In Alexandria, Virginia, Helen Olivia Flowers has been hosting “virtual” workshops for adults and kids.
Online flower workshops. Educational ideas for homebound kids. Delivery partnerships with other local businesses. These are just some of the revenue-boosting ideas that the Society of American Florists has heard about this week, as the country increasingly stays home and isolates to protect against COVID-19.
Here are a few ideas that caught our attention. Continue to connect with SAF throughout the crisis for more ideas:
Virtual Workshops. In Alexandria, Virginia, Helen Olivia Flowers has created a series of “virtual” flower arranging workshops for its customers — including one aimed at kids. Each session includes materials (flowers plus a container with a taped grid) delivered to the customer’s doorstep or available for curbside pick-up.
The team, headed by owner Rachel Gang, then go live on Facebook or Instagram to share the lesson. The series not only has helped keep revenue coming in — it’s also allowed Gang a platform to stay top-of-mind with customers and remind them of the personal face to her business.
“As a small business, we’re trying to figure things out and shift gears to different ways of operating,” she explained.
The shop sold 65 spaces in its adult workshop, at $100 a piece this week, and 40 spaces at $75 a person for the kids’ session.
“It’s definitely not replacing the business we lost, but it is keeping the lights on,” Gang said.
Get inspired: Find out more about the sessions and check out the workshops on Helen Olivia’s Facebook page.
Partnerships and Special Collections. In Wichita, Kansas, Jennifer Barnard of Tillie’s Flowers reached out to a local bakery for a creative partnership that allows customers to order bakery items through the shop (with 24 hours’ notice) for delivery — a special treat especially for parents scrambling to adapt to canceled birthday celebrations.
In Wichita, Kansas, the team at Tillie’s Flowers has reimagined SAF’s Petal It Forward marketing materials to push a flower-friendly message to isolated customers looking to give loved ones a boost.
Barnard has also repurposed SAF marketing materials from the pay-it-forward Petal It Forward event into a local effort she’s calling “Ding Dong Ditch.” Customers can order small bouquets suitable for leaving on neighbors’ doorsteps (and branded with tags that encourage customers to “surprise someone with flowers today… spreading moments of calm and peace all over Wichita.”) Barnard said she hopes the business partnerships will “generate some goodwill” and help other local companies stay afloat.
In Prescott, Arizona, the team at Allan’s Flowers also has partnered with local restaurants to offer delivery services. Owner Rakini Chinery, AAF, AzMF, introduced a “Connection Collection” (value bouquets and also Movie Night, Team Time and “Spa—ahhh” baskets) that customers can pair with Family Meal options from partners like El Gato, a restaurant owned by a close friend of Chinery’s.
“We charge our standard delivery charge, which El Gato pays us,” Chinery explained. “Also, if it is going to a family in need, we deliver for free. also is delivering food packages for needy families, so we deliver those as part of our service to the community.”
Get inspired: Watch the Facebook video where Barnard introduces the cake/flower pairing to customers and the Ding Dong Ditch collection — and the savvy way she emphasizes all of the business’s best practices in safety and the important emotional impact of flowers on people’s lives.
Easter Sales Push. In Appleton, Wisconsin, Bob Aykens, AAF, said Memorial Florists & Greenhouses is going after Easter business early with a special push through a new fundraising partnership and web page: www.memorialflorists.com/easterfundraiser.
In an email to area churches, the company explained that churches would receive $5 per plant on orders through April 8. So far, the response has been “very good,” said Aykens, who has seen a spike of more than 40 percent to his website traffic during the COVID-19 crisis.
With his physical retail store closed due to government regulations, Aykens said he thinks, now more than ever, florists need to spend time optimizing their websites and increasing their social media presence, which is why the new page for the fundraiser was especially important.
Get inspired: See how Aykens is positioning the new page via social media.
Look for more information on other ideas from SAF florists soon. Not sure of your state regulations? Visit SAF’s state resource page for updates.
Share your own ideas with SAF by emailing mwestbrook@safnow.org.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management.
