Mother’s Day is just around the corner, is your business ready for this busy floral holiday?

Having a decent plan in place to make the most revenue during Mother’s Day is fundamental in receiving every one of the rewards of this bustling blossoming occasion. In this blog, we will go over an agenda to help you during this Mother’s Day holiday.

1. Promote Your Floral Business!

Begin by using your Floral Website and Social Media sites to start marketing your floral arrangements and your business.

Images & Products

• • Post high-quality photos of your work or any specials you are offering during Mother’s Day on your website or Social Media platforms.
  • Don’t forget to link your social media posts to your website!
  • Mother’s Day products should be prominently displayed and easily accessible throughout your website.

Hours & Policies

• Clearly post your shop’s business hours on your website and social media.
• Having clear policies and return/substitution policy will alleviate any headaches for you and your customers.

Promotions & Discounts

• Increase traffic to your store by offering deals or discounts on pickups rather than deliveries.
• List special Promotions. This is a great way to encourage customers to shop early before Mother’s Day week.
• Don’t forget to update your product pricing to cover your costs.

Note: Promoting does not always have to mean discounts. Remind customers why they should order flowers through your business.

2. Staffing, Scheduling and Duties, Oh My!

Making sure you have enough coverage can be overwhelming during the holiday rush. Not to worry, take a deep breath and follow these great tips!

Hiring

• If hiring extra help, offer them a day to come in before Mother’s Day week to go over job responsibilities and training.
• If hiring extra drivers, discuss with them if you require them to use their own vehicle.
• If you can, keep a standby driver at the shop to handle new orders for delivery.

Employees

• Have an employee meeting and discuss what is expected of them during Mother’s Day
• Make sure to explain how important everyone shows up and does what is expected of them.
• Encourage and Praise your employees and floral designers. Its always better to be positive than negative.

Scheduling & Duties

• Have your Mother’s Day week schedule out two weeks in advance. That way there are no surprises to your staff and you have time to make adjustments.
• Go over job descriptions with employees as its always nice to have a reminder of what everyone’s responsibilities are.
• Assign sections for the delivery drivers in specific areas. Add finished flower arrangements to this area with the date of delivery that is bold and clear.

3. Don’t Forget your Flowers & Supplies

Making sure you have enough flowers and supplies to get through the holiday is important.

Supplies

• Start looking around for supplies, containers, baskets and vases weeks before Mother’s Day.
• Visit your local supplier. However, don’t forget to visit discount home stores and dollar stores. You can find some great unique items.
• Don’t settle! Shop around for the best deals on supplies and florals.

Flowers

• Start ordering your Mother’s Day flowers early to get the best value.
• Don’t forget to shop around if you buy from multiple wholesalers.
• If you are comfortable, get your flowers through a floral auction. A great opportunity to get some discounts when purchasing in large quantities.
• Make sure to order flowering plants, orchids, and dish gardens. These are big sellers and require very little work.

Note: if you are new to the floral industry, Mother’s Day spans for a week, not a day. So order enough flowers!

4. Start Prepping & Showcasing your Flowers!

Stay ahead of the game with these prepping and showcasing tips during the busy holiday rush.

Prepping

• Prep your flowers when they arrive.
• Teach your front of store staff how to wire flowers to help cut down the time.
• Cut any ribbon and make bows ahead of time
• Green any vases, baskets or containers.
• No wastefulness! With the abundant supplies and flowers in the shop, it is easy to get sidetracked and be super wasteful. Everything thrown on the floor that can be used should be. Wasting or throwing out even a good pin or wire is considered money out of your pocket. Please be sure to express this to your employees.

Showcasing

• Gather up all your add-ons and gift items and display them prominently in the store.
• Make sure you re-stock your impulse buys on your front counter to sell in addition to flower arrangements.
• Make sure your flower shop and displays are clean and have an inviting atmosphere.
• Remember if Employees have time to lean, they have time to clean!

Work Ahead

• Work a day ahead. Fill any orders for next day the day before. Working a day or two ahead will allow you flexibility just in case there are any last minute orders.
• Place pre-made orders in a cooler, well tagged with date of pick-up or delivery.
• Mark any time sensitive orders and bring those to the front of your cooler.

