Is Flower Delivery Profitable? Work Out Your True Costs

The Delivery Problem

Ask most florists what delivery costs them and you get a vague answer about fuel. The honest answer is that a lot of shops lose money on every single drop without knowing it. Add up fuel, driver wages, vehicle depreciation, insurance, maintenance and packaging, and the real cost per delivery is often double or triple what you charge.

So is flower delivery profitable? It can be. But only once you know the true number, and most florists have never sat down to work it out.

Breaking Down Every Cost Category

Before you fix your delivery pricing, you need to see every cost that goes into a single run.

Fuel

At current UK diesel prices and a delivery van averaging 35 miles per gallon, a six-mile round trip costs roughly £1.36 in fuel. That figure climbs in stop-start town traffic.

Driver Wages

Deliver it yourself or pay a driver, that time still costs you. A 35-minute round trip at £12 an hour (true cost closer to £15.50 once you add employer NI and pension) works out at roughly £9.00 per delivery. Every hour behind the wheel is an hour you are not making up arrangements.

Vehicle Depreciation

A van costing £18,000 with a five-year life depreciates at £3,600 a year. Over 800 deliveries, that is £4.50 each. On a lease, divide your annual cost by your delivery count.

Insurance and Road Tax

Commercial van insurance typically runs £1,200 to £2,000 a year. Add road tax at £300. Across 800 deliveries, that is roughly £1.90 to £2.90 each.

Maintenance, MOT and Tyres

Budget £1,500 to £2,500 a year for servicing, MOT, repairs and tyres. That is another £1.90 to £3.10 per delivery.

Packaging

Aqua packs, cellophane sleeves and carrier bags for transport add £1.00 to £2.00 per delivery.

A Worked Delivery Cost Example

Most florists charge £5 to £8. At £6.50, you lose £14.80 on every drop. Over 800 deliveries a year, that is nearly £11,850 in losses you never see on a single invoice.

Run your own numbers through our Delivery Profitability Calculator.

What to Do About It

Charge Closer to the True Cost

A £12 to £15 delivery fee reflects reality. Frame it as a hand-delivered service, not a courier drop. Customers spending £50 or more on flowers generally accept a fair delivery charge.

Delivery Zones and Tiered Pricing

Zone-based pricing is the fairest approach. Set clear zones out from your shop and publish them on your website:

Some florists add a premium for timed deliveries. An extra £5 for a specific one-hour window is fair, and customers asking for it will pay.

Build Into Product Prices

"Free delivery" on a £55 bouquet reads better than a £45 bouquet plus £10 delivery, even though the customer pays the same. If most of your orders go out for delivery, building the cost into your product prices cuts a step at the till. Keeping each product priced consistently is easier when the figures live in one place: the Digital Florists platform stores your full product database with ingredient and recipe lists, so a price set once carries through to every order. If you are reworking your prices anyway, our guide to florist business markup covers how to set those numbers from your overheads.

Set Minimum Order Thresholds

A minimum of £35 to £40 for delivery keeps enough margin on every run. Below that, the delivery cost can easily wipe out the profit on the arrangement itself.

Optimising Delivery Runs

Better pricing helps, but efficiency on the day matters every bit as much:

• Batch deliveries by area. Never send a van out for a single drop unless the customer pays a premium for it.
• Plan routes with apps like Google Maps or Circuit to cut mileage.
• Offer time slots (morning or afternoon) so you can group drops geographically.
• Define your delivery area and hold the line. Saying no to a loss-making 15-mile run is good business, not lost custom.

Use the Delivery Profitability Calculator and Operating Cost Calculator to see your full picture.

Common Questions

Is flower delivery profitable for a small florist?

It can be, but only if your delivery charge covers the real cost of a run. On the worked example above, a single six-mile drop costs about £21.30 once you include driver time, fuel, the van and packaging. Charge £6.50 against that and you lose money on every delivery. Charge £12 to £15, batch your drops by area, and set a minimum order, and delivery moves into profit.

How much should a florist charge for delivery?

Enough to cover the true cost, which for many shops sits well above the £5 to £8 most florists charge. A flat £12 to £15 fee or a zone-based scale (from £8 within 3 miles up to £20+ beyond 10 miles) both work. The point is to charge from your own costs, not from what the shop down the road charges.

What does flower delivery cost per drop?

Six costs go into every run: fuel, driver time, vehicle depreciation, insurance and road tax, maintenance and MOT, and packaging. On a six-mile round trip these add up to around £21.30, with driver time the biggest slice at roughly £9 once you include employer NI and pension.

How do I make my delivery runs more profitable?

Batch drops by area, plan the route to cut mileage, group orders into morning or afternoon slots, and set a minimum order of £35 to £40 so each run carries enough margin. Then check the maths against your own figures with the Delivery Profitability Calculator.