Middle-class women big buyers in booming online flower industry

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For delivery man Liu Kai, Monday morning is all for weekly flower deliveries.

Liu doesn't usually get to see the boxes of flowers that he delivers. The flowers are actually quite a hassle.

"Of course the flowers are frail. You have to always keep the boxes horizontal, and you should be rather quick. You must take extra care." Liu says of the fragile packages on his cart before starting his Monday rounds.

Weekly flowers after arrangement provided by interviewees. /CGTN Photo

He says it's his favorite day on the job because the recipients are always "so happy."

In most cases, the sender and the receiver are usually the same person. The flowers are not a surprise gift.

"I like having flowers in my office. They look good and make me FEEL good. My colleagues always come to my room to look at the blossoms." Lyu Bosong, who works in the financial area of Beijing told CGTN as she received a bouquet of still-young lilies from Liu.

Weekly flowers after arrangement provided by interviewees. /CGTN Photo

The flowers would last for around a week, and the best photo shots come in a few days after Monday. Lyu says it's her own personal adjustments and arrangement of the bouquets that made the flowers her own.

For almost two years now, she has been receiving a bouquet of her own choosing or a seasonal bunch every week through FlowerPlus, one of China's most popular online flower retailers. It costs around 100 yuan a month, less than 20 U.S. dollars.

A small investment with high return.

Another consumer has told CGTN that weekly flowers have become a staple on her desk, "I don't like the dullness of the office. So I add some color with these flowers. With flowers around me, I can almost feel the sun."

Another customer recalls that it's the flowers that saw her through the day, over time.

"Working in a bank is a stressful job. But with flowers, I take my late night extra hours better. I become more efficient." She told CGTN.

It's not just the concrete jungle of financial buildings that sees weekly flower deliveries.

According to a report by the Internet consultancy iiMedia, China's e-commerce flower industry could reach 60 billion yuan by 2020. And much of the growth would come from middle-to-high-income women, who are more likely to splurge on small luxuries, like flowers.

For Liu the flower knight, he says the Monday deliveries have helped him make one important decision: to send his wife flowers as a surprise.