Funeral flower purchasing is a distinct part of the wider cut-flower market. In a June 2021 U.S. consumer survey, 19% of 8,502 respondents said they had purchased cut flowers for a bereavement, while 10% said they had received them. The same research found that the bereavement segment averaged 4.6 cut-flower purchase occasions per year and spent an average of $45.56 per purchase. These figures describe measured consumer behavior, not a current forecast.
Contents
- How often people buy bereavement flowers
- Where funeral flowers are purchased
- How buyers find information
- Flowers selected for bereavement
- Cards, balloons, wine, and other add-ons
- Funeral costs and the share of flowers
- Mortality, supply, and funeral-market context
How often people buy bereavement flowers
The June 2021 study, Cut Flower Purchasing and Market Segments within the US Flower Industry, identified a meaningful gap between buying and receiving. Nineteen percent of the 8,502 U.S. consumers surveyed reported purchasing cut flowers for a bereavement, compared with 10% who reported receiving cut flowers for that reason. The measures refer to survey respondents and should not be read as a national count of funeral arrangements.
Within the study’s bereavement market segment, 100% purchased flowers for bereavement. That segment averaged 4.6 cut-flower purchase occasions per year. Average spending was $45.56 per cut-flower purchase, and estimated annual cut-flower spending for the segment was $223.37 per consumer. The annual figure is the study’s estimate for that segment; it is not a retail-sales total.
The same source reported age-group differences in the likelihood of purchasing cut flowers for a bereavement in the next year. In the 2021 study, Baby Boomers and older respondents scored 51 on a 0-to-100 likelihood scale. Generation X respondents scored 60, while Millennials and younger respondents scored 57. These are intention scores, rather than observed purchases.
| Measure | Result | Period or scope |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. consumers who purchased cut flowers for bereavement | 19% | June 2021 survey; n=8,502 |
| U.S. consumers who received cut flowers for bereavement | 10% | June 2021 survey; n=8,502 |
| Bereavement-segment purchase occasions | 4.6 per year | June 2021 study |
| Average spend per cut-flower purchase | $45.56 | June 2021 study |
| Estimated annual segment spending per consumer | $223.37 | June 2021 study |
Source: Cut Flower Purchasing and Market Segments within the US Flower Industry (June 2021). The intention scores are from the 2016 Floral Tracker Cumulative Data Final Internal Report, labeled there as a 2021 study in the supplied measurement description.
Where funeral flowers are purchased
Florists and floral shops were the most common reported purchase location in the June 2021 bereavement segment. They accounted for 52% of bereavement cut-flower purchases. Online purchases accounted for 24%, followed by major grocery stores at 19% and mass merchandisers at 18%.
Several other channels each accounted for 14%: independent garden centers, independent grocery stores, and direct purchases from a grower. Another 3% of purchases were classified as other locations. These categories describe the distribution reported for bereavement cut-flower purchases; they should not be combined into a single consumer total because a purchase may be represented within a category framework rather than a mutually exclusive personal profile.
The channel pattern places specialist floral businesses at the center of bereavement purchasing, while also showing that digital and general-retail options are substantial. For readers comparing channels, the study’s 52% florist or floral-shop figure is the largest single reported location, and its 24% online figure is the largest non-florist channel listed.
How buyers find information
Past experience was the most frequently reported information source among bereavement cut-flower purchasers in the June 2021 study: 38% used it. Store or friend recommendations followed at 26%, while web searches were reported by 25% and store displays by 22%.
Social media served as an information source for 20% of purchasers. Traditional advertising appeared less often in the reported results: television advertising was cited by 13%, and magazine advertising by 12%.
These percentages indicate the share of purchasers reporting each source, not a ranked funnel in which each person used only one source. The results therefore support a mixed information journey: prior experience and personal recommendations were prominent, but web searches, displays, and social platforms also played measurable roles.
For a florist or floral designer, the figures point to several points of contact before the order is placed. A customer may already know a preferred provider, encounter an arrangement in a store, search online for an appropriate tribute, or ask a friend for guidance. The study measures those reported sources for the bereavement segment in June 2021; it does not measure which source produced the final sale.
Flowers selected for bereavement
Roses were the most frequently reported flower type in the June 2021 bereavement segment, purchased by 33% of bereavement cut-flower purchasers. Lilies followed at 22%, carnations at 20%, and tulips at 19%. Mums were reported by 16%, orchids by 15%, and daisies, gardenias, and sunflowers by 14% each.
