In an effort to avoid an onslaught of last-minute orders and a hectic Valentine’s Day, many florists are proactively targeting men to solicit pre-orders and push early deliveries.
Clay Atchison III wants men to step up this Valentine’s Day.
“Most likely, they haven’t done a romantic thing all year long except for maybe these flowers or whatever they decide to do,” says Atchison, president of McAdams Floral in Victoria, Texas. “It’s their time to shine.”
He doesn’t want to see his counterparts mess it up by waiting too late to think of an idea for Valentine’s Day — and he won’t be bailing them out last minute because he has set a cutoff date for orders. So, his shop has created several marketing campaigns to grab men’s attention and encourage them to order early.
Atchison and other florists are putting an extra emphasis on pre-orders and early delivery this year as issues persist with the supply chain, product shortages and labor.
The best thing florists can do to promote pre-orders is create awareness, says Tim Huckabee, president of the training company FloralStrategies.
“If you went into Walgreens or Walmart or CVS on Dec. 24 and looked up, all the Valentine’s candy was already there,” Huckabee says. “From a consumer standpoint, they’re being reminded of Valentine’s Day starting in December, so they know the holiday is coming but we still need to motivate them to buy.
“Florists need to be unafraid to be proactive about getting more business, and I think this is a probably good year to do it for the simple reason that consumers writ large are sensitive now to the issues of availability, of product shortages.”
Huckabee encourages florists to use their point of sales system to pull up all orders delivered last year on Feb. 12-14, confirm those were Valentine’s orders, and then give each customer a call to explain this year’s offerings.
“Calling is short and sweet and gets the job done,” Huckabee says.
In addition to calling past customers, Huckabee says florists should share their Valentine’s Day promotions whenever they make a phone sale (with the exception of funeral sales).
“At the end of the call, unless the customer tells you they’re in a big rush — and they rarely are — say, ‘While I’ve got you on the phone, let me fill you in about what we’re doing for Valentine’s Day,’” Huckabee says. “If the customer doesn’t need or want flowers, they’ll let you know. Otherwise, you’re creating awareness and hopefully pre-booking a sale.”
Some florists, such as Atchison, have developed plans to target men for pre-orders.
His shop is marketing flowers as part of a “Valentine’s date weekend,” which starts Friday with a flower delivery to the recipient’s office.
In years past, McAdams Floral has used similar advertising messaging to encourage delivery one or two days early using tongue-in-cheek taglines such as: She’ll never expect you to do something before you’re supposed to!; They know you thought of them early – it’s not just a last-minute effort.; Over 500 deliveries will be made from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. By sending early, your Valentine will feel loved ALL day.
Sassy Diva Designs and Events in Redwood City, California is using social media to market to men.
The business’s social media posts will ask current and former female clients to tag their fiancés or husbands, says owner Beth Covey-Snedegar. If the men who are tagged purchase flowers, they’ll get a free upgrade to their order. That includes a few extra stems or a hand-painted anthurium from Haus of Stems, a Los Angeles-based botanical art studio.
Covey-Snedegar is also looking to community partners for help.
“We’re trying to network with other people that might be doing something for Valentine’s Day where they can share with their membership, and we can jump onto that as well,” she says.
The push for pre-orders and early deliveries can pay off in the end, making a less hectic holiday for florists.
“There’s only so much we can do in one day,” Atchison says.
Nicole Stempak is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
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