Florists shared their strategies to pump up sales this holiday season.
Holiday spending is expected to hit record levels this year — up as much as 4% over last year, the National Retail Federation predicts. How can you funnel some of those dollars to your business? Florists who attended the Society of American Florists’ virtual Idea Exchange last week had some ideas.
1. Bring the Merriment
Events remain a great way to draw a crowd — and some extra revenue.
City Scents Floral & Home in Chicago features wreath demonstrations during its open house. Designers give five- to ten-minute demonstrations, and if anyone is feeling inspired, they can purchase a wreath kit. Other holiday event ideas include a bow-making class and a centerpiece workshop.
2. Promote Holiday Merchandise Now
There is a reason the big box stores begin promoting holidays months in advance: shoppers will buy. For that reason, make sure your holiday inventory is featured on your website and available for purchase — now. Jen Barnard, AAF, co-owner of Tillie’s Flower Shop in Wichita, Kansas, already has poinsettias for sale online, and the orders have started rolling in. “If you don’t have it on your website, you should put it on,” she says. Feel uncertain about promoting holiday merchandise before Thanksgiving? Take a page from Watanabe Floral in Honolulu and keep the home page focused on Thanksgiving for now.
3. Discounts, Discounts, Discounts
If you held onto inventory from last year, consider offering it at a discount this year. At City Scents Floral & Home, there’s a discount cart in the front of the store that “always draws people in,” says Kyle Kelley. “We did a preholiday sale in October to start planting seeds in people’s minds. It kind of gets rid of some excess inventory.”
4. Don’t Forget Corporate Clients
Make holiday gift-giving easy for companies with marketing that explains your shop’s services and gift guides that show discounts by volume ordered. One shop is offering 10% off more than ten items sold online and then reaching out by phone to upsell.
5. Think Ahead
When Thanksgiving or Christmas orders come in at Sweet Psalms Florist, in Conyers, Georgia, the staff asks the customer if they want to go ahead and put in the Valentine’s Day orders. “If they don’t know that you offer it, they won’t do it,” says owner LaToya Ferguson, noting that many customers have taken them up on the offer.
Want tips to help increase online sales? Check out these best practices.
Looking for even more help prepping for the holidays? SAF’s Floral Education Hub has a package of resources to help you with holiday labor, marketing, sales and more.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.
