Some florists are making the most of slower summer months by strengthening their relationships with other businesses and customers, as well as luring customers in with specials.
While a summer slowdown might not benefit your bottom line right now, some florists use it as an opportunity to try new things and seek new revenue streams that could benefit their bottom line later. Here are three ways a few florists are making the best of downtime.
Make Connections
Networking helped Tracy Parke of House of Flora Flower Market in Hartford, Connecticut drum up interest and increase sales during the summer. After learning about color-enhanced roses from a wholesaler she met at the Society of American Florists’ Next Gen LIVE! conference in Miami in June, she began carrying them in her shop. “My customers went crazy for them, and they’re asking for more,” she said. Now, the shop is offering a special shade of roses each week during the summer to great success.
Parke also emphasizes the importance of connecting with other florists. “We’re all trying to do the same thing. We want to keep this industry strong, so let’s support each other,” she says. The summer can be a great time to connect with other florists in your area, on social media, or at events to share ideas and swap stories. She says she’s also gotten some great ideas to try by listening to floral podcasts, such as Jet Fresh Flowers’ Two Fat Guys Talking Flowers.
Strengthen Relationships
Summer is a slow season for a lot of businesses, so there’s really no better time to collaborate with other local businesses on mutually beneficial projects. For example, Kelsey Thompson, AIFD, of Bloom Floral & Home Studio in Algona, Iowa hosts birthday parties. Kids can come in and make flower-themed crafts, like fairy gardens or flower crowns, and then Thompson partners with a local bakery to provide treats.
In addition to fostering new relationships, Michael Trogdon of Burge Flower Shop in Asheboro, North Carolina, says it is important to invest in existing ones. “I make it a habit to make funeral home deliveries when I can during the summer season,” he says. “It helps enforce the good relationships we have with our funeral directors.”
Court Customers
Now is a great time to get in touch with customers. Phone calls or emails to past customers prior to summer birthdays or anniversaries can be helpful reminders that turn into repeat sales, especially if you can get them in the story to show off what you have and upsell.
“Get people in your shop so they can see what you’re doing,” says Parke. She has a large cooler that displays arrangements as well as offering cash-and-carry options. For the cash-and-carry customers, Parke also prioritizes add-on options. “All those little things add up. Somebody could come in for a $12.99 sale, but that can turn into something like $50 or $60,” says Parke. Add-ons include Korean-style wrapping, lollipops or chocolates incorporated in an arrangement, and additional stems of baby’s breath or sunflowers.
Helena Polites of Polites Florist in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania is enticing customers with specials.
“We took advantage of June being National Rose Month and launched an advertising campaign with a discount on a dozen roses in a vase, any color,” Polites says. The discount reaped rewards, with customers ordering two or even four dozen roses. “Getting our name out in the local community definitely brought in new business” she says.
Laura Drummond is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
