Whatever you do this holiday season, make sure that, whether online, over the phone and in person, you push what you want to sell, say florists who are gearing up for a busy Christmas season. Supply chain challenges still exist —and with the possibility of new shutdowns and flu season looming, giving yourself and your employees as much flexibility as possible to improvise and promote what’s in stock is key to your profitability — and your sanity.

“We need to be able to react and adapt quickly,” Brenda Sterk of Eastern Floral, which has three locations in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, metro area, shared with Floral Management editors in the magazine’s October, holiday-themed issue.

Sterk added that her plan of attack includes taking products that are unavailable off the website quickly and training staff to sell what’s in the cooler, a best practice for years in the industry that has only become more important during COVID.

“We are selling everything we have and not buying crazy things for ‘that one order,’” Sterk explained. “We’ve also learned that our customers are not so much focused on the exact flower or the exact shade of color as they are with simply a beautiful design to tell their loved one that they are thinking about them and that they care.”

This year’s holiday season also presents opportunities to try ideas and novel concepts as you position yourself as the go-to gift provider and problem-solver for customers who want something special and customized, said Ted Winston on Winston’s Flowers in Boston. “We’ve introduced more design-centered live content via social media, DIY kits, and custom occasion baskets and crates like our Back-to-School Crate for virtual learning,” he said.

For his part, Michael Trogdon, AAF of Burge Flower Shop in Asheboro, North Carolina, is using the holiday period to underscore the local roots of his business.

“Customers are looking for smaller, locally owned businesses to support, and I think that’s a big opportunity,” he said. “We plan to let people know that our poinsettias are North Carolina–grown plants and play up the fact that this is our seventieth year in business.”

Don’t forget about all the first-time buyers you attracted during the pandemic and how to turn them into loyal customers, added Bob Aykens, AAF, president of Memorial Florists & Greenhouses in Appleton, Wisconsin.

“In the last seven months, despite all the downfalls and changes, we have seen people order flowers that never have before,” he said. “It really has been a time for us to shine and make a new generation understand the power of giving flowers. Now, we have to make those customers into repeat customers through our marketing channels.”

Sterk agreed, saying they are putting more energy into social media pushes and looking for ways to incorporate giftware into fresh designs, both for an unexpected “wow factor” among customers and to clear out merchandise they ordered back when in-store shopping was still a major part of their sales mix.

“I think will be a great opportunity to market ourselves to a new generation and a different crowd than we typically do,” she said. “This could open the door to not only our regular year-to-year customer base, but also to a whole new client base as well.”

That’s also the thinking of Jim McArdle, in Greenwich, Connecticut. In late September, the team at McArdle’s Florist and Garden Center started sending flower arrangements valued at $150 to every new resident.

“We’ve had an influx of new homeowners from New York — 200 and counting — and this was a way to introduce ourselves,” ahead of the holidays, McArdle said, adding that he considers the costs for the effort a marketing investment.

Read more about florists’ December holiday plans in Floral Management. Looking for even more inspiration? Watch the recorded session of SAF’s recent Countdown to Christmas virtual event, sponsored by FTD.

Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.