2020 is almost over — and for just about everyone, that end can’t come soon enough. But for all the challenges and heartache this grinding year delivered, many retail florists say they are going into 2021 with more clarity: They’ve changed, updated, reinvigorated, reimagined, pivoted and shifted in ways that might have felt unimaginable in January 2020. Turns out, many of the lessons learned will have staying power into the New Year — and beyond.

This week, SAF editors combed through retail florists’ stories of survival and innovation — from that first crazy week in March right through Christmas and Valentine’s Day prep —  to glean the gifts (yes, gifts) of 2020 that will continue to help you find new efficiencies, inspiration, revenue streams and operational best practices. (Psst… We want to hear from you, too! Send your 2020 silver linings to mwestbrook@safnow.org.)

1.You can do more with less.
Fewer employees, a supply chain disrupted by the pandemic, restrictions on your working space… Did any of those stop you from turning out a successful Easter, Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving? Nope. Sure there was headwind, but you learned that streamlined SKUs, a cross-trained staff and a willingness to say no helped push your team through.

Working with a third of her usual staff over Mother’s Day, for example, Kaitlin Radebaugh, AAF, saw how much her reduced team could accomplish. “We did more with less,” she said, in the June issue of Floral Management. “Everyone on my team can take a sales call, because everyone is trained to be a sales associate,” she said, adding that the business pared back its product offerings to maximize productivity. Several employees started to work remotely in the spring — the setup allowed the business to keep operating in compliance with COVID-related rules pertaining to crowd size — but now that the system and technology are in place, Radebaugh can see the utility of having remote workers manning the phones through the winter, when snowstorms make commuting more hazardous.

Radebaugh’s biggest holiday takeaway? The power of no. For years, the shop trained its staff to please customers with lots of options and a can-do attitude. (Sound familiar?) This year, they shifted their approach out of necessity on Mother’s Day, turning down time-intensive custom work and limiting designs to the most profitable and efficient arrangements. “Mother’s Day showed me that we have a much stronger ability to control the sale than I ever realized,” she explained.

2021 Resolution:  You may have been forced into new efficiencies this year, but make it a priority to keep that lean and mean attitude in place. Read more about how retail florists are putting some of these ideas into action and listen to Wendy Rockcastle of Rockcastle Florist in Rochester, New York , discuss strategies for rebuilding lean teams. Plus, the pandemic was unprecedented, yes, but the fundamental principles of your financials, including how much you should be spending on labor, COGs and facilities expenses, remain the same. Get a refresh on those numbers in the Nov/Dec issue of Floral Management.

2.Consumers REALLY love flowers and plants.
It’s no secret to anyone in the floral industry but flowers and plants can affect positive change in a person’s everyday life. They help reduce stress, create moments of calm, generate positive feelings, increase productivity and improve feelings of connection. This year, florist received firsthand reminders of just how powerful flowers can be via card messages, online reviews and even thank-you notes.

Patrick Busch of Len Busch Roses in Plymouth, Minnesota, for example, delivered plants to local retirement homes last spring as a gift to elderly citizens who couldn’t leave their communities or have visitors on site. Months later, he was still receiving heartfelt letters of appreciation. “People wrote to tell us this was the first plant they’d had since childhood or about how happy the plant made them,” he said. “It really drove the point home for me — the emotional connection people feel with flowers, and I think the pandemic has only increased those feelings.”

Bob Aykens, AAF, Memorial Florists & Greenhouses in Appleton, Wisconsin, expressed a similar sentiment when he talked holiday prep in the October issue of Floral Management. “In the last seven months, despite all the downfalls and changes, we have seen people order flowers that never have before. It really has been a time for us to shine and make a new generation understand the power of giving flowers.”

This fall, SAF also helped floral industry members build on that flower-loving goodwill even more, when floral professionals from 44 staged some 565 flower giveaways for Petal It Forward. The effort — spearheaded by SAF but organized at the community level by local florists, wholesalers, growers, suppliers and other industry-related groups — took on new meaning this year in the midst of a global pandemic.

