A florist POS system is a helpful tool in realizing the goals of a flower shop. With e-commerce now disrupting the floral industry, stores need to adapt. If you are quite uncertain if a florist POS system would improve your business of selling flowers, here are a few things you should know about to help you decide

 Opening a flower shop is a great career opportunity. You get to be creative and work with flowers all day, right?

Well, yes. However, there are so many other facets when it comes to opening a flower shop business. The floral industry does require much more than just designing flowers. Remember, you are selling, designing, delivering, marketing and much more!

We asked florist’s all around the world to share their most crucial advice/tips on opening a flower business. If you are thinking or just starting a floral business this will help you get answers to some of your questions.

 

Which is most important when opening a flower shop?

1. Location (111%)
2. Creativity (55%)
3. Revenue (52%)
4. I just like flowers (7%)
5. All of the above (63%)
6. Other (30%)

 With an overwhelming 111%, Florists have stated that location is key when opening a flower shop. So remember Location, Location, Location.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “Is there a need in your community for “Your” idea of a flower shop?” – Wild By Nature

• “Knowledge of business in general. KNOWING how to design already!” – Victorias Floral Design 

• “Driven work ethic.” – Tilted Tulip Florist

• “Social media, marketing and internet presence” – anonymous

• “A working knowledge of flower care and preparation methods and reliable suppliers.” –  The Enchanted Florist

 

What would you say surprised you when you opened your flower shop?

Long hours was the #1 answer by most florist’s for this question, however, there were many great responses that we believe are important to keep in mind when opening a floral business.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “How much yelp reviews really grew my business. After the first year, people calling the shop always mentioned: “I found you on Yelp”. I had more business from that then the local community that soon followed.” – Ace of Vase

• “All the prep work” – anonymous

• “The overwhelming bookkeeping if you are no prepared or don’t have enough financial experience.” – Flower Bomb

• “That many of the people who buy flowers know a lot of things about them.” – anonymous

• “How much you worry about it all and never get a true break from it. Even when on holiday, you don’t ever stop! ” – Beco Flowers

• “It’s hard work.” –  anonymous

• “How quickly the local people embraced us.” – Maureen’s Designs

• “How much of a percent wire service take for orders.” –  anonymous

• “How complicated the process was from start to finish- all the different ways something could go wrong from the weather to the shipping issues, flower care, and handling, order taking, design and delivery.” – The Flower Bar

• “How much fun it is!” – anonymous

• “The physical aspect – from collecting and packing flowers at the market to the lifting, cleaning and moving of heavy buckets.”  – Petals

 

 How much money do you say is needed to start your own brick and mortar flower business?

1. $1,000 to $5,000 (10%)
2. $5,001 – $10,000 (22%)
3. $10,001 – $15,000 (60%)
4. Other (102%)

Other was the #1 answer for this question with the winning budget amount $25,000.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “Depends on style location. Could be as little as $300. or as much as $250,000.” – Kelly Mayo

• “$40,000 ” – anonymous

• “Up to $50,000. You need refrigeration, insurance, vehicles. You also need to buy flowers and supplies c o d for at least 6 months before people trust you. Salaries and advertising are big unexpected hits in the first 6 months.” – Gloria’s Florist

• “I began with 15k. I would have been wiser to double that.”  – anonymous

• “The worst thing is to be undercapitalized” – anonymous

• “Purchase a shop already in operation if possible, would be what I recommend. “-  anonymous

 

 If you could open your flower shop today, what is the one thing you would do differently?

Do not join a wire service was the #1 answer if florists could do one thing differently. Trailing behind and almost taking over the number one sport was “Choose a better location,” with having an eCommerce website in third.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “The decor and the location to be more accessible.”-  anonymous

• “Design myself and eliminate payroll” – anonymous

• “Not take wire orders, EVER.” – anonymous

• “Web strategy and online marketing”  – Menifee Florist

• “I would go to flower school first and then open my flower shop.” – anonymous

• “I would have done more advertising to let people know I was there. Put decals on my van sooner. ” –  Mugfords Flower Shoppe

• “Coolers flush to the floor and better processing area.” – The University Florist

• “MORE WEB EXPOSURE.” – anonymous

• “Change business name” – anonymous

 

 What is the best part of opening a flower shop?

1. Customer Interaction (50%)
2. Money, Money, Money (3%)
3. Being Creative (45%)
4. Being Your Own Boss (62%)
5. Flowers Galore (9%)
6. Other (22%)

Florists have chosen Being Your Own Boss as the best part of opening a flower shop. Though percentages were very close, coming in at 2nd place is Customer Interaction.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “Creating something bigger than myself.” – Studio Vincca

• “Being my own boss and being able to bring my children to work with me.” – anonymous

• “Satisfying a deep desire to own my own business, and put my big business and academic knowledge to work.” – anonymous

• “Bringing smiles to people’s faces thru my creativity.” – anonymous

• “Being able to go to a job you love every single day of your life! ” – anonymous

• “Rewarding to know you could do it, pleasing customers with your products.” – anonymous

 

What would be your most valuable tip to someone who wants to open a flower shop?

