It’s not as big as Valentine’s Day but for those of us selling balloons, it’s the second best single sales day of the year. For the last 20years, I’ve spent time touring supermarket floral departments and helping to execute planned balloon programs. This time at retail is the most effective way to understand the challenges and watch the execution of balloons during one of the busiest balloon holidays of the year.  As you know, the best-laid plans for merchandising and execution can be foiled by labor shorts, inexperienced staff, or staff not following directions. We’ve all seen this, right?

So, here are my favorite tips for Mother’s Day balloon execution:

Inflate larger balloons at the end of April. These jumbos, singing balloons and helium shapes float longer and alert your consumers that you have the gifts they need for Mother’s Day. It also gets some of the work out of the way before the fresh flowers arrive and need attention.

Don’t worry about the other stores near your shopping center that also sell balloons. Seriously. Here’s what I know for sure: Wherever the customer shops, that is where they will buy balloons. Balloons are a blind item — they are purchased wherever the consumer is already shopping.

Keep like styles and price points floating together. So often I walk into a store and see a very confusing cluster of balloons, all different sizes and prices. It’s so hard to decipher what I want to buy. Keep similar balloons together to make a stronger merchandising impact.

Stick balloons should be out on the floor in early April. Teach your cashiers to look for them as an add-on in the consumer bunches. If there is a UPC sticker on the balloon, it must be scanned separately, otherwise the balloon leaves the store for free.

Inflate all remaining balloons at least five days before Mother’s Day. You’ll be too busy with fresh product to inflate if you wait until the day before. Trust me on this. I’ve seen this mistake over and over. It is a painful problem because it costs the store sales and stresses out the staff.

Finally, expect your supplier to create a visual timeline for your stores to follow for inflation and display. Don’t assume your in-store team will know how to tackle this holiday, and don’t spend your precious time creating it — that’s what a smart balloon vendor does for you as a value-added service.  

Elissa Mast is president and chief executive officer at E&R Sales in Richmond, VA. She can be contacted at 800/234-7474 or [email protected].