NEW PLATFORMS FOR AN OLD TRADITION
Shoppers turn to websites, social media to buy gifts for loved ones
WHEN one thinks about Valentine’s Day, chocolates and bouquets of roses usually spring to mind. Trends have evolved over the years, but the tradition of giving flowers have been a constant for much of this time.
In this day and age, however, where technology seems to rule everything we do, it is no surprise that methods of buying flowers have evolved.
There is still, perhaps, that last-minute rush to buy flowers, but a dash to the florist is not necessary, thanks to online shopping.
Take Maison Des Roses, for example. Billed as the first premier floral atelier here, Maison Des Roses’ bouquets are well-received and praised, especially for its signature black boxes.
A spokesman for the shop said sales were high on Valentine’s Day, compared with other days, but this was expected.
The downside of online shopping is that you can’t choose the flowers but the upside is the peace of mind knowing that a professional florist will arrange the flowers and deliver them straight to your intended recipient.
The second, more traditional option, is to walk into a flower shop and craft your own bouquet.
Floristika in Bangsar is a wholesale floriculture centre which stocks flowers imported from India, China and even the Netherlands.
Here, the New Straits Times saw several men making lastminute purchases.
A female shopper said she was buying flowers for Chinese New Year, which falls two days after Valentine’s.
A regular customer, who only wanted to be known as Kliff, said it was good to buy flowers at the last minute as they were fresher.
“(Besides), this is a good investment for a long-term marriage,” he said.
There are some traditions, of course, which will never change — a romantic dinner for two being one of them.
Over the last month, hotels and restaurants in the city have been touting special Valentine’s Day dinners to lovebirds.
Some have used innovative methods to draw diners while others rely on opulence and oldfashioned romanticism to spice up the evening.
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur director of communications Datuk Rosemarie Wee said the hotel had a tried-and-tested formula behind the success of its romantic dinners — a focus on elegance.
This, she said, was the reason why its dinner packages at its fine-dining restaurant, Lafite, were a roaring success.
“In order to remain competitive, we need to offer good menus and promotions. Our Valentine’s Day dinner at Lafite features a Western menu, complete with candlelight and lots of flowers,” she said.
A spokesman from Holiday Villa Subang said it had been employing innovative methods to attract people to dine at its restaurant, the Palm Terrace Coffee House, on Valentine’s Day.
“We are aware that we have many competitors, so we applied new ways to promote our dinner offer.
“Instead of relying only on our website, we use our social media presence (Facebook and Instagram) to spread the word. We also distribute flyers at commercial and residential areas in Subang to target the locals,” he said.