Note: It helps to have a system that works best for you. However, working on orders per day can feel overwhelming, so staying ahead of the game is always best.

5. Take Care of Yourself

It is important to take care of yourself during this busy Mother’s Day week.

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.It’s best not to wear open toe shoes as this can be an insurance liability in some areas.
• Make sure you eat! Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner are important—don’t skip meals!
• Get enough sleep. No one is at their best with lack of sleep.
• Take mandatory breaks.
• Do not sweat the small stuff. Regardless of how hard you try, there may be a complaint here or there. Do not let this get you down. It’s the nature of the business. The world can’t survive without florists!
• Try to enjoy Mother’s Day week by keeping a journal of all the funny things that happen or mishaps that take place to reflect on for next year.

Tip: Bring in extra shoes and store them in your cooler to remedy those aching feet. 

We would like to wish all florist a very successful Mother’s Day!

Florists, do you have any great Mother’s Days tips to share with our readers? Please post any of your Mother’s Day tips or feedback below.

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Floranext offers great florist software, florist POS, florist websites and florist wedding proposal software. Our florist technology products are built by florists, for florists. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Create Beautiful and Professional Floral Proposals with Floranext New Advanced Proposals

Floranext has the new florist proposals solution to let your floral wedding and event business bloom! We have been hard at work enhancing our wedding and event proposals service and we are excited to announce the completion of our newest software: New Advanced Wedding and Event Proposals.

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Features of Floranext’s New Advanced Floral Wedding/Event Proposals

Make Your Job Easier

With Advanced Proposals, florists can create beautiful and professional proposals in a matter of seconds. No more lost and cluttered information, keep track of your clients requests in one location.

Easy to Use

With the new Floranext Proposal user interface, Floranext Advanced Proposals are easy to create, organize and manage. Florists are able to build a floral arrangement from the bottom up with flowers and supplies.

Customize Each Proposal Email

Add your business’ personal touch by adding a personalized message to each proposal with a customizable email template. Each client is different and adding that personal touch matters.

Take Payments

Track and take customer credit cards and payments for deposits and payments. Create florist payment schedule and florist invoices. 

Increase Your Floral Profits

Add markup, labor and then easily check to make sure you are pricing your flowers correctly. Making sure your weddings and events are fairly priced yet profitable.

Flower Catalog

With the Floranext Advanced Proposal’s flower catalog, it gives you the opportunity to record your pricing for your flowers and use these to help build your beautiful and professional proposals.

Building Components

Build components like bridal bouquets, boutonnieres and more by adding the specified number of flowers for every arrangement.

Shopping Lists

Flowers and supplies composed to build your proposals can help generate a shopping list to order flowers and supplies.

Cloud-Based Software

Use Floranext Advanced Proposals on your own computers, choose the best platform for you. 

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Why try Floranext’s New Floral Wedding/Event Proposals?

We understand that florist wedding and events are a core part of a floral business and creating beautiful floral proposals can be challenging.

We’ve all been there before: notes, images, spreadsheets, word documents and countless emails sent back and forth between your clients can be a nightmare. So why not use one program to make professional proposals and keep everything organized?

Get rid of the multiple programs and keep everything organized with Floranext Advanced Proposals. Our newest software allows you to create beautiful and professional proposals in a matter of seconds by adding images, components, personalized messages and more letting you focus on what’s really important, your floral business.

Start giving your wedding and event proposals more impact with Floranext’s newest Advanced florist wedding/event software today!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

The holiday sales are nearly upon us. For most florists, the Thanksgiving through Christmas rush is a huge boost, especially after the slower summer months. But is your flower shop doing everything that it can to make the most out of the busy season? Here are ten tips that will help your flower shop stand out among others this holiday season. With the right combination of florist marketing and preparation, you can help ensure a happy holiday season for your flower shop.

1. An exciting and festive storefront is incredibly important during the holiday season. Your shoppers are feeling festive already and they want to know that you’re as eager to celebrate as you are. This also gives you a great chance to show off your design abilities and unique seasonal products before customers even step through the door. 

