KARACHI: Online New Year greetings and exchange of flower bouquets have dimmed printed greeting cards business considerably. This tradition has been vanished on large scale over the years.
Under such scenario, retailers capitalised for a last minute New Year shopping spree as sales of fresh flower bouquets, bunches and baskets in the Karachi and elsewhere in cities of the country went up around 30 percent this midnight of New Year compared to the same time last December.
In absence and dull output of new year cards’ printing and limited availability with less variety of cards in the markets and at roadside stalls new year event’ lovers prefer to buy flower bouquets, bunches and baskets, traders said.
Floral retailers said that the supply of fresh flowers from Lahore, Gadap and from nurseries of Hyderabad started due to heavy supply orders by the traders in Lahore, and Karachi and elsewhere in other cities across the country.
Online greeting messages on New Year also gathered momentum in last day before start of New Year. There are number of varieties of e-cards when you surf websites for the purpose, telecom officials opined.
This year too the fresh flower bouquets, bunches and baskets have attracted the interest of customers for more than one reason. Sales have increased as the custom of sending flowers items to the near and dear ones on every New Year have sipped into the new generation over the past ten years. It is because more than 55 percent of the population is youth and ranging between 16 years to 30 years.
Fresh flower bouquets, bunches and baskets traders in Clifton, North Nazimabad, Tariq Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistyan-e-Jauher and old city areas have registered an increase in sales.
D Khan, owner of Flowers and Flowers near Khayaban-e-Roomi, Clifton says most of the products are made of tea roses, tube roses, gladiolus, blades and tulip on such occasions. “It is our mastery, in how many designs, shapes and sizes we present our product to attract the customers. We wrap up the products with fine cellophane paper, ribbons etc.
He says two days of this year’s sales have increased around 25 percent as privileged and middle class customers, most of them are on my regular list have made 25 percent more buying than the previous time.
Hussain Quadri and Farrukh owners of Clifton Flowers say the practice, sending fresh flower bouquets, baskets and bunch to the dear and near ones is getting popularity in the people especially in youth as they are aware of the importance and more than half of our buyers’ have tradition of sending flowers to their relatives on New Year.
They say products are available for sale till late night on last day of previous year and throughout day and mid night on first day of the New Year over the years. “We earn more than 20 percent compared to last New Year”.
The overall fresh flower bouquet business is growing more and more as people realise the importance exchanging of flower bouquets etc and more important the government has also offered soft loans to the flower industry, Javed Khan an exporter of flowers said.
M Ahmad owner of Sana Flowers at Tariq Road and Farid Khan owner of Al-Farid enterprises at Gulistan-e-Jauher say, “People have made some 20 percent more buying as we offer quality products and sales on the occasions including loose flowers and garlands has registered an increase of some 25 percent”. We earn according to our sale, they added.
Ali and Arif of Ali Flowers in old city say, they cater more customers on the eve of New Year compared to usual days. “Our sales of traditional garlands besides bouquet and fresh flower bunches have risen more than double in these two days” A housewife says, my two daughters aged 18 and 24 years have demanded bouquets for their friends and cousins. “I allocated more money for this purpose than previous year for shopping of fresh flowers bouquets etc”.