Working in a flower shop was the most valuable tip given to someone who wants to open a flower shop. This gives new prospects the understanding and functionality of how a flower shop is operated.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “Go for it! You must always try! Do not cut yourself short with the funds when borrowing $$.” – anonymous

• “You have to be passionate about flowers and ready for hard working for many hours to open a flower shop!!!”-  anonymous

• “Service from the heart.” – Yousef

• “Control labor and cost of goods sold.”-  anonymous

• “Keep your focus on quality and customer service.” – anonymous

• “Forget the idea there is no money to be made anymore and stay way from wire services.”-  anonymous

• “Be creative, make a difference.” – Floral Factory

 

What is the worst part of owning a flower shop?

1. Customer Interaction (4%)
2. Long Hours (64%)
3. Demanding Work Load (49%)
4. Having To Be Creative All The Time (2%)
5. Nothing (13%)
6. Other (54%)

Long hours took the top with florists on the worst part of owning a flower shop. The long hours and the demanding workload is something each florist will experience when opening and running a flower shop.

Additional Florist Expert Advice: 

• “All of it. Long hours, Staff, Customers, Physical Demand.” – Musgrove Florist

• “Having to make all the decisions and be the boss.” – anonymous

• “You pretty much need to eat, drink & sleep it unless you have a well paid very skilled staff.” – Flower Bomb

 

Would you recommend someone join a floral wire service when opening a flower shop? Tell us yes or no and why.

Overwhelmingly the #1 answer to this question was no, there was a tremendous response to this question with many great florist advice.

• “No! They undersell the florist and steal their business.” – anonymous

• “You don’t have to belong to a wire service at first. Many shops are moving to a direct call system where they call other shops and offer reciprocating discounts for the shop to shop orders. A wire service is helpful when you have the high volume out of town orders or if you have inexperienced employees.” – Beco Flowers

• “No. But I’m trying to get away from them. You have to buy their software/equipment and it is over priced. In the end you really only get around 70% of the order amount. Once you take out your costs & labor there’s not much profit there.” – Tilted Tulip Florist

• “Depends on the area- But I say no in this day and age.” – anonymous

• “Nope, No longer can make money with them.” – anonymous

• “Maybe for the first year to get your name out, but negotiate the terms. Otherwise no” – anonymous

• “Yes and No. They steal your hard earn income but it is more difficult to get orders and new clients without them. They have completely cornered the floral market.” – Amazing Occasion

• “Maybe but be selective and shop around.” – anonymous

 

According to design, what makes the most revenue?

1. Everyday Arrangements (40%)
2. Parties & Events (17%)
3. Sympathy (84%)
4. Weddings (35%)
5. Other (16%)

Sympathy is the biggest revenue generator for florists with everyday arrangements coming in second.

 

What are the standard flowers, filler, and greens you order on a weekly basis for your flower shop?

• “Baby breath, wax flowers and leather leaf.” – anonymous

• “Roses! Carnations, Mums, Alstromeria Lilies & Pomps/Daisies because they last… I like when people tell me and others how long their flowers lasted. Filler flowers – Baby’s Breath for sure and one or two others. Then some feature flowers for interest…Stock, Iris, Tulips etc. depending on the season.” – anonymous

• ” We stay away from the typical standards (carnations/mums) and buy the more unique blooms. Weekly purchases include mini cymbidium sprays (so many ways to use them!), hydrangeas and seasonal flowers such as tulips in spring, sunflowers in late summer, etc.” – anonymous

 

What popular florist holiday makes your business the most revenue?

1. Valentine’s Day (66%)
2. Easter (0%)
3. Mother’s Day (86%)
4. Memorial Day (1%)
5. Halloween (0%)
6. Thanksgiving (1%)
7. Christmas (20%)
8. None (4%)
9. Other (14%)

Step back Valentine’s Day, With a whopping 86% Mother’s Day won the top spot with the most revenue made for a flower shop.

 

What are the must have florist tools when opening a flower shop?

A knife was #1 tool recommended as a must have when opening a flower shop, with Secateurs taking 2nd place. For those of you who are not familiar with Secateurs, they are pruning clippers. Good scissors were also very close to 2nd place.

“Floral tape, wet foam, containers, knives, wrap paper, cellophane, deferent wires gauge, scissors, ribbon, bows, moist and shine spray”  – anonymous

“FloraNext! A cooler is also an important investment.” – Petals Flower Company

“Knife, wire nips, pruning shears…great accounting system, telephone, the internet….and the list goes on!!!” – anonymous

“A cooler, buckets, cutting tools, containers.” – anonymous

“Computer, phones, functional front of store, good size fridge” – Carls Flower Company

“A good POS system and Website.” – anonymous

“Knives, Scissors. Clippers” – anonymous

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Florist’s we are very appreciative of your participation in our surveys. We had an overwhelming response to “tips on opening a flower shop survey”. We plan to continue surveys as your expert tips and advice is so helpful to our readers and for new and upcoming florists who are considering or opening a flower shop.