2. Host an open house. Invite Santa! We’ve discussed community marketing before. This is another great opportunity to establish your business as a hub of seasonal festivities. Host an open house with warm drinks and even a Santa. Encourage your customers to bring their own cameras for photo opportunities with the kids. Hand out coupons that last through December to make sure your revelers come back soon.

3. Celebrate poinsettia day with cash and carry discounts. This year, Poinsettia Day is December 12. Use this opportunity to push more of what is already one of your biggest Christmas sellers.

4. Now (and maybe always) have a coffee for your customers. Exhausted from Christmas tree and gift shopping and chilled from the onset of winter, your customers will absolutely appreciate a complimentary coffee, tea, or hot chocolate as they relax and enjoy picking out flowers. It’s all about making their experience pleasant memorable so that they come rushing back (hopefully with friends!).

5. Don’t forget about the plants, start greening early, and use antidesiccant. Attracting all of these customers won’t do any good if the product isn’t up to snuff. Antidesicant will help the greens will last longer. This is a lifesaver closer to the day when you’re in a hurry to push out the last of your Christmas stock and plants could otherwise start to droop.

6. Stay open longer hours. The Christmas season is crunch time for florists! Keep your doors open longer than usual to catch customers returning home from other shopping or on their way to holiday parties. 

7. Variety is key. Don’t feed into the misconception that poinsettia is a poinsettia. Carry larger specimens of poinsettia that will stand out. You should also use peanut and other baskets to give smaller plants extra flair 

8. Make all your bows ahead of time. Bows don’t wilt or go bad, so save yourself the hassle of putting them together during a rush and get them taken care of ahead of time. 

9. Advertise home and business decorating services. This may not be viable for every shop, but if you have the time and resources, offer to help businesses and homeowners brighten up their spaces for the holidays. If you can’t get away from the store, you could always offer decor consultations in your flower shop. 

10. Be sure to thank your loyal customers. Be it a discount, coupon, a Christmas card, or just a friendly email, be sure to send something out to your regular customers and the hospitals, churches, and funeral homes that give you regular business. 

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here!

Want more florist web orders? There are a few things you can do to get more visibility for your florist website.

Your florist website’s visibility can make or break your sales. Unfortunately, the full time job of running your small business can often make it hard to improve your website and its rankings. This is why you need a plan. By pinpointing what improvements will have the biggest effects on your online flower shop, you can use your time most efficiently to boost website sales as well as your online reputation.

Your Roadmap for Online Florist Success – Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster tools is a free application that lets you see your website’s ranking for key search terms.

In this example, we’ll be looking at the search results for Mom and Pop Flowers in Pasadena, MD for the month of September. Webmaster Tools shows a search query and how your site fared against the term.

• Impressions – Every time your store shows as a search result it makes an “impression.” The first row shows that 39 people searched Mom and Pop Flowers and found this florist’s website.
• Clicks – It also shows that of those 39 impressions, 13 customers clicked on the Mom and Pop Flowers link, for a click through rate (CTR) of 33%.
• Average Position – On average, this store’s link was the third result on the page. All in all, it looks like this shop is doing well when customers are searching for the name of the store.

Here’s where webmasters starts to shine, however. The second row in our example above shows that while 39 people had a chance to see our florist by shopping the name of the store, 219 people chose to search “Pasadena flower delivery” instead. Zero of these customers clicked on our shop’s link, and their website is 35^th on the list of results – not even on the first page!

How to use Google Webmaster Tools to Build Traffic

This shop is missing is the chance to be seen by the 219 people searching for “Pasadena flower delivery”. They could focus on becoming a top search result for “Pasadena flower delivery” and any other query that has a higher number of impressions and lower number of clicks or lower page ranking. Here are some ideas!

• About Us – Mom and Pop might want to include these phrase “Pasadena flower delivery” in the About Us section of their site
• Front Page – Put the phrase in their front page of the site, preferably in the H1 tag, the closer to the top of the site, the better
• Blog – Start a blog and be sure to include the high-impression search phrases. The more these words are on your site, up to a point, the better the chances your website will show up in these search results.
• New Content Page – Create a page on your website with the title Pasadena Flower Delivery with a description of your services – momandpopflorist/pasadena-flower-delivery

Google Webmaster Tools – Advanced Features

More advanced users will quickly be able to find more uses for Google Webmaster Tools. It can show what products people are looking at most, what pages they’re staying on the longest, what people ignore altogether, and a host of other useful facts.

