Online florist and gift service NetFlorist enjoyed a 40% increase in Valentine`s Day sales as growing numbers of local consumers opted to buy online, says MD Ryan Bacher.
"We processed about 7 000 transactions in the two weeks leading up to Valentine`s Day," he says.
The increase in trade can be attributed to the growing number of Internet users in SA, and the growing confidence people have in ordering online, he believes. "The process of ordering via the Internet seems less threatening than it used to."
Having one day devoted to Valentine`s celebrations is "ludicrous" from a marketing point of view, Bacher notes. "In the US they`ve adopted the idea of a Valentine`s week," he says, noting that this "spreads the load and places less pressures on businesses associated with the day".
Red roses accounted for about 90% of transactions. Delivery of flowers on 14 February ran relatively smoothly, he adds, except for one area in the Johannesburg CBD, where deliveries were disrupted due to road closures related to the start of the Jacob Zuma trial.
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