Key Facts:
Sydney's cards carry celebration language most often of the three cities: about 41.6% across 2021 to 2025, ahead of Melbourne (about 39.2%) and Brisbane (about 35.6%).
Spend is a dead heat: average order value is about $155 to $156 across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland in the year to June 2026.
Birthdays lead the way: birthday wording appears in about 28.7% of Sydney cards, the highest of the three.
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Sydney sends the most celebrations of the big three cities, Fig & Bloom flower-card data reveals
Sydney is the most celebration-led of Fig & Bloom's three biggest cities. A new study by the Australian florist finds nearly half of Sydney's card messages mark good news, a birthday, an arrival, a promotion or a win, more than Melbourne or Brisbane, even though all three spend almost exactly the same, about $155 to $156 an order, in the year to June 2026.
"What surprised us is that Sydney doesn't spend more to do it," says Kellie Brown, co-founder of Fig & Bloom. "The three cities are within a dollar or two on the average order. The difference isn't the size of the gesture, it's the moment Sydney chooses to mark, and for Sydney that's overwhelmingly good news."
The pattern is not a one-year blip. Across five comparable years of card messages, from 2021 to 2025, celebration language appears in about 41.6% of Sydney cards, ahead of Melbourne at about 39.2% and Brisbane at about 35.6%. Birthday wishes alone account for about 28.7% of Sydney cards, again the highest of the three.
For all the rivalry, the cities are more alike than different: near-identical spend, and cards that run to almost the same length across all three. "Rivals on the reason, twins on the care," Brown says.
The findings draw on Fig & Bloom orders in the 12 months to June 2026 and a separate five-year review of the brand's order records from 2021 to 2025, with occasion inferred from de-identified card language and spend counted at state level. These are Fig & Bloom customers, a premium, gift-led group, not a population census, so the figures are directional.
Full story: https://figandbloom.com/blogs/news/the-geography-of-gifting
About us:
Fig & Bloom is the original premium flower delivery service known for contemporary, considered arrangements, delivered across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Each arrangement is photographed before it leaves the studio, including the gold-foiled message card, so customers see exactly what arrived. https://figandbloom.com
