Does your holiday display say, “He loves me or he loves me not?” As the 2015 Valentine’s Day holiday approaches, remember that the key to a successful holiday is proper merchandising. Here are some of our seasoned ideas with a proven track record.

• Color. Color blocking gives visual continuity to your product and is a nice way to organize your display. Organize products by color within smaller displays or combine multiple lines such as roses, bouquets, consumer bunches and potted in one display for an even bigger visual impact. Foliage and blooming plants can be easily upgraded using your color scheme to get the color impact you need to make a statement. Make sure to have a color meanings chart or sign close by. Red is the traditional color to convey love and passion, but not all Valentine’s Day shoppers are buying for a significant other.

• Trends. Natural elements are still popular in the floral industry. Use burlaps, twine, Kraft paper and raffia to enhance your displays and capture the market that wants the latest and greatest trending ideas. Glitz it up — this is a holiday where bling sells too. Whether you are adding glitter to your flowers or hot gluing gems to your containers, customers like glam on Valentine’s Day. Bold graphic prints such as chevron, stripes and polka dots are prominent in floral packaging and have maintained popularity the last few years. Mixing prints will create a modern, youthful display.

• Eye appeal equals buy appeal. Merchandise in the flow of traffic in your store. Customers do not want to ask for help when merchandise is placed too high on the shelves. Displays should be at eye level and easily shopped from all sides. If you are in the grocery industry, be sure a cart can get through easily. Try not to merchandise on the ground, as inevitably it will be knocked over by a customer or cart. Stand at the entrance of the store and see if you can see your shop from the angle that the customer sees your shop. Is it visible and inviting from the door? Can you lead your customer into your shop with displays? Is the rear of the department as intriguing as the front? Don’t be afraid to move items within your displays into different areas to see which spot sells the best.

• Price points. Valentine’s Day customers range from adolescence, middle-aged working class to senior citizens on fixed incomes. You have to accommodate all of your customers’ price points. The most common mistake is to not go for high-end customers. According to the National Retail Federation, men plan to spend an average of $108.38 on gifts for their significant other in 2014. Design that high-end, long-stem rose arrangement with mixed flowers as your focal point in the cooler or enhance your display with a “wow” arrangement on the table. This is a holiday that includes both planned and impulse purchases. Be prepared for both.

• Cross merchandise. Valentine’s Day is a holiday where floral can easily incorporate products from other departments. Integrating products such as wine, candy, cards, chocolate-covered strawberries and other bakery items into your display is a great way to create a one-stop-shop for your customer. Just remember, for this one time a year, floral is the star of the show. Make sure your department doesn’t get bogged down and cluttered by displays from other departments.

Use these merchandising tips to create a shop that makes a statement. A great holiday presentation is the equivalent to adding an additional floral associate to your team. When done properly, your displays should create excitement, walk the customer through the entire department, tell them what the latest trends are, and assist with the buying decision.

Preparation is the key, from mapping out your displays to pre-making bows and having vases ready to be custom arranged. Make sure Valentine’s Day 2015 is a memorable one for your customers.

Karli Nelson and Denise McPartland are account managers at The Elite Flower in Miami. They can be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].