“SAF university research proves that flowers and plants have health benefits that are so important and relevant right now,” said Kate Penn, SAF’s CEO. “It was so inspiring to see how hundreds of floral industry members run with the idea and implemented SAF tools and marketing ideas to create poignant and memorable floral moments among thousands of consumers in a safe, COVID-compliant way, all in just one day.”

2021 Resolution: The pandemic has reminded some customers how much they love your product, and it’s also driven new customers to your business. Make a commitment to promote the health and wellness benefits of flowers (SAF has tools to help you do this!) and create a plan to make the most of these new contacts. A great place to start: Check out “Digital Tactics to Make the Most of New Customers.”

3. Online sales are big. Prep ahead to get in on the action.
According to SAF’s Economic Outlook Survey, conducted in Fall 2020, nearly 70 percent of retail florists have seen online sales increase during the pandemic. That’s a trend that isn’t going anywhere, and most florists are preparing for similarly brisk sales this holiday season in the digital space, adding new items, including giftware, that they might have sold only in-store in the past and updating their procedures and staff assignments to ensure a streamlined buying experience online.

“We already keep pretty current with our website, but we’re now making changes weekly to accommodate product we have on hand, and what we need to push,” said Brenda Sterk of Eastern Floral in Grand Rapids. In anticipation of Christmas sales, her team added more of that gift merchandise and incorporated a new holiday tab for fresh floral designs. “We try to add some good corporate, hostess and general gift ideas during the holidays, and we’ll be including more locally sourced products this year to support our local small businesses that have suffered during this pandemic.”

Ted Winston, co-owner of Winston Flowers, which has five locations around Boston, said the business is taking a similar approach. “We’ve expanded the offerings of our holiday collection this year to include pieces that can be used at home, in offices, or sent as gifts between friends or colleagues,” he said, noting the business has seen a significant increase in online sales since May. The additional products will be featured in Winston’s holiday collection on the website. Winston’s special services team will be available during business hours for any live design questions or to help guide customers through the selection process.

2021 Resolution: The pandemic has accelerated many Americans’ move to online shopping — so if you want to sell something today, it needs to be on your site. Remember, the more you can streamline offerings, the better. Take time between the Christmas and Valentine’s Day rush to review best practices on overall web strategies, and dig into new ideas on managing SEO and  leveraging higher order  volume.

4.Authenticity, consistency and a little bit of bravery will help you shine on social media.
In a year of social distancing, Americans took to social media in record numbers. Local florists used that engagement to connect directly, often in real time, with homebound customers.

For example, when Central Square Florist was forced to shut down its shop under governor’s orders last spring, Jackie Levine went straight to Instagram to do what she’d never done before: Go live from the shop. “I could not believe the response,” said Levine, vice president of the family business in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “We had many people stop by the shop who all mentioned they saw the IG live. It was unbelievable.” That video alone led to 16 direct orders and helped Levine establish a new cadence for going live regularly on Instagram, a practice that has helped build the shop’s followers to 27,400+ followers.

2021 Resolution: We know it can be intimidating to put yourself out there, but now is the time to try new things on social media, whether that’s going live for the first time or creating that kind of vibrant (algorithm-friendly) content more often. Read more about Levine’s strategy and other best practices on social media. Feeling uninspired about what to say on social media? watch Jennifer Barnard of Tillie’s Flower Shop in Wichita, Kansas, detail how she refines her local marketing messages and ideas for social platforms (and how she got over her own fear of going live!). Plus, check out SAF seasonally updated shareables to help send targeted messages to your customers.

Throughout the pandemic, SAF has created dozens of virtual events and hundreds of stories to help its members capitalize on opportunities created or reinforced by the pandemic, including guidance on how to keep your team safe, practical tips on virtual workshops, insight on being a better leader during a crisis, and much more. Head to our home page at SAF Now for the latest news and updates, including upcoming events that help you stay connected with your industry peers.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? You can always use LiveChat to talk with an SAF team member or email mwestbrook@safnow.org

Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine and Amanda Long is a contributing writer to the Society of American Florists.