Please share any feedback you may have on Opening A Flower Shop in our comment section below.

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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.

 

Mother’s Day (or should we say Mother’s Day week) is the busiest and potentially the most profitable holiday for the floral business owner.

Having a strategy in place to make the most profit is essential in reaping all the benefits of this busy flower purchasing holiday. In this blog, we will go over a checklist to help you through Mother’s Day and make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s.

#1 Employee Scheduling & Duties:

• Gather your employees and provide what is expected of them for Mother’s Day week.
• Make sure everyone knows their set times and days to work.
• Hire extra help and offer them a day to come in. (This should be done before Mother’s Day week to go over their job descriptions.)
• Make sure to reiterate how important it is that everyone show up to work during Mother’s Day week.
• If you are hiring extra drivers, discuss with them whether you require them to use their own vehicle.

#2 Flowers & Supplies:

• Start looking around for supplies, containers, baskets, vases and so on. Visit your local flower shop supplier. However, do not forget to also visit discount home stores and dollar stores. You can find some great unique items there!
• Order you Mother’s Day Flowers early from your supplier to get the best value. Keep in mind, if you are new to the floral industry, Mother’s Day spans for a week – not a day. So order enough flowers!
• If you are comfortable, get your flowers through a floral auction. These offer great discounts when purchased in large quantities.
• Make sure to order flowering plants, orchids and dish gardens. These are great sellers and require very little work.

Flower Must-Haves For Mother’s Day:

1. Alstroemeria
2. Carnations
3. Daisies and Poms
4. Dahlias (if possible)
5. Freesia
6. Roses
7. Garden Roses
8. Sunflowers
9. Gerbera Daisies
10. Tulips
11. Lilies
12. Orchids
13. Hydrangeas
14. Delphinium
15. Calla Lilly
16. Lisianthus (if possible)
17. Stock

Filler Flower Must-Have For Mother’s Day:

1. Baby’s Breath
2. Limonium
3. Queen Anne’s Lace (if possible)
4. Statice
5. Thistle
6. Wax Flower
7. Lilac
8. Buttons/ Pom
9. Matsumoto
10. Monte Casino – Aster
11. Trachelium

 

3# Floral Website:

Much like any flower industry holiday, it is important to have your floral website ready and reflecting Mother’s Day in early April. If you have great Easter sales, it is OK to do this right after Easter.

• Make sure you have a clear Mother’s Day Policy and shop hours on your floral website. Clear return and substitution policy is also a must!
• Mother’s Day products should be displayed throughout your website. Add these wherever possible.
• Have an easy way for customers to order Mother’s Day products. Use a “Call To Action” (example: a “Shop Now” Button) or clear image/banner/button that says Mother’s Day Flowers.
• List special Promotions. This is a great way to encourage customers to shop early before Mother’s Day week.
• Make sure you update your product pricing to compensate for your costs.

#4 Prepping & Showcasing

Prepping in a flower shop can be fun! Okay, not so much. However, prepping is most important in ensuring long lasting arrangements so please be vigilant about prepping your flowers correctly.

• Prep your flowers when they arrive. How to Prep Flowers 
• Get ahead of the crowd and cut any ribbon needed. Gather up your gifts and display them neatly.
• Green any vases, baskets or containers you can ahead of time.
• Make sure your flower shop is clean and displays an inviting atmosphere with beautiful decor and lots of great impulse gifts to add on to flower arrangements.

#5 Week Of Mother’s Day:

• 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 many last minute orders.
• Make sections for Delivery drivers by areas and add finished flower arrangements to this area with the date of delivery that is bold and clear.
• No wastefulness! We do say this a lot. With the abundant supplies and flowers in the shop, it is easy to get sidetracked and be super wasteful. This is a “No No.” 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.
• Check you sales totals daily not at the end of the week.
• Make sure you re-stock your impulse buys on your front counter to sell in addition to flower arrangements.

Mother’s Day Checklist Tips:

1. If you can, keep a standby driver at the shop to handle new orders for delivery.
2. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. It’s best not to wear open toe shoes. This can also be an insurance liability in some areas.
3. Make sure you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Do not skip meals.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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

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 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.

 

 

 Are you one of many florists who does not understand the concept of blogging? Don’t worry, you are not alone!

The word “blog” actually was constructed of two words ” web and log” and called weblog. A few years later it was shortened by Peter Merholz who referred to weblog as blog.

Writing a florist blog is a more informal way of writing that should be updated regularly on a web page. It is up to the writer to blog about the content and topics that resonate most with them or their industry.

 Why is florist industry specific blogging so important?

Because it is the most cost effective marketing tool for your floral business.

