Valentine’s Day is a frenzy for florists, but some have discovered strategies to ease the stress.
A profitable Valentine’s Day is rarely accomplished without frenzy or hiccups, but Michele Peters, AIFD, of Ambiance Floral & Events in Albany, New York, has adopted a strategy that greatly reduces the stress. She calls it the K.I.S.S strategy — “keep it simple, silly!” — which utilizes the concept that less is more when it comes to product line, types of flowers in a recipe and price points.
Peters and two other florists share how they’ve simplified operations and said “Be Mine” to a low-stress approach during the season of love.
Streamlined Selection
Peters creates a menu of about six options for Valentine’s Day, with bouquets of roses and mixed arrangements that include gift sets like boxes of chocolates, candles, and cards. “Customers can choose like they’re at a deli counter, ‘I want to order a #3,’” she says. This takes the guesswork out of the process for customers, and staff know exactly which arrangements need to be made.
When considering her product line for Valentine’s Day, Laura Green of Lizzie Bee’s Flower Shoppe in Richardson, Texas, keeps it simple by tuning in to her customers. “We try to match what our customers are looking for,” she says. Last year the shop received requests for monochromatic arrangements of light pink and red roses, so those are among the shop’s offerings.
Fewer Varieties, Higher Quality
Customers value long-lasting flowers, so rather than investing in premium varieties that may not be popular for the season or last as long as other flowers, Peters stocks up on high-quality traditional flowers like roses. “Customers want their flowers to last,” says Peters, “so we buy very, very good roses.” Keeping it simple doesn’t mean creating lackluster arrangements. “We can get very creative designs using more basic flowers,” says Peters, whose shop uses the container, the filler flowers, ribbons and bows to add pizzazz.
Grab-and-Go at Different Price Points
With more in-person, last-minute orders for Valentine’s Day, it helps to have grab-and-go coolers well stocked. “Having the designs made up, on the sales floor, and in the cooler makes a fast transaction, which makes the customers happy,” says Lou Lynne Moss of The Flower Shoppe in Pratt, Kansas. She makes sure the arrangements on display reflect a range of price points. “This shows them a more expensive vase that is so beautiful, so they go ahead and select it, even though they were looking for a smaller bouquet at a lower price point,” she says.
Looking for more resources to get prepped for Valentine’s Day? Check out the Valentine’s Day resource package in the Society of American Florists’ Floral Education Hub. The package includes an on-demand videos of best tips for the holiday and how to staff properly; as well as past articles from SAF’s publications and a social media content calendar.
Laura Drummond is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
