Valentine’s Day Planning for Florists

It’s the most wonderful (busy) time of the year again for florists:

Valentine’s season.

We know how stressful this time of the year can be for florists, so we wanted to share some helpful tips to make the coming weeks more productive, lucrative, and less headache-inducing.

Let’s check out a few tips.

Valentine’s Day Promotions

Post on Social Media & Promote Ordering Early!

  1. Encourage your regular customers to order early. Maybe even offer a free add-on (balloon or small chocolates) for all orders placed for delivery on the 12th, for example.
  2. When was the last time you updated your website? When shoppers come to check out your site, be sure to get them interested by showing best sellers and other seasonal items right on your homepage (If you’re a Lovingly Partner, we’ll handle this for you—or you can do it yourself!). Also, make sure all your shop details are up to date (like your email and phone number).
  3. Running Google Ads? Boost your budget for February to increase exposure for your shop in search results. If you’re a Lovingly Partner, just give us a call to increase your budget or learn more about Ads.
  4. Want more repeat customers? Now is a great time to send your customers an email reminding them to order early for Valentine’s Day, and be sure to include a coupon. Get them to think about you before they turn to Google (and Order Gatherers) to find deals elsewhere.

Order Volume

  1. Don’t forget to enable chocolates, teddy bears, balloons, and any other gift items you offer as add-ons to increase order totals.
  2. Try offering free delivery and keep your Florist’s Choice price low to attract more business. Valentine’s Day is expensive, so every few dollars a shopper can save will help them pick you over someone else.
  3. Optimizing Hours/Cut Off times: Some (ahem, men, ahem) Valentine’s Day shoppers are pretty last minute! Give them as much leeway as possible (you’ll be a hero!) by extending your cut off times using the Enhanced Hours & Closures feature in your Lovingly Account. 
  4. Make sure you have Pick Up enabled on your shop, so even if shoppers miss your delivery window, you can still save the day.
  5. Enable Florist’s Choice ONLY or Florist’s Choice PLUS, which lets you continue accepting orders without worrying about exact inventory and temporarily limit your selection guide to the Florist’s Choice product plus up to eight more that you pick. This is perfect for when you are starting to run low on flowers and want to offer only Florist’s Choice arrangements and can go into effect as early as Feb 10!

Lovingly SuperTickets

  1. Stop handwriting card messages and save precious time by using Lovingly SuperTickets! Stock up now, so you’re ready when the rush is here. You can order SuperTickets for US or Canada delivery. 

Delivery Confirmations

  1. As soon as your orders have been delivered or are ready to pick up, mark them as such. Your customers will appreciate the update, and if you’re a Lovingly Partner, your delivery confirmation emails also include a link to leave your shop a review. Increase customer satisfaction and get better reviews!
  2. Importance of marking delivered: This is a very high-stress time for customers too! It’s a huge relief for customers to know when their order has been delivered, and hopefully cuts back on inquiring phone calls to your shop! There are multiple ways to do this via your Lovingly Account – the easiest way is to use delivery routing to print a route sheet and scan the QR code to mark delivered, and/or use the bulk tool in your Lovingly account!

In-Store Sales and Merchandising

  1. Before the rush begins to hit, take some time to ensure that your entire staff has been trained on using your shop systems. If you’re not already using it, be sure to look at the streamlined, user-friendly Lovingly POS—it’ll save you and your staff time on order entry and keep you better organized when the rush does begin.
  2. Also, be sure to train your staff to always offer add-ons (or use Lovingly POS, which auto-reminds you) like chocolates, teddy bears, balloons, and whatever else you may offer.
  3. If you’ve hired temporary staff to help out for the coming weeks, be sure they’re also trained and ready for Valentine’s Day and familiar with Lovingly POS.
  4. Offer a few lower price point grab-and-go options in the store for those who aren’t choosy about what arrangement they need.

Lovingly Support Hours Over Valentine's Day:

The week of Valentine’s Day, starting Monday February 6th through February 15th, we’ll be here from 8am to 8pm EST.

And Most Importantly…

  1. Keep your staff smiling! Bring in snacks and order lunch for your staff on Valentine’s Day—and don’t forget, lots of coffee!

What are your top tips for Valentine's Day?

Join the Lovingly Momentmakers Facebook group and let us know how you make the most of Valentine’s Day!

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