A lot of consumers evidently said it with flowers this past Mother's Day, not to mention teddy bears, pajamas, and other gift items. Gifts and flowers marketers 1-800-Flowers and Vermont Teddy Bear both posted strong Mother’s Day results.
Westbury, NY-based 1-800-Flowers handled more than 1million customer orders for Mother’s Day. During the peak period from April 26 to May 9, the company filled an average of more than 175,000 orders per day. 1-800-Flowers, which would not release specific sales information, includes the Plow & Hearth country gifts and home items catalog. The company said that online orders represented more than 70% of direct orders.
Shelburne, VT-based Vermont Teddy Bear reported a 68% increase in Mother’s Day orders for the preceding two-week period. Vermont Teddy Bear received approximately 112,000 orders, compared to about 66,500 orders taken in the same two-week period last year.
The additional 45,500 orders included 39,000 orders for flowers title Calyx & Carolla, which Vermont Teddy Bear acquired last August. In addition to flowers and stuffed bears, the company sells pajamas through its PajamaGram unit, and food gifts via its TastyGram business. The PJs were evidently a big hit for Mother's Day shoppers: The company received approximately 46% more PajamaGram orders--and 8% fewer BearGram orders--for Mother's Day this year compared to 2003.
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