Opening an independent florist shop can be lucrative, but it takes effort to become a profitable and successful business. If you’re struggling to make sales, here are 10 ways to improve your floral business.
Decorate Your Storefront
Your storefront is the first thing people will see when they walk past your business. Create an eye-catching window display that looks inviting and will attract new customers. Put some floral arrangements in the window and throw up some seasonal decorations. People love to window shop, and if they see something appealing in your window as they walk past, they are more likely to impulse buy it. Update your decorations for each season and holiday and clean up after messes to improve your presentation.
Change Your Supplier
Ensure you and your customers are getting the freshest flowers by changing your supplier. You can source your flowers from a market or wholesaler, or you could skip the middlemen and go directly to the growers. Another option is to have a cut flower garden and grow some unique flowers yourself.
Many florists have had the experience of customers complaining that they received blooms that have already begun to fade and wilt after a day or two. To avoid this, you need to ensure that your customers are getting high-quality blooms from a good supplier.
Follow Trends
Gypsophila, also known as baby’s-breath, had its moment in the 90s. Every florist knew to feature it in their bouquets. Do some research so you can learn more about what flowers, colours, and arrangements are popular right now. Use your free time to look at emerging trends online and attend conferences, seminars, and workshops that are held by industry leaders to get a better idea of new trends.
These days, people like to have dried flowers and preserved flowers in their homes because of their longevity. Most florists are also moving away from floral foam and choosing eco-friendlier options when arranging flowers. The younger generation prefer potted houseplants and succulents, which is something you can offer in addition to cut flowers.
Offer New Bouquets and Arrangements
Keep people interested by offering new bouquets and arrangements every now and again. Experiment with mixing fresh and dried flowers or creating a stand-out arrangement that will have people stopping to glance into your shop window. Get innovative with the bouquets you create.
You could even offer discounts for customers who order “surprise” arrangements and bouquets. This will give you the opportunity to use blooms that aren’t selling and show people how beautiful they can truly be when added to a bouquet. You can also make recommendations to customers based on what’s in season and what colours would be complimentary.
Offer New Products and Services
If you’re only offering flowers, then you’re missing out on the opportunity to make more sales. Offer gifts to go with your bouquet, such as chocolates, cards, and teddy bears. You could also offer hampers filled with flowers and floral-scented gifts, such as candles, lotions, bodywash, perfume, and floral tea. You can also promote your business by selling merchandise, such as postcards, keychains, hats, shirts, hoodies, and mugs.
Offer flower arranging classes or workshops for making wreathes and garlands at your shop or in a rented space. If you offer your services for weddings and parties, you can make some extra money by renting out containers and vases, arches, candle holders, and lanterns. Reusing flowers is a popular option for a couple looking to save money, so you can charge an additional feel for rearranging the flowers after the ceremony and transporting them to the reception venue.
Online Ordering
Having an online presence is essential for florists. Like your shop window, this is the first thing they’ll see before deciding to make an online purchase. You’ll be able to receive more orders if you list your bouquets and floral arrangements on your website. Give customers different bouquet sizes to choose from and upsell cards, boxes of chocolates, and small gifts. Set up a subscription service, so people can have blooms regularly delivered to their loved ones. Make it easier to book a spot at your workshops too. Set up a contact page so people can make special requests and inquire about the additional services you offer. If you’re not particularly tech savvy, look up “Toronto SEO services” online to find someone who can help you design a beautiful website.
Social Media
Showcase your bouquets, arrangements, and the events you’ve supplied flowers for on your social media channels with some beautiful photographs. Post short videos on how you arrange bouquets and share some interesting information about your business. You can also share testimonials and reach more people with appropriate hashtags. Hire a SEO consultant Toronto to help you manage your social media accounts.
Image Credits: Gabriella Clare Marino
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