Prior to COVID, experiences were on the rise, but the impact of the pandemic in 2020 has caused a unique trend to emerge that focuses more on the purchase of things rather than experiences. One of those things is gifting. We’re highlighting 5 wedding pros that are leaning into the post-COVID gifting trend.
WHAT IS THE POST-COVID GIFTING TREND?
Because people aren’t able to be together as often, gifting is on the rise. People send something to their friends, family, and loved ones in the place of being there themselves.
Pre-COVID, Millennials and Gen X’ers were all about travel, dining out and large public events. But with safety now a concern, people are spending more on things that will make their life at home more comfortable.
As the pandemic dragged on and isolation caused more stress, it became a more prevalent trend to send thoughtful and encouraging gifts to boost morale. For those who were lonely and stressed, they also began to treat themselves, so self-gifting has become more of a thing. If you can combine the two where the customer benefits while treating their friend of loved one in a special group offer, even better!
PROJECTED GIFTING TREND FOR 2021
To get your creative juices flowing for ideas that you can use in creating new streams of income for your business, let’s talk about one of the biggest gifting trends being forecast for 2021.
New Traditions
People are looking for new traditions. The synchronicity of life has been disrupted by COVID and standard events are no longer standard. Products and services that give a reason for a new tradition or a reason to celebrate will be part of this rising trend.
5 WEDDING PROS LEANING INTO THE POST-COVID GIFTING TREND
No matter what your expertise is, there’s a way to get into the gifting game. Let’s talk about a few examples of wedding pros who have leaned into the post-COVID gifting trend.
1. Allie’s Baking Boutique
Allie from Allie’s Baking Boutique has created a boxed approach to gifting. Her weekly and monthly treat boxes are themed to the season, holiday, and more. Even better, this type of product encourages larger purchases and creates a sense of celebration that is COVID safe.
These boxes make distance gifting much easier as well as treating yourself!
2. XO At Home
Haleigh Kenney has been a special event florist for a while, but during the pandemic, she launched XO at Home. XO at Home is a bi-monthly floral subscription service. It comes with a variety of styling tips from the designer with four varieties of flowers for $99 a month.
These florals can be intermixed or used in individually throughout the customer’s space. This is another great example of taking a product that she already worked with and creating a new stream of income that fits with the emerging gifting trends and the focus on improving the home where we are spending so much more time.
3. The Gas Petal
This darling mobile flower truck also partners with local shops for pop-up events tailored to gifting. For example, this Valentine’s Day, the Gas Petal created a unique bouquet wall in a local Madewell. The selection and pricing were all geared towards gifting. Fewer selections and lower volume in your display are inducements to buy.
4. Love’n Fresh Flowers
While this is another florist, this concept could be translated to other areas of the wedding industry from venues and more!
The concept with this gifting option is that the Season Pass pays for an exclusive once-a-month, pick-your-own-flowers experience over the 2021 picking seasons. It gets people out of the house, into nature, and utilizes a new stream of income with the same products.
They are also capitalizing on the exponential increase in gardening by creating Veggie Garden in a Box — which gives a full garden start in a box. This alleviates the problem of sourcing healthy plant starts and offers a solution to the fact that many big seed companies are backlogged with orders to meet the growing demand.
5. Willow Crossley Creates
No matter what type of wedding pro you are, creating a class is always an option for additional streams of income — or to engage potential clients in your content.
Willow Crossley is an a-lister florist based out of the U.K. who has taken her years of experience as a floral designer, host, and stylist to create simple online classes that help her clientele reach their goals of creating beautiful spaces in their home. From setting a festive table to creating a simple floral design, Willow Crossley Creates has also partnered with Create Academy to offer useful classes that fit the interest of her current clients. Create Academy also has classes for Interiors, Food, and more! Additionally, you can gift these classes to friends and family with a simple online purchase.
Whether you’re a stylist or a photographer, a caterer and anything else, there’s a likely a class you can do. You are an expert and don’t have to teach everything you know, but you’d be surprised at how much you know — and how helpful a simple concept could be to your current clients.
Bonus: Pre-Packaged Deals from Marianne’s Rentals
While this isn’t fully a gifting item — it can be and it’s a great idea we’re seeing more wedding pros offer. The concept is to think of everything your client will need to throw that event in their own home or celebrate that special day.
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Written by Corrie McGee
