FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
Mercury Messenger
A MESSAGE FROM
Tom
Dear Valued FTD Florists, Thank you for a successful Valentine’s Day! We appreciate your professionalism in delighting so many consumers every day, and it is especially impressive during a holiday. Now that Valentine’s Day is behind us, we are excited to introduce several new and exciting initiatives.
Mother’s Day Blooms Your Business As the largest holiday in the floral industry, Mother’s Day can definitely build and bloom your business. Our product assortment for the holiday is filled with pops of color and palettes as beautiful as Mom. FTD.com will feature the Spring assortment beginning in late February and many of these items are also perfect for holidays like Easter and Administrative Professionals Week, so make sure you’re carrying the containers to generate incoming orders to your shop. The containers will be available all summer long too! FTD Marketplace is offering two spring combo packs (six pieces of each container) to ensure any sized shop can get in the game for codified orders.
First, we know that order volume and higher order values are important aspects of your FTD membership. There are many things you can do to improve your opportunity to receive more orders, including: • C ontinue to uphold your highest quality standards • Accept as many orders as you can (limit rejects or ASKPs) • K e e p yo u r M e rc u r y syste m o n during peak holiday periods (e.g., Mother’s Day) • Maintain active membership status on a regular basis with zero requests to terminate • Purchase or upgrade your Mercury point of sale system • Increase your flower purchases from the FTD Flower Exchange
SPRING COMBO #1
S1/J2
S2/S7
S3/J3
S4
SPRING COMBO #2
Second, we are excited to share that we are offering member florists several e-commerce programs to help you grow your local business. These include our robust email marketing service and eBiz Marketing, our local online listing management program.
S5
S6/J1
S8/S8M
Order now at www.FTDMarketplace.com
Lastly, we are streamlining our codified container assortment for the holidays and every day. Based on feedback from our Florist Advisory Council, we are taking a look at how many unique SKUs we offer and reducing the floral varieties and containers needed to successfully fill FTD orders. We will share more about our go-forward plan soon. I am looking forward to continued growