Now that the trees and wreaths have come down and the New Year’s confetti has been swept away, it’s time to jump on Valentine’s Day prep. This year, the holiday lands on a Monday which traditionally translates into robust business for florists — but much of it coming last minute, especially this year as it falls the day after the Super Bowl. Here are a few tips to help mitigate the madness.
Follow Up with Last Year’s Customers
Get a list of last year’s customers and start contacting them. You can send an email or a postcard, but many florists find phone calls are the most effective way to secure early orders on the spot. Each January, Illinois retailer Eileen Looby Weber, AAF, of Lake Forest Flowers, sits down with the following script:
Hi ____________, this is Eileen from Lake Forest Flowers. Thank you for taking my call today. I am calling you with a friendly reminder that Valentine’s Day is approaching and last year we assisted you with a beautiful floral gift to ______________. You are a valued customer of ours, and I would like to confirm your order details now so that you have priority status with our deliveries. Would you like to do that now?
The more orders she gets in advance, the better she can forecast product and staffing needs. Furthermore, getting customers on the phone gives her the opportunity to upsell, encourage a specific delivery date, or steer customers toward product she wants to move. “They appreciate knowing we have their order as a priority and that it’s taken care of,” she says.
Play Up the Element of Surprise
Spreading out deliveries makes staffing easier. When you tackle step No. 1, see if you can persuade customers to consider delivery on Friday or Saturday, with a card message such as “I just couldn’t wait to celebrate.” Let customers know that early gifts to the office make their loved one the center of attention.
Consider Hosting a Pop-Up Shop
Want to sell a lot of arrangements without needing an army of delivery workers? Select a place in town with great foot traffic and set up a mobile shop, with just a handful of design options and price points. Given that the Super Bowl is on February 13, schedule a Sunday pop-up outside a sports bar, grocery store or liquor store to catch procrastinating Casanovas.
Court Customers During Playoff Season
Speaking of football, there are three weeks of playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl — a great opportunity to get in front of prospective Valentine’s Day customers before February 14. This was a favorite tactic of Rick Rivers, former owner of A Floral Boutique in Ormond Beach, Florida. For years, he’d drop in local sports bars, wearing a “Dr. Love” name tag and passing out coupons for orders placed in advance.
Scale Down Your Menu
High-volume holidays call for fewer options. “You are not the Cheesecake Factory. You cannot — and should not — offer everything under the sun,” Kami Martin, e-commerce expert and Flower Clique’s membership director, shared during a Society of American Florists’ webinar for Mother’s Day 2020. Why? For starters, a small menu helps your designers work ahead. If you create recipes that use similar flowers, it drastically minimizes shrink. Lastly, it cuts down on “analysis paralysis.” “Too many choices fatigue customers,” explained Flower Clique CEO Vonda LaFever, AIFD, PFCI. When developing your menu, don’t forget to include a few super simple options, such as a single rose in a bud vase, so you can serve budget customers, too.
Stock Up on Red Tint (If You Can Find It)
Supply chain woes continue, and it could be hard to get your hands on red roses — which many people consider the quintessential Valentine’s Day gift. (An Ipsos poll last year found that 80 percent of people who bought Valentine’s Day flowers selected roses, with 65 percent of them choosing red.) If you are able to find spray paint, you can transform white, yellow, orange, green or pink varieties into the coveted ruby shade.
Katie Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
