In the era of social distancing and rolling lockdowns, people are finding new ways to connect with each other, with personalised floral gifts on the rise.

New research from online florist, Flowercard, shows that people in Leeds are connecting more than anywhere else in the UK, with an exponential rise in residents sending floral gifts.

Flowercard has seen sales bloom across the UK, with a 63% rise in ‘no occasion’ and ‘any occasion’ gifting between 2019 and 2020. Within that, Leeds had a 297% increase in sending floral arrangements via the online service, the largest increase of anywhere in the UK.

Despite the events of the last 12 months, people from Leeds helped share love with their friends and family. Sales of personalised “miss you” gifts have grown by a staggering 700%, with “love you” floral arrangements also up 350% since 2019. “Thinking of you” messages also saw a spike in lockdown, with an increase of 318% in the city.

The sales reflect a shift in culture, with Brits turning to more regular and thoughtful gestures throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Stephen Gorman, owner and CEO at Flowercard, said: “Our customers have been continually looking for ways to stay close with their loved ones throughout the pandemic, so sending a floral hug through Flowercard has been a beautiful and personal way to keep in touch and bring moments of joy to someone’s day.

“The thoughtfulness of sending “miss you” and “love you” messages is a trend we expect to continue long after restrictions on social interactions have eased. We are proud to see our customers in Leeds finding new ways to nurture their relationships in such a tumultuous year. It’s great to see people showing small acts of kindness and demonstrating to others that they’re thinking of them.”

As well as non-occasion gifting, landmark and holidays have remained popular with consumers. Sales of traditional Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas, Valentine’s and Mother’s Day Flowercards all increased significantly in 2020.

Flowercard has a beautiful range of bespoke greeting cards and arrangements to choose from, perfect for every moment. From speciality Flowercards, which combine fresh flowers and a personalised card, to flowerboxes, letterbox flowers and newly launched hand-tie bouquets, sending a floral hug couldn’t be easier.