• Helps drive traffic to your floral websites.
• Increase the value of your floral website.
• Helps your flower shop create a following.
• Helps your flower shop become a leader in the floral industry.
• Increases your SEO (search engine optimization).

Tip: Google loves blogs, especially with specific industry keywords. Use florist, flower shop, floral, wedding bouquets, and birthday arrangements, you get the idea.

 

What Florists Should Blog About

Florists, you may actually blog about anything and everything. The most important thing here is that you’re blogging about the floral business or anything related to increase your brand value.

Think about blogs you have read lately, and what lured you to click on them. If you are still experiencing writer’s block, below are a few proven captivating titles to grabs readers attention.

“How To  Guides or A Way To Master…” – Any blog offering instructions or “how to” are very well received. These blogs offer readers a solution to what they are looking to accomplish.

“Tip And Tricks” – Another way to title a “how to guide “.

“Secrets Revealed ” – We all love secrets and these blogs get some of the most clicks.

“Trend Blog”-  Write about upcoming trends or wedding trends. These are also well received, make  sure to add captivating images to this one.

 

How To Write A Florist Blog

1. Your current florist website provider should have a platform for you to add a blog. We want to keep the blog on your actual floral website so that you can turn visits into potential sales.
2. Think of a topic (floral specific) that you are passionate or knowledgeable about.
3. Pick a gravitating title, remember this is what entice’s readers to click on your blog.
4. Make it personal if you can use “I” or “my” which is read well on social media sites.
5. Start your florist blog with an introduction.
6. List out the main key functions of your florist blog with readable titles and outlines.
7. Add a closing and do not forget to ask for readers participation and allowing for comments to be added to your blog.
8. Add images to your blog, images make blogs more user-friendly and interesting.
9. Link your blog on all social media platforms. Do not forget to pin to your board on Pinterest!
10. If you can, write a 1000 word blog at least, which gives you a better chance of improving your rankings on search engines.

Tip: Take a good look at this blog and notice how often the keywords florist, floral and flowers are used, this is not a coincidence but rather added strategically for SEO. 

 

Florists have you posted a blog that has had huge success or do you have a question on blogging? Post your comments and questions below.

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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.

 

A Florist Guide to Planning Your Year

The floral industry, a fast-paced business, that’s ahead of seasons & holidays.

To most florist’s, planning the year is second nature, however, it always helps to have a set plan to organize everyone’s duties. In this blog, we present an easy guide for all your floral yearly planning.

 

January can be a slower month in the floral industry, however, there are loads to do. This is a great month to focus on your flower shops organization and marketing planning.

• Start a blog: This is a great way to increase your SEO, a simple how to blog will do wonders for your search engine visibility and keep the buzz going on your social media.

• Tip: “How to” blogs are the most searched, so anything with tips and tricks will be well received.

• Review your last years Valentine’s Sales: Start ordering your flowers for Valentine’s day. Ordering early equals savings, so make sure to order enough, and everything you need. Do not forget to order your add-ons, these are money makers, plush, chocolate, candy, and anything you wish to sell.

• Tip: If this is your first Valentine’s day, do not over order, this may be tricky, but set up a set amount you will order and see how your sales go. You can always get more in a pinch.

• Decorate Store & website for Valentines: Start the 2nd week of January, make a spectacular Valentines display in your store and also make sure your eCommerce store is ready for the early bird sales.

• Sign up for wedding sites:  If you are already signed up great, if not, now is a good time to sign up for wedding sites to promote your wedding floral business. Here are few you should consider, The Knot, Wedding Wire, My Wedding.

Buckle down for this short fast paced month! Although slow to start,  it is a good idea to have everything in order before the rush.

• Employee Management: Go over all employee scheduling and duties in the first week of February. Make sure you have hired all your new holiday help and that everyone understands their tasks for Valentine’s day.

• Tip: Good time to also rent extra delivery vans if needed.

• Promotions: Offer pre-Valentine’s day delivery promotions.  The idea here is to spread the wealth of this Valentine’s day and not be constricted to just delivering on February 14. Offer generous promotions on your flower shop website, post on social media and of course make sure they expire a few days before Valentines.

• Take care of yourself:  During this busy month, it is important to rest and take time for yourself. Encourage your employees to do the same and wear comfortable clothes, comfy shoes, and eat please, it’s amazing how many florists do not eat when they are busy. Being organized will alleviate most of the Valentines day pressure, so make sure to be well nourished and comfortable.

• Tip: Start a flower shop with a holiday diary. We know sounds corny, however it’s amazing what can be learned from holidays by just writing it down. Yes, you have your gross receipts, but how about mishaps, or comical happenings that are not noted, these are all so important and good read before the holidays.  

 

March can be the most rewarding month in the floral industry, it gives florist time to relax and get ready for new beginnings with the coming of spring.

• Finance Review: With the first quarter almost through, now is a good time to get a grasp on your profit and loss for January and February. Add notes about what you may do differently next year, a  good thing if you have started the flower shop diary.

