Florists sell hundreds and thousands of flowers every year on Valentine’s Day, but most of them are barely breaking even. That is largely due to the rise of the .com era and the floral shift to the online market. Needless to say, it has had a serious effect on the local florist’s sales.
Not this February though. Here’s how you can be your customer’s Valentine and boost sales exponentially.
Bank on Social Media
There’s literally no living without the various social media platforms for any of us. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are highly integrated within all our personal lives. However, they’re just as necessary, if not more, for businesses.
Social media pages give florists the chance to showcase their business, and the products that they can offer to their potential clients.
Not only is social media a fantastic way to engage with your existing pool of clients, it provides a great chance to florists like yourself to showcase and promote your business to your potential customers.
Use pictures, host live videos, post behind-the-scenes action, give sneak peeks into new deliveries and upcoming orders for Valentine’s Day, and put up how-to videos to show just how you put together your famous floral arrangements (just be sure not to give away all of your secrets). Seize the opportunity to spread the word about your brand far and wide.
Pinterest is one of the most popular platforms for florists to exhibit their business and entice customers into buying flowers from them.
The more interactive and engaging your content on social media, the better chances you have of driving traffic towards your business and boosting sales.
Get Busy Networking
Come February; it’s pretty much only the florists and chocolatiers who are most sought after by clients.
People come in droves to buy chocolates and flowers for their dear ones to celebrate or profess the love they have for each other.
While that’s not an unknown fact, it is one that’s often left unused. When two businesses know that they get a fair share of traffic due to a particular occasion, the logical next step is to think about how they could join forces to get the maximum benefit from the opportunity, at the same time.
That’s what networking is all about.
Networking is still one of the most effective marketing strategies used today – so network, and network well to your advantage.
Utilize your connections, and depend on people you connect with to market your products and drive sales to your brick and mortar business this Valentine’s Day. We’re talking about pop-up floral stands outside the city’s most popular café, joint discounts, or cross-promotional deals with the local chocolatiers, bakery, gift shop, and more.
Don’t Ignore the Walk-In’s
When it comes to boosting sales, most florists tend to think about creating and implanting grand marketing strategies, social media or otherwise.
New Year’s is barely over before floral shops are busy brainstorming marketing ideas for February and Valentine’s Day. TV or newspaper adverts, flyers, Facebook ads, business cards, and promotions overwhelm owners because all they can think about is capitalizing on the upcoming event and maximizing their sales.
With their focus centered on different marketing strategies, the walks-in’s largely get ignored.
Don’t. Your walk-in traffic has the potential to give your floral business the boost it’s been looking for.
When you’re running a campaign on social media, add compelling walk-in offers. Train your staff, especially the cashier to focus on the human element to engage with the customers one-on-one. The in-person interaction does much to solidify a sale than a sponsored Instagram post.
In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day and especially on the day, allow all of your salespeople to come up with on the spot up-sells. For example, your salesperson can do something like, “You’re buying a customized bouquet with 10 roses, lilies, and chrysanthemums for $40 but because you’re so nice, for $60 we’ll give you 20 instead and add in a personalized card for free.”
Provide Non-Floral Gift Options
While presales are a thing with florists, with dedicated partners booking their customized floral arrangements well before time, it’s a well known fact that more than anything else, it’s the last-minute or on the day of purchases that count for February sales.
If you, as a florist, know that you’re going to have a horde of last minute shoppers rushing in to buy their loved ones flowers, why not boost your sales by stocking non-floral gift options as well. Think about stocking in-store chocolate bars, cards, candles, fancy soaps and skincare sets, cute teddy bears, small jewelry, and other trinkets that make for easy but meaningful gifts.
Offer the rushed shopper the opportunity to buy both flowers AND a gift, and you’ll automatically see the sales skyrocketing – guaranteed.
Leverage the Existing Customers – Keep Them Interested
While it’s a good idea for florists to try and target new potential customers for greater sales this February, it’s essential that they don’t forget about the existing ones. For small brick and mortar businesses, retaining their current clients is the biggest thing.
So florists, make your loyal customers feel special. Offer them special discounts or rewards. Engage with your current clients regularly, keep their contact details on hand, and send out special Valentine’s Day deals for them to take advantage of. Basically, encourage their loyal buying behavior to increase your sales.
Better yet, for your long-term clients, establish loyalty programs that give them an edge over walk-in consumers. Things like free delivery, redeemable points, early-bird discounts, freebies or discounted add-ons, and personalized arrangements go a long way in not only making a sale, but also making a world of difference in retaining a client, ensuring that they keep coming back for more.