No other flower in the world holds such historical significance and universal recognition as the beautiful rose. Declared the United States national flower in 1986 by then president Ronald Reagan, the rose continues to reign supreme as the country’s favorite flower according to U.S. Department of Agriculture domestic and import statistics.

An impressive display of colorful roses at the front of a supermarket floral department encourages customers to purchase roses.While June is technically National Rose Month, July and August are months when roses are abundant and often attractively priced. For these generally slower floral sales months; creative, eye-catching displays will remind your customers why they love roses so much and help boost your bottom line.

• Front and center. Placing a mass display at the front of the store, in a high-traffic area or in the front of the floral department, lets customers know what they should be shopping. A beautiful floral display helps set the tone for the entire store, implying freshness, cleanliness & happiness. Several scientific studies have linked flowers to positive moods. To help improve the moods of your customers as they walk in the door, make sure your large rose display is one of the first things they see.    

• Drive multiple sales.Place greens, fillers and vases in close proximity to your large rose display for shopping ease. Also, keep pre-arranged rose arrangements near your large rose display for a few reasons. They act as a reference for what customers need to buy in order to arrange their own at home, or they are a perfect alternative for those who want something already made and ready-to-go.

• Focus on the details.Since July and August tend to be slower months, try to spend some time giving your rose display those extra touches. A clear or decorated sleeve should be in a position on the bouquet were the roses are clearly visible and the presence of plastic is minimized. Take the time to peel the highly visible guard petals, which will help give the rose an instant facelift. But resist the urge to peel too many petals — the peeling process encourages the rose to open faster and creates ethylene.

• Color. It’s no secret that color plays a key role in fresh flower purchases. Many consumers use color to convey meaning and no other flower seems to such have such color significance as the rose. According to a 2010 study of single-stem rose purchases (by Yue and Behe), red has been and will continue to be the most dominant rose color, especially amongst male consumers. But women have a more diverse color palette, with preferences differing between different age and socioeconomic groups. The study found female consumers who were 40 to 54 years old preferred blue/purple flowers while older females 55 and up preferred peach/pink flowers. The study also found that females with higher incomes preferred white, blue/purple and peach/pink flowers to any other colors. When setting displays at store level — in addition to making sure color meaning charts are clearly visible — identify a target customer and try to appeal to their sense of color.

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