• Spring Cleaning:  The #1 season that is most anticipated by customers is spring, especially if you live in the colder weathered areas, it is never too early to start bringing out this season. Start refreshing your flower shop and get ready for spring with beautiful decor and showcasing.

• March Sales Madness: As florists, we know march can be hit or miss with sales, so start a campaign and sell your products customers love, try a Free with purchase or half-off sales. make this a yearly ritual if this works for your business.

• Order your Easter flowers & plants! It’s always good to get ahead, start an order for your easter flowers and plants. Again ordering early equals savings from your suppliers and you also have the best selections.

 

Ready or not Mother’s Day will be here before you know it! Take April as a month to prepare for the #1 florist holiday.

• Order Mother’s Flowers & Supplies:  Make sure to order those beautiful containers and Mother’s day flowers with your supplier. Good time to order is early April.

• Showcase your plants: If you are selling plants, now is a good time to showcase your flowering plants, this creates such a welcoming inviting atmosphere for customers. If you can move some outdoors, this is great for some curb appeal.

• Promotions & Marketing: We recommend you start promoting after Easter to generate some early bird sales for Mother’s day. Post on your social media and website, this will help boost your SEO. A great marketing tip is to offer a giveaway, maybe a gift basket, or free flowers for a few months, and have customers fill out their information when they make a purchase.

• Employee Management: It’s that time again to make sure to hire the extra help you will need for Mother’s Day. Make sure all current employees understand their schedule and duties.

• Tip: If you are new to the floral industry, then a good to know tip is that Mother’s Day is the #1 floral business holiday, customers order throughout the week rather than one day. Be prepared with help, lots of flowers, and beautiful containers. 

 

May, what a great month for the floral industry! With one of the top selling holidays, this month starts off slow and quickly picks up in a super-charged way, so always good to be ready.

• Take a look around: Do a quick glance, does your flower shop look appealing to you? Make sure you use a critical eye and take it all in, the sound and if possible even the way it smells. Customers are drawn to a beautiful environment, it has proven to make them feel relaxed and comfortable, which will help increase those sales!

• Employee training:  The first week of May is a good time to discuss employee customer service, the cross-selling, and up-selling of products. Make sure your employees are polite and offer customers upgrades and add-ons with their purchase. This is an easy way to almost triple your profits.

• Offer prom promotions: Proms are a way sure to make sales. Build relationships with future long time patrons. Offer a referral discount.

• Examine your finances: After the Mother’s day rush now is a good time to sit down and see whether or not you made a profit, be sure to calculate all costs and include any spoilage or waste. Keep notes on what you would do different next year.

 

Oh June, what a lovely month! For some, the commencement of summer and a chance to organize all your floral business needs. June is the most popular month for weddings with September and October in a close 2nd. Florists are pleasantly surprised on how busy June can get with weddings and graduations.

• Refresh your floral website:  Update your flower shop for some summer specials, make sure you’re wedding galleries are up to date with great content and keywords.

• Offer promotions: Teacher gifts and graduation promotions are a great way to bring traffic into your flower shop. Be sure to post these on your floral website and social media.

• Order retail products: This is a great time to order some fresh new stock to get customers to flock to your flower shop. There is nothing you cannot sell, so think outside the box, What is popular? Candles (certain brand), skin care, plush, home decor, makeup, even unique greeting cards. Brand your flower shop!

 

We like to call July,  “a month of organization.” This month can be on the slower side,  so it’s very important to get your flower shop in order with beautiful displays and heavy on the marketing.

• Write a blog: We know this is listed in other months above, however,  July can be a slower month.  If you have time to write a How To Blog, or anything that inspires you, think about things you search for, read,  and watch as your SEO sky-rockets through the roof.

• Social media: Take some time to focus and revamping your social media communities. Add content and images and don’t forget the hashtags #, Again all this for top placement in Social Media.

• Tidy up your flower shop: By tidy up we mean clean, scrub, wash, organize, label, etc. Freshen up your floral space!

• Browse your floral supply stores:  July is a great month to look at products in your floral supply store, you can find great deals on holiday items, it is a great time to stock up.

 

August can be one of the slowest months in the floral industry. we ask that if you are slow, to try implementing new ways to market in your flower shop.

• Newsletter: Email, mail, or both! Send out a newsletter to your customers offering special savings.

• Start a workshop or floral party! Get busy with hosting a floral workshop, kids floral birthday parties, and much more. This can lead to great profits and new patrons at your flower shop.

• Start preparing for fall!  Get your flower shop ready for the most popular season, create beautiful displays, order new inventory and go for it! We recommend doing this the second to the last week of August. Don’t forget your fall marketing!

 

Flowers sales in September pick up rapidly towards the middle of the month. Customers are now back to their normal routines with the kids back school and weddings start to pick up.

• Order fall flowers and Plants: Stock up on your seasonal flowers & plants.

