With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it can be tough to dive right back in and prepare for Valentine’s Day—but it’s vital if you want to reap all the benefits of this huge floral holiday. Here are a few tips to get your business organized and ready.

1. Check Your Calendar
Where does Valentine’s Day fall on the calendar? For 2020, it’s on a Friday. This is important, as you’ll want to plan out your marketing and promotions to account for sales not just on that Friday, but for a week or more prior. Some people will do their shopping last-minute, but many more will want to shop in advance.

2. Review Your Sales Reports
The best predictor of what will sell this year is what sold last year, so review your 2019 Valentine’s Day sales reports now. Make sure you have the most popular flowers in stock, in a large enough quantity that you won’t run out. While there will always be a new, trendy flower or arrangement each year, knowing the tried-and-true sellers and having plenty in stock will give you a big advantage.

3. Hire Temporary Staff
After you’ve looked at your sales reports, it will become clear to you if you’ve got enough staff to handle the volume. If not, hire a few temporary staff through a local agency. Make sure those you hire can also drive, as this will be a huge week of deliveries for your store.

4. Promote, Promote, Promote!
This is the time to start promoting your Valentine’s Day offers. Create contests, discounts, and special packages to drive in business. Promote this on all social media channels as well as on your website, and create signage to make these deals clearly visible in your shop. See our article on page 10 of this issue for some great marketing ideas.

5. Show the Love in Your Floral Shop
Once you’ve got all this in place, it’s time to decorate your shop! Start with the windows to draw customers in. If you need ideas, go to Pinterest and type in “Valentine’s Day window display ideas”—you’ll be inspired. Then take that same theme and display it throughout your shop. You’ll make customers feel the love and want to spend more as a result.

As a note, if you need a bit of assistance to fund your Valentine’s Day preps, you may want to consider small business funding. There are many online options available and you can get access to the funds in as little as 24 hours.

With these tips and your hard work and creativity, you’ll be prepared for all the Valentine’s Day business that’s sure to come your way!