The point is not to become overwhelmed with online data, but to find what areas could do the most to boost your shop’s digital presence. In the example above, Mom and Pop could spend lots of time and resources trying to capture the number one spot for their shop’s name in order to get a few more clicks per month. Or, they could focus on other queries like Pasadena flower delivery that offer room for huge improvements and hundreds of new visitors to your site.

Google Webmaster Tools is free and easy to set up. How are people finding your flower shop online? What can you work on to make sure your site is making impressions and being clicked on? Using Webmaster Tools, you may be able to come up with your own road map to success and make major strides with surprisingly little effort.

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here!

Promoting your flower shop in your community can take on many different styles and your own creativity is the only limit to what you can do.

We asked a few of our friends in floristry what they’ve done to stand out in their community and build up a reputation for being a trusted business. Here are just a few of their ideas.

Lending a hand

Val Armstrong at Flowers by Lorraine in Grand Junction, CO plays an active role in her community, helping bring cheer to those in need with her flower shop’s arrangements. In addition to regularly giving to local hospice organizations and the March of Dimes, her store works with schools and hospitals to make sure things are cheery. Not only are these kind deeds in their own right, but they help get her flower shop’s name out in her community in a very positive light. If you know of any charitable organizations or events happening in your town, you may want to consider reaching out and seeing how you can get active or if they could use some beautiful flowers donated.

Find your niche

From small local contests all the way up to the Miss Utah competition, Utah has an active pageantry scene, and what pageant could be complete without flowers? Dave Haws of Lehi Floral has spent lots of time and effort building relations with pageant promoters and participants. Beyond providing flowers for the actual shows, Dave has leveraged his network to generate more wedding and event business outside of the scene. Do you know of any pageants, fairs, or festivals that happen regularly near your flower store? These are great opportunities not only to secure one-time business, but also to promote your shop in your community.

Go green

Vase recycling is a very hot trend right now. Pat and Darcy Stottlemyer of All A Bloom & Doss Flowers in Plant City, FL, are leading the way in their community by inviting customers to bring in the dusty old stockpiles of vases that they have accumulated over the years. For every container brought in, All A Bloom offers a $1.00 credit towards any future purchase. This is a win-win situation. Customers get rid of clutter, All A Bloom gets to host a fun promotion and either reuse or recycle the old containers that customers bring in. Again, it’s all about bringing customers into the store and giving them a memorable experience. Vase recycling is not only earth friendly, but very business friendly!

Do it for the kids

One thing that Lynn Frost at The Tuscan Sunflower did was get kids in her area interested and involved with her flower shop. She sponsored a Kid’s Create an Ad event where school children could design an ad for her shop and one would actually run in her local newspapers. The ads that didn’t make the cut still got their moment to shine as Lynn hung them in her shop, posted them on Facebook, and invited the “budding artists” into the show for a free flower.

Promote your efforts

Maybe by now you regularly donate flowers for charitable events, hold a few free workshops and have started a vase recycling program – don’t forget to let these efforts resonate.  List these on your website, social media and in-store so customers who are looking for the ‘florist that does vase recycling’ knows they’re at the right place when they find your website or walk in your store.  Ask those charitable organizations if you can link to their website and if they will link back to your website in return for the donation.

So how about you?

This is just a small sampling of some of the creative ways that flower shops make themselves a valuable part of their community. In return, they’ve seen their businesses grow and have become well-known and trusted businesses in their areas. What have you done, or what would you like to do, in order to raise your flower shop’s local profile? Let us know in the comments!

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here!

What is a responsive florist website and why should you consider one for your flower business?

Customers used to browse florist websites on their computers – now they do so on iPhones, iPads, Android phones, televisions and more. A responsive website adapts to any device you might be using to view a website. So why is it important for your flower shop?

Responsive florist websites perform better on Google

Google has said that it ranks sites optimized for mobile higher in mobile searches. Google itself recommends responsive website design, meaning your responsive designed site will rank as well on mobile search as a site designed specifically for mobile. 

Google has a separate index for mobile content – which is much smaller than the normal Google index. And because this mobile index is smaller, it makes it much easier to get your florist website a higher ranking in mobile with a responsive site.  

Responsive websites earn you more

With a responsive website, your florist website will actually change depending on how your customer is viewing it. Buttons are the appropriate size, menus are easier to navigate, checkout forms are easier to fill out.

Because responsive sites are easier to navigate, users stay on them longer, find what they want more easily, and make it through the checkout at higher rates.

How does responsive websites work?

Let’s start with a simple example on a grid, using 9 rectangular elements labeled A–I. On a small screen, like a tablet or an older computer with fewer pixels, the elements would display themselves in a 3 x 3 grid:

When the screen is wider, those elements can spread out:

When it’s narrower, they can stack:

Keep customers happy online

Responsive themes and sites are about making it easier for your customers to view your florist website and order flowers. Creating an easy to read, easy to use website will not only impress your customers with a sophisticated look, it will help them make purchases more quickly. Responsive themes are the next stepping stone in e-commerce.

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here!

The other busy season is almost upon florists again yet many may not even know it. We’re not talking about the Christmas through Mother’s Day rush that keeps us busy in the spring – this is autumn! Here are some tips on how to market your flower shop for fall!

Are you showing off your Fall florals on the home page of your website?

The season that sends many potential customers rushing to big box stores, hardware stores, and even greenhouses when they should be rushing to your flower shop. This is an important three-month decorating season that florists have much to offer to. Below are some tips to make sure you’re taking advantage of the autumn sales that should be yours. Be sure to read them over and leave us some tips of your own in the comment section.

Flower Shops Can Offer More

Many people think of florists as a spot for gifts, special occasions, and indoor arrangements, but flower shops can offer so much more. Florists offer unique inventory that your customers won’t find and a generic home improvement shop. Your customers need to understand that your shop offers hand-crafted specialty items that will stand out from the cookie-cutter décor that many settle for.

Wreaths, table top gardens, entry pieces, and centerpieces are just a few of the opportunities that florists have to show off their craft and give your customers stunning new looks to experiment with. Don’t be afraid to emphasize that your small, local-owned flower shop is the place for your customers to shop. Shopping locally or shopping small is very popular at the moment (Small Business Saturday is just around the corner!).

What to stock for your flower shop

Fall occupies a special place in many people’s hearts, so be sure to stock something special and seasonal for them! In addition to all of the materials needed for the items above, don’t be afraid to compete for outdoor space! Must stock fall products include hay bales, corn stalks, scarecrows, pumpkins and mini pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, fall door wreaths etc. There’s no reason to lose out to franchised hardware store for sales your shop could easily make.

Show your store off

Let potential customers know that your flower shop should be their one stop shop for fall decorating before they even pull into the parking lot. An eye-catching outdoor display in front of your flower shop will show people that you have exciting fall décor to offer. A fall window will give you a chance to show off your technical skills and draw in passersby.

Of course, now days your digital storefront has nearly as much impact as your actual storefront. On your website, be sure to show off your fall product category with new banners, products, or even backgrounds. If you’re already active on social media, now is a good time to begin teasing your customers with shots of new inventory as well as new fall designs.

Another way to go about this is to show off the fall items you have in stock each week or 2 on your blog, website, or favorite social media platforms. Your customers will appreciate the inside look at your business with these “What’s Fresh this Week” style posts. Shops that have been diligent in collecting customer emails will have an extra step up with the ability to send out email marketing and maybe even a coupon to promote decorating services and fall products.

Is your flower shop making the most of the Fall season?

Given all the advantages of shopping with a florist for fall décor, it’s surprising how many flower shops are missing out. Following the steps above will help ensure your business is capturing as much fall business as possible over the three month season. How does your shop rank? Let us know what creative ideas you’ve put in place to keep customers coming back to you as their one-stop-fall-shop.

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here!