• Revamp your floral website:  Add the season touch to your floral website with fresh new content and images. Use proper keywords, specific to the floral industry for SEO advantage.

• Launch and Adwords Campaign: If your budget allows, try launching an Adwords campaign for more clicks to your eCommerce store. Be sure to set a budget and stick to it as this can get expensive. adwords.google.com

• Keep up with your blog: Now that you are pro, how about writing a seasonal blog or fall wedding blog? We cannot say this enough, blogs are so powerful with SEO.

• Note: Canadian florists, September is a good time start ordering flowers and supplies for Thanksgiving.

 

October offers some great sales in the flower shop business, now is a good time to start orders on any extra stock supplies and get them at a discount for future use.

• Prepare for the holidays: The holidays are just around the corner, shop around for the best deals on all your flowers, and supplies for the holidays. Also, shop around for holiday products to sell at your shop.

• Employee Management: Go over your employee scheduling and see if you will need extra help for the holiday season.

• Open House: Host a holiday open house showing off your latest products and floral designs.

• Floral Expo: Take some time to visit a flower expo in your area, take your employees, this is a good way to stay current with the new trends, and first dibs on new products.

• Note: October is a very popular wedding month with most wedding proposals in December. Think of launching a Wedding Package special on your website during this month.

 

Tis the season for flower sales, November all in all is a great month for flower sales. Customers are getting into the giving mood.

• Market the holidays! Add promotions to your floral website and do not forget about your social media!

• Start greening: Green those Thanksgiving centerpieces ahead of time, add any taper or candles and put in the cooler for a quick way to add flowers as sales role in for thanksgiving.

• Decorate for the holidays: Time for Christmas cheer, create eye-appealing displays and make sure your flower shop is festive. If you can make a beautiful Christmas window display or storefront display to bring in curious shoppers.

• Offer incentives: Offer black Friday or Small business Saturday deals,  “buy ones get ones” are great offers, even if it’s just a couple hours that day. Having a great deal with a cut off time is a good way of creating hype and traffic into your flower shop.

• Tip: Do not forget to revamp your eCommerce for Christmas and update your social media

 

Many florists around the world enjoy huge flower sales during the Christmas holiday. Although in some parts of the United States, florists have seen a decline in their floral sales during Christmas, this month is quickly picking up and still trailing as the third best month for floral retail sales.

• Employee management: Set exceptions for your employees on selling upgrades and add-ons for each customer’s order. Review scheduling and days you are closed.

• Christmas Greens: Mentioned above, it is also a good idea to green your arrangements ahead of time for Christmas. Take time to do this early before the holiday rush.

• Offer Discounts: Sometimes offering a discount too early for Christmas can become forgetful to customers who may not be ready. Post Christmas discounts during this month and make sure to have an expiration time or date.  Great discounts are gifts for parents, teachers, corporate and the person, who has everything. Flower still remain the perfect gift.

• Tip: Do not forget to market to businesses. holiday parties are huge, so offer incentives to have them book with you for their flower needs. 

 

These are just some examples and a helpful guide for florists to plan out their year. Florists do you have any tips or must do’s for a specific month? Please share in the comments below with our readers.

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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.

 

 

Raise Your Holiday Spirits by Increasing your Flower Sales!

“Christmas flower sales is not what it used to be!”  and this is proving to be true for many florists whether you been in the florist industry for years or just opening a flower shop. With an array of gift giving options for consumers it’s no wonder that flowers may not be forefront on their mind, however, florists times are a changing.

We would like to focus on ways of improving floral sales during the Christmas holiday for all flower shop owners to boost those sales and increase profit in your flower shop this Christmas.

 

Be Jolly, By Golly – Customer Service

Staff should be in the holiday spirit and overly helpful with all shoppers, of course, this goes without saying for all seasons in the floral retail business. However often during this time it is important to focus on being more courteous. Consumers tend to be more on edge and are spending more money than usual, even if they spent little at your flower shop or eCommerce, good to make them feel at ease and well attended.

 

Festive Store Front & eCommerce

Look around your flower shop, does it look festive, appealing, would you shop here? The same goes for your eCommerce store is ready for Christmas? Do you have Christmas products, gift baskets, and other items to offer?

Besides not being offered great customer service, customers biggest pet peeves and reasons why they do not shop somewhere is appearance. Be sure add something enticing to your storefront or window display and also update your eCommerce Website to reflect the season.

 

Get Consumers In The Christmas Spirt

Get you shoppers to interact with each floral purchase.  Think “ELF on a Shelf ” include an elf in your  flower arrangements or hide the elf at your shop and have customers find the elf for a discount. There are a vast of options to entice customers to shop at your flower shop.

Tip: Make sure to market on your social media and eCommerce website.

 

The Perfect Presentation

Consider purchasing extra gift bags and beautiful packaging this holiday season. The way your flower arrangements or gift items presentation by either taken or delivered makes a huge lasting  impression. Offer to gift wrap, if you can, any gift item and please be sure to add a pretty bow. Add some holiday flare and do not forget your special tag with your shop’s name.

