In what will come as no surprise to anyone, we are still facing challenges in the floral industry. The good news is, you’re here reading this — so you’ve already overcome many challenges and are making things happen!
We know that it’s been an “interesting” two years. Many florists have had to deal with losing staff during the lockdowns, only to return to a short-staffed situation just as things are ramping up. Additionally, flower shortages are continuing, and flower shops may not always be able to provide the exact flowers a customer wants.
We also know that Mother’s Day is just around the corner. And we want to make prepping for this holiday as easy as possible for you, whether you’re fully staffed or not, filled with flowers or not. So, we’ve provided eight ideas to help you prepare for a highly successful Mother’s Day.
- Determine your capacity and plan accordingly
If you’re working on your own or have a small team in your shop, this is the time to work out exactly how much you can deliver to customers this Mother’s Day. However, since the demand for flowers is increasing, you may want to pull out all the stops and bring in temporary design and delivery help. There’s a difference between what you can deliver now and what you can potentially deliver. Crunch the numbers to see if it will be profitable to add on a few more people just for a few weeks, and if it is, go for it.
- Choose your flowers wisely
Since flower supply can be hit-or-miss these days, determine what flowers you’re reasonably confident you will have in stock and can offer. Then design your Mother’s Day arrangements around those flowers. Also, by staying flexible and creative with your designs, you can provide something that other florists may not be able to: unique arrangements that customers will want to tell their friends about — and share on social media!
- Take Mother’s Day “reservations”
To get a better idea of what your customers will most want to give their moms this year, send out an email and let them know that you’re taking reservations for Mother’s Day flowers. Tell them that this is the best way to ensure they get the flowers they want (and make sure they understand that you may have to substitute as necessary). Once you have your reservations, you can order the flowers you need in enough time to let your customers know if you need to make a few changes.
- Prioritize your loyal customers
When sending out emails for Mother’s Day reservations, send the first ones out to your regular customers. Explain to them that they’re getting the emails first so that they can get the first pick of arrangements before you send the email to the entire list. Sending out these first will act as a “buy-now” for many of your best customers.
- Make reminder calls
In addition to sending out reservation emails, call those customers who’ve ordered for Mother’s Day in the past. Let them know that you’ve sent out the email and that you want to make sure they get “first dibs” on Mother’s Day flowers. They will appreciate your extra attention and customer service, and you’ll get more pre-orders as a result.
- Stay current on social media
If you’re short-staffed, it can be tempting to cut back on your social media marketing because of everything else you need to do. But don’t make this mistake! It’s vital to get out there regularly so potential customers can see what you have to offer. If you genuinely can’t find the time to do routine postings, think about hiring a freelancer for a few weeks. It will be worth it for increased exposure and sales!
- Share delivery costs with other businesses
Delivery costs can cut into your bottom line, particularly on a busy holiday like Mother’s Day. If possible, team up with other local companies to deliver “Mother’s Day Experience” packages. Local bakeries, gift shops, and other retailers are likely in the same situation you are in and would welcome a way to share delivery costs. Then promote these packages like crazy on social media and through email marketing because many customers are sure to love this idea.
- Stretch out delivery dates
Another way to deal with capacity and labor situations is to offer a longer Mother’s Day delivery window. Set up delivery during the week of Mother’s Day (Wednesday before to Wednesday after) and offer them a discount for delivery on one of the days other than Sunday. While some customers will not go for this idea, many will appreciate the special deal they’ll be receiving. And you’ll have some much-needed breathing room!
We hope we have given you some ideas on making your Mother’s Day a success, despite the challenges we all face these days. Let us know how they work for you!