Peonies were purchased by 12% of bereavement cut-flower purchasers. Another 9% bought a different flower type, and 12% were not sure which flower type they had bought. The uncertainty measure matters: it shows that buyers do not always identify the botanical contents of a purchased arrangement, so product descriptions and visual presentation can matter alongside flower names.
| Flower type or response | Share of bereavement purchasers |
|---|---|
| Roses | 33% |
| Lilies | 22% |
| Carnations | 20% |
| Tulips | 19% |
| Mums | 16% |
| Orchids | 15% |
| Daisies, gardenias, and sunflowers | 14% each |
| Peonies | 12% |
| Not sure of flower type | 12% |
| Another flower type | 9% |
The percentages are not intended to sum to 100%; the research describes flowers bought by purchasers, and an arrangement can include more than one type. The strongest measured preference in this dataset is therefore for roses, followed by lilies, carnations, and tulips—not an exclusive ranking of single-flower arrangements.
Cards, balloons, wine, and other add-ons
A card accompanied 39% of bereavement cut-flower purchases in June 2021. Balloons were paired with 16%, and wine was paired with 16%. In 31% of purchases, no other purchase was included.
The card figure is the largest of the reported add-on measures, which reinforces the role of a written message in a sympathy purchase. At the same time, nearly one-third of purchases included no other purchase, so add-ons were not universal. Balloons and wine each appeared in a smaller but measurable share of the reported purchases.
Because these measures describe pairings with cut-flower purchases, they do not establish that every card, balloon, or bottle was sold by the florist. They also do not identify whether an add-on was selected online, in a shop, or through another channel. They are useful as purchase-association statistics for the bereavement segment, not as a complete basket analysis.
Funeral costs and the share of flowers
Funeral flowers sit within a broader spending decision. In the 2016 Floral Purchase Tracking Study, funeral or memorial sympathy purchases represented 3% of U.S. cut-flower purchase occasions. Among purchases made through local florists, funeral, memorial, or sympathy purchases represented 5%.
The same 2016 U.S. cut-flower tracker reported that 77% of purchases were made for an occasion or reason, while 23% were made with no special occasion. The 3% and 5% figures are specific to the tracker definitions and period; they are not a current estimate of all funeral-related floral spending.
UK funeral-cost measures provide a separate context. The UK Competition and Markets Authority estimated average essential funeral costs at nearly £4,300 in 2018. Its estimate for an average cremation funeral was £3,744, while the average burial funeral was £4,798. The CMA also reported about £2,000 in additional discretionary funeral spending, including flowers and catering.
In the CMA consumer-survey analysis, typical UK funeral spending was between £3,000 and £5,000. Thirty-six percent of respondents had spent more than £4,000 on a funeral, and at least 16% had spent more than £5,000. These are UK findings from 2018 and should not be applied directly to U.S. funeral pricing or to the price of a floral tribute.
Source: 2016 Floral Tracker Cumulative Data Final Internal Report; Consumer Buying Trends; and the UK CMA Funerals market study.
Mortality, supply, and funeral-market context
The surrounding U.S. market provides scale without isolating funeral flowers specifically. USDA data for 2023 recorded $6.69 billion in U.S. floriculture sales across all surveyed crop categories. The USDA counted 10,216 U.S. floriculture producers and reported 851 million square feet used for floriculture production. Among U.S. floriculture operations with at least $100,000 in sales, cut flowers generated $350.0 million in sales in 2023.
Mortality data offers another reference point. The CDC registered 3,090,964 resident deaths in the United States in 2023. That total was 188,893 lower than in 2022, and the U.S. age-adjusted death rate fell 6.0% from 2022 to 2023. Death totals do not translate directly into funeral flower orders, because families make different service and floral decisions.
Funeral format is also changing. The National Funeral Directors Association projected a U.S. cremation rate of 61.9% for 2024 and a burial rate of 33.2% for 2024. Its projection placed the cremation rate at 82.1% by 2045. These are projections, not completed historical counts. They provide market context for floral designers considering how tribute products may need to serve both burial and cremation services.
The USDA figures describe the overall floriculture supply base, the CDC figures describe registered deaths, and NFDA figures describe projected disposition patterns. None of those sources measures funeral flower purchasing directly. The most specific purchasing measures in this article remain the June 2021 bereavement-segment survey results: a 52% florist or floral-shop purchase share, a $45.56 average purchase, and roses as the most frequently reported flower type at 33%.