Making your Valentine’s Day flowers more ‘giftable’
Making your Valentine’s Day flowers more ‘giftable’
Who doesn’t love to get flowers, especially on Valentine’s Day?
As a merchant, you have a lot of relationships depending on you. So, as you prepare for Valentine’s Day 2016, let’s reflect on some facts from the Society of American Florists.
Fact 1: One quarter of the U.S. adult population purchased plants or flowers as a gift for Valentine’s Day 2015.
Fact 2: Supermarkets or grocery stores were the most common venues for purchases for Valentine’s 2015 at 49 percent.
Fact 3: Consumers spent $50 on average at retail florists versus $25 on average at supermarkets or grocery stores for Valentine’s Day 2015.
These statistics lead me to believe there is a significant opportunity to increase the average sale and overall revenue at supermarkets for Valentine’s Day. After all, if most floral purchases are occurring at the supermarket, but the average sale is half that of the retail florist, there has to be some room on the amount consumers are willing to spend.
Keeping in mind that most floral bought around Feb. 14 is indeed for a gift, it is important to include added touches that make the final consumer product truly “giftable.”
Nothing makes a product more giftable than a bow. The key is making sure you include the right bow. It can’t be too big, too small, or detract from the beautiful flowers — it has to complement them. Traditional red will always be popular but combinations of red and pink will coordinate with a variety of rose colors.
For bow-tying how-tos, tips and inspirations go to www.lionribbon.com/t-videos.aspx.
Being on trend is also important, especially to capture younger buyers. Pairing red and black provides an air of sophistication and is still very relevant for the holiday.
Valentine’s Day 2016 is headed toward more stylized looks that are a bit more youthful and not so overtly love-struck. Felt, laser-cut shapes add a touch of fun and are great accent pieces. Typography is still a strong consumer trend for spelling out thoughts and feelings. Include a chalkboard accent piece so the gift-giver can add a heartfelt message.
Taking floral gift-giving options up a notch is a win-win because you increase your sales and the consumer gets a more “giftable” product and the recipient (hopefully) stays in the relationship. Have a happy Valentine’s Day 2016.
Marla O’Dell is vice president of sales at Berwick Offray, Hampshire Paper & Lion Ribbon in Kokomo, IN. She can be reached at [email protected].
