy Morgan also found that consumers were favouring simple, meaningful gestures while remaining conscious of household budgets.
The same pattern appeared around Valentine's Day. Flowers remained the leading intended purchase at 40%, while the Australian Retail Council described consumers as increasingly deliberate about how they spend.
The common thread is not necessarily extravagance.
It is meaning.
For florists, this creates an opportunity to think beyond the traditional occasion calendar.
If customers are willing to buy flowers simply to say I'm thinking about you, then the product doesn't necessarily need to be tied to a major event.
That could change how florists merchandise and market their ranges.
Instead of presenting flowers exclusively through occasions, florists could also organise products around feelings and intentions:
The difference may seem subtle, but it changes the customer's starting point.
Rather than asking “What flowers do I send for this occasion?”, they're asking “How do I make someone feel better?”
That is a much more emotional purchase.
The Fig & Bloom data also highlights something that can be easy to overlook in the online buying journey: the message is part of the product.
If 93% of customers are taking the time to write something, the card isn't just an accessory. It's a major part of the gifting experience.
For florists, that could mean making the message experience easier and more prominent.
Prompting customers with suggestions such as “What would you like to say?”, offering useful message examples, or grouping suggested messages by emotion could help customers who know they want to send flowers but don't quite know what to write.
Interestingly, some online florists are already experimenting with this. Fig & Bloom, for example, has introduced an AI-powered message builder that helps customers generate and refine notes for occasions including birthdays, thank-you messages and “thinking of you” gifts.
The technology itself isn't necessarily the important part.
The important part is recognising that finding the words is part of the customer's problem.
There is another consumer shift happening alongside this emotional approach: people are becoming more interested in what the flowers themselves represent.
Australian reporting has highlighted growing interest in locally grown flowers, seasonal varieties and Australian natives, with dahlias, hydrangeas, banksias and other less traditional flowers gaining attention.
A 2026 ABC report also found growing demand for native flowers, while Flower Industry Australia warned consumers that “Australian native” does not necessarily mean Australian-grown, because some native varieties and foliage are imported.
That suggests consumers are becoming more curious about both sides of the purchase:
What am I saying with these flowers?
and
What exactly am I buying?
For florists, that creates room for greater storytelling around seasonality, provenance, flower selection and design — rather than competing purely on colour, size or price.
The next growth opportunity in flowers may not be another new occasion.
It may be making everyday emotions feel sendable.
“Thinking of you” is powerful precisely because it doesn't require a birthday, anniversary or holiday. It gives people permission to send flowers simply because someone matters to them.
For florists, that means there may be value in selling less around the calendar — and more around how customers want someone to feel.
The occasion gets the customer through the door.
The emotion may be what makes them come back.