 

The Season Of Giving

Give free flower holiday arrangements to your local eatery, hair salons, jewelry stores, banks, etc.  Any place where there is a vast amount of shoppers, this works unbelievably well for gaining new customers at your flower shop, especially for shoppers who often do not consider flowers as a gift giving option.

 

Florists, Do you have some Christmas sales tips for our readers?  Please share them below.

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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.

 

Getting people into your Flower Shop can take time and creativity, especially with the many options available for your customer’s attention online and with other store front businesses.  Here’s 5 ways to help you increase foot traffic to your flower shop.

1. Leverage Existing Flower Shop Customers

If you don’t have existing customers that love you, you’re going to have trouble getting new people into your flower shop. Cultivating walk-in traffic means going above and beyond— truly surprising and delighting the customers you’ve got.

Ideas include:

• Establishing a personal connection with each customer. Be honest and sincere.
• Send a handwritten note or personal phone call thanking the customer for their order.
• Have an “early-bird” sale just for existing customers before it’s announced to the general public.
• Use your POS system on your computer to find out your customers’ birthdays, and then send out Happy Birthday emails or cards with a birthday surprise or percentage off when they come into the shop during their Birthday month.

2. Start from the outside and look into your Flower Shop

If you are in a pedestrianized area, get to know who passes by your store. Literally, sit outside or close by your window and assess the demographic of who comes and goes. Do they window shop? Have they come from another store close by first? Do they stop and look at your windows?

Next, take an objective look at your signage and window display–does it appeal to your target demographic or buyer? Note when the busiest time of the week in front of your shop is?  Then think of ways to optimize your merchandise and window display to attract more customers at that time.   This could be as simple as standing outside and handing out coupons or promoting your latest offers or workshops using sidewalk signage, maybe put out some flower buckets if it’s a nice day.

Ideas include:

• Put a large Calendar Date on your outside window like June 6 – and say if your birthday is that day, come in for a Free Gift! Put a different date up often to generate interest and surprise.
• Decorate your outside with flowers. Pots overflowing with beautiful flowers and decorations should be outside your doors in all seasons.  Make customers excited to stop in to see what’s in the inside of the shop as well.  You are a flower shop, let everyone who walks by know it by your outside.

3. Give them a reason to stop into your flower shop.

Sometimes you just need to work on different approaches to get people into your store.  Brainstorm ideas with your staff and ask what draws them into different shops.

Ideas include:

• Free gift like teddy bear or chocolates with the purchase of a bud vase or arrangement when you come in and get it
• Promote new items that just arrived that customers just have to come in and see to appreciate.
• Have a raffle where customers must stop in to enter. This could be a raffle for an arrangement a month for six months or something similar that is large enough for people to want to stop in to add their name.  Free giveaways are a way to help engage your customers and create a sense of connection to your shop.  It also instills a feeling of indebtedness from the consumer.
• Tie in with a non-holiday day. For example, February 17^th is “Random Act of Kindness” Day, or March 3^rd is “I want you to be happy” day.  Pick a day, decide a way to work with it to get more customers involved and then promote it!  Think of 7 Eleven who gives away Free Slurpee’s on National Slurpee Day – 7/11.  On that day in 2013, their in-house sales increased by 38%.

4. Use Social Media to bring more Flower business 

Do you have any in-store promotions going on? Got an event coming up? Keep your customers posted via email and social media.

Ideas include:

• Have exclusive offers that can only redeem on-site.
• Always ask for your customers’ emails from orders, raffles and a sign-up sheet. And then stay in touch sending out regular updates about new product lines, company news and events.
• Connect on social media. Make sure your customers know where to find you on social media and then give them a reason to follow and like you.  Engage with them on a more personal level.  Show your staff working, show the beautiful flowers this week, design a “pick-up only” design and call it “Friday Flowers” and then post photos of customers picking up their Friday Flowers designs.  You can say there is a limited amount of these designs available so hurry in.

5. Hold Events at your Florist Shop

Hosting events is one of the best ways to get people to head over to your store because events are experiences attendees can’t find online or in other shops.  And of course, publicize your event—in-store, online, via press releases and advertising.

Ideas include:

• Invite local scout groups to come in to the shop to take a tour, talk about the impact of flowers in people’s lives and make a small flower arrangement or give a goodie bag.
  

  image created by floranext

• Have workshops in the evenings or during the day on spring designs, summer container gardening or fall and Christmas wreaths to get shoppers into the store. These elated new flower “designers” will be excited to share what they made and where on social media and word of mouth.
• Partner with like-minded stores, experts, artists and organizations to host events in your store. It could be a designer showcase, a talk by a local artisan, or a fundraiser. This allows you the opportunity to draw in more traffic by offering your customers something unique, bring in an audience of like-minded people to grow your own fan-base and grow your relationships with individuals and organizations in your community.

