From conception to creation, the Floranext 2018 web floral catalog was a profound experience for all involved.   Floranext 2018 Product Catalog - web collection is finally here! Since January, the Floranext team has been working hard behind the scenes to develop our first Floranext floral product catalog. With multiple requests from our customers, a vision has become a reality and out catalog was launched in late July.  The process of developing a product catalog from conception to creation was a profound experience for all involved. We thought our readers might be interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of our floral catalog.     Where to Begin? A lot of factors go into developing a product catalog, as we …

As all florists know being ahead of the seasons is part of the industry. August is a great month to prepare for the fall and double-check your flower shop's needs. With June being taken over by graduations and weddings and vacations in July, August is a great month for you to dot your Is and cross your Ts for the months ahead. September tends to sneak up on florists. The rush comes in, or perhaps you had a great idea for marketing that you just couldn't get to. August is a great month to get to some organizing, marketing, and peace of mind. 1. Sell a New Floral Product! Nothing motivates new customers more than new offerings. The same goes for the flower shop staff: excitement, intrigue, and passion will help you sell. Place your orders now so you are all …

In order to grow your business and flourish as a wedding florist, you need leads that can be converted into sales While floral design is certainly an art, it’s also a business. This is particularly true for those in the wedding floristry industry. One of the most low-cost and effective ways to do that is to bring your wedding bouquets online. According to The Wedding Report, 50% of brides use the internet to research bridal bouquets. Considering the fact that nearly everyone is connected these days, that should be no surprise. The problem is, your competitors are connected too. So how do you get your wedding bouquets noticed when the web is bloated with competing businesses? Here are a few tips...   Have a Website With Fully-Optimized SEO Business cards an…

Promoting on Instagram is a great way to gain new customers and grow your floral brand! So why aren't more floral professionals taking advantage of the Instagram community to market their flower business? Perhaps because some floral professionals don't know how to utilize Instagram to its fullest advantage. With Instagram reaching 1 billion active monthly users this past month, it's important to understand this audience. Instagram is a trendy social media platform with a lot of influence. Read on for some easy ways to get started promoting your floral business on Instagram. Create an Instagram Floral Business Account If you haven't already done so, create a business Instagram account. Having a business account allows you to link to your floral website, connect your bus…

 Have you dreamed of starting your own floral business, but can't quit your day job? To casual flower enthusiast, the notion to go into business with flowers can be quite compelling. But how do you manage a floral start-up when you have bills to pay? How do you turn your dream of running a floral business into a successful part-time gig? The objective is to be a successful part-time floral designer so that one you day you can quit your day job and focus on florals full-time. With work and dedication anything can be accomplished, but what can you do to make sure that your passion for flowers stabilizes you and allows for a creative outlet regardless if you still need to work your part-time job to make ends meet?  How Is Your Flower Designing? The most important job crit…

You've adjusted your branding to attract Millennials, but is your flower shop ready for the rising Generation Z? According to Forbes, by 2020 Generation Z—people aged 22 or younger—will account for 40% of all consumers. If you start planning your Gen Z marketing strategy now, you'll be ready when this generation starts entering the workforce and expanding their consuming habits. Engaging Gen Z Gen Zers are known for their ability to multitask with their devices. It is important to take this into account when doing your floral marketing—a simple social media ad or promotional Youtube video may not be impactful enough to grab their attention. Ironically, this means Gen Zers have a higher tolerance for social media ads than previous generations. Getting To Know Gen …

Would you consider floral designing with marijuana? It's very rare that the floral industry makes controversial news, but with the legalization of marijuana in some parts of the world, florists have seen this as an opportunity to market to new customers by offering something a bit risqué and novel in their creative floral designs. Some say this is their ticket to gain notoriety and bring in more traffic and book more events by offering mariflorals. Yes, that is correct, Marijuana in floral arrangements. Floral design with marijuana is a fairly new concept in the flower industry—only a handful of floral professionals are taking this leap now, but who knows—this may become the norm in years to come. For those who have dabbled in designing with cannabis/…

Opening a flower shop, like any new business, requires lots of hard work, love, and dedication. And some good information.     What do you wish you knew when you decided to open a flower shop? Here are some things we have learned. Let us know your tips also! Florist Marketing Online reputation is critical - Stay on top of Yelp, Google Places, and other review websites. Customers are turning to online outlets to express their praise/frustration - stay in control. Low cost/No cost marketing - is often the best - community activity gets free marketing.   Email marketing - send out coupons and discounts at least every month. Make sure your florist website supports this. Florist Wire Services Avoid Wire Service Lock-In - Don't get stuck with long-te…

We all know how significant reviews are for our floral businesses—over 85% of customers base their purchases on reviews they see online. Unfortunately, many satisfied customers will not leave a review, but you'll always hear from the naysayers. This is why florists pull their hair out over negative reviews. Our goal is to encourage you to proactively seek customer reviews, not wait for them. Online reviews are here to stay, and good or bad reviews are overwhelmingly important for the success of your flower business, the only way to grow your flower business is with reviews, and the best way to combat negative online reviews is with positive reviews. With some florists now entering their slower months of the year, now is a great time to start building a strategy for garnerin…

Florists, You Have Spoken! A big thank you to everyone who participated in our annual Mother's Day survey. Once again we got a very strong showing from our readers and members, and your feedback is extremely helpful. Of the florists surveyed, approximately 82% have shops located in the United States, 15% in Canada, and 3% elsewhere. Q1. When did you start receiving orders for Mother's Day 2018? April 30 - May 6 #1 Answer with 40.9% #2 Answer, Mother's Day Week, May 7 - 13 (24.2%) #3 Answer, April 23 - 29 (12.1%) As expected the week before Mother's Day Week took the lead spot, but it's good to know that most orders were received at least a week before the holiday! Q2. What was your top-selling product this Mother's Day? Mixed Arrangements in a Vase #1 Answer with 81…