Florists know that repeat business is essential for survival. This is especially true for Internet-based florists, since there is no storefront to attract walk-in customers. Thus, virtual floral shops need to invest in marketing programs to successfully compete. Since flowers are very popular on holidays, savvy florists use holiday rewards programs to spur sales for specific occasions. These programs work in two ways. The first is holiday specials: extra flowers when purchasing large orders just before a holiday. A good shopper will be able to locate florists offering substantially larger bouquets for orders over a threshold amount, say $100. The second way to use holiday rewards programs is to award points for non-holiday purchases that can be redeemed at specific holidays. In this way, generic demand is enhanced and holiday sales are locked down in advance.
To work well, a florist will want to gear special discounts to specific items for each of the big holidays:
- Thanksgiving flowers — Chrysanthemums are a perennial favorite at Thanksgiving. They are attractive not only for the wide variety of colors available, but also the ample size range of specimens. A beautiful bouquet of mums will feature sizes from miniature to colossal in three or more complementary colors.
- Christmas flowers – Red poinsettias are a beautiful tradition during the Christmas season. When backed by green foliage, a stunning basket will convey the treasured colors associated with the yuletide. Another big seller at year’s end is mistletoe. Office holiday parties are always more festive and exciting when mistletoe is hung above the desk of your dreamiest workmate.
- Valentine flowers – It’s not just roses, its ROSES! A mere dozen won’t cut it anymore. An arrangement of three dozen red roses will certainly work magic on this magical holiday. And for long-time married couples, white or yellow roses are equally beautiful and can make a profound statement about the merits of long-term commitment. A nice twist is to order live rose bushes, so that the romance can go on and on.
- Mothers Day flowers – A lifesaver for when you’ve forgotten about Mother’s Day until the last minute. Look, the last thing you want is to get on your Mom’s bad side, so make sure you get your order in for a large bouquet or planter of her favorite flowers. Gardenias and other strongly scented flowers will be a big hit and make your Mom’s house smell great.
Whatever the occasion, flowers are a great gift, and a holiday rewards program makes the gift of flowers a smart purchase as well.