With all these different ways to bring in more walk in traffic,  remember that the main reason many consumers frequent small businesses over larger chains is for the personal relationships. A smile, great service, product knowledge and enthusiasm will help bring customers through your door and keep them coming back.

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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!

What can your flower shop learn from Starbucks?  It’s simple: Every single customer interaction must be a positive one! Is it possible?  Absolutely!  You need to make it a point to handle all customers even your dissatisfied customers with excellent customer service!

To achieve stellar customer service, your flower shop needs to begin with a set of company policies and procedures that are used by each and every staff member.  These policies should handle everyday customer interaction as well as how to handle dissatisfied customers.

Training Flower Shop Employees with Starbucks’ LATTE

Looking for a method on how to make dissatisfied customers, life-long customers?  Look to Starbucks Latte method. Starbucks trains it’s employees with one easy-to-remember word “Latte.” Every flower shop or retail business can benefit from these principles to solve customer problems:

L = Listen – Listen to the customer

A = Acknowledge – their complaint. This underlines that you understand their issue and helps the customer to clarify

T = Take action – by solving the problem

T = Thank them – “Every complaint helps us do better”

E = Explain – why the problem occurred

8 Tips – Building Your Flower Shop Customer Service Policies

You don’t have to start from scratch building your customer service policies. Here are eight proven strategies to use in your flower shop:

1. Smile, smile, smile…
Every customer interaction should start with a smile and employees always polite and professional be it in person, over the phone, in an email or on social media.

2. Greet in-person flower shop customers pleasantly and quickly.
Make sure everyone that enters is greeted with a smile and a hello.  That means everyone, have you ever been in a store and the customers before you and after you are greeted by the staff and you are just ignored? It doesn’t make a good impression about the store, does it? Only positive experiences at your flower shop!

3. Anticipate florist customer needs constantly.
Go the extra mile with foreseeing what customers need before they even know they need it!

Examples include:

• If they’ve ordered a large balloon bouquet, offer to bag it for transport and recommend a larger vehicle.
• If they are carrying out vased flowers, offer a box to help keep vase upright in the car.
• Set expectations of how frequently they’ll need to add water to their vase or plant.  Make sure all of your employees use the same information.
• Supply flower food packets for free when needed.
• Do they need assistance to their car?

4. Build a rapport with each customer.
Use a florist point of sale that will allow you to take internal notes on your customers to help you remember them and anticipate their needs. Did they just have a new baby, grandbaby or retire the last time they were in? Write it down in your POS and then ask about it the next time you talk. You just made a life-long customer!  Make it a shop commitment to remember each customer by name and build a connection.

5. Say Thank you!
Nothing is more like music to a customer’s ear than a heartfelt thank you.  When customers feel appreciated by your store staff, they will appreciate your store.

6. Employees should address complaints politely and to the best of their ability.
Remember the Starbucks LATTE method above! What tools do each staff member have authorization to use at their discretion to make it right for the customer? This will vary widely on the scenario. It might possibly be offering a free replacement, offering an upgrade on their next order, etc.

7. Encourage employees to call you in to help with a customer anytime they feel overwhelmed.
Dissatisfied customers can be very challenging and frazzled employees can make the situation worse.  The worst scenario would be for things to escalate out of control and it costs you a customer and possibly an employee.  Try to always be there for support and know when to step in to alleviate the problem.  Maybe have a code word that employees can say when calling for you that will help you know that they have a difficult situation.

8. Be available to your flower shop customers.
Of course, you might not always be available to remedy every customer complaint or listen to their feedback at the moment it happens.  Give your staff permission to give customers your direct line or email.  Respond to any complaint or situation within 24 hours.  Take the information and feedback as a way to improve your business.  A customer who takes the time to contact you is a customer who is worth keeping and will sing your praises if the situation is handled correctly.

Customers have a lot of different places to purchase flowers, make your customer service one of the reasons they come back to you!

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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!

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.

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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!

Floranext Floral Websites now feature enhanced SEO, gorgeous new theme options and a streamlined checkout.

1. Enhanced SEO

The heading tags of Floranext websites are now easily customized. Your florist website headers are much more than a cosmetic change. Search engines, like Google and Bing, scan a website’s heading tags to assess the subject of the website to determine if it’s a good match for the terms searched. These new header fields will help make your floral website come up in search results when potential customers are searching.

2. New Narcissus, Peony, and Orchid Themes

Give your florist website a fresh new look with a click of a button! Floranext’s three new elegant and stunning themes offer an easy update to your website when you’re ready for something new and different.

3. Improved Checkout

Website checkout is now faster and easier than ever for your customers. In our new two-column format, the shopping cart summary with product photos will appear on the right as customers fill in the order details in the center column- making a clean, simple and efficient floral website checkout experience. Also, including an option to place an order for Pickup!

Be sure to take advantage of these changes and keep an eye out for more to come as we continually develop new products and features based on your feedback.

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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!