With the prom season just around the corner our thoughts naturally turn to the trends, colors and newest accessories prom-goers will be looking for when ordering their prom flowers. As important as these things are, if the focus remains only on the design, we may become blinded by the bling and the real opportunity to generate more sales, bring in new customers and establish ourselves as the place to shop for creative and innovative prom designs.

One of the big misconceptions is that prom is a necessary nuisance, when in reality prom ranks in the top four floral sales events each year after Thanksgiving/Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Prom also presents the perfect opportunity to practice add-on and up-selling techniques.

Having a good assortment of bling on hand is a must if you want to be competitive in creating one-of-a-kind prom designs like these. Photo courtesy Fitz DesignProm shoppers are looking for floral designs to accessorize their outfits, so picking a production-style design from the cooler just won’t do. Each customer will want to select specific items that enhance her dress or match certain colors, and that’s where the bling comes in.

There’s no doubt bling is hot and the prom kids want it. Rhinestones, feathers, chains, pearls, decorative wire — they’re all on trend and what you’ll see in prom fashions.

From a designer’s perspective, it’s important to understand what is trending and what prom-goers are looking for. Having a good assortment of bling and enhancements on-hand to create innovative designs is a must if you want to be competitive. Understanding what is trending and what prom-goers are looking for takes a little research, which is easily accessible through social media or visits to local dress stores. Perusing prom magazines that debut in early January is another good idea.

From a sales and numbers perspective, the real motivation behind adding bling and accessories to prom offerings should be the ease in which they become an affordable up-sell. Customers want their flowers to look unique and reflect their personal style. Adding enhancements into a corsage or boutonniere is a simple way to personalize the design, while at the same time increasing the average sale. Bling and accessories have actual value but they also have a lot of perceived value, meaning that by adding just a few items such as a feather or brooch, a corsage can appear to be much more expensive, helping to increase the cost-of-goods-sold margins.

Bling reaches farther than just the traditional corsage and boutonniere. Floral accessories such as rings, necklaces and hairpieces often feature brooches, pearls, feathers and decorative wire as the focal point. Not only can one up-sell what is being used to create these floral jewelry designs, the design itself is an add-on sale.

The prom market is competitive and capturing it opens doors to a whole new audience of flower buyers. Their expectations are high and they’re not opposed to paying for what they want. Keep in mind that this generation of shoppers is accustomed to shopping around, so don’t be offended if they say they’ll come back or refer to their phones for inspiration. By knowing what is trending, having the flowers, accessories and bling they’re looking for on hand, paired with offering personalize designs that are value-added, you’ll stake your claim as the go-to place for prom.

Suzie Kostick is director of marketing at Fitz Design in Port Charlotte, FL. She can be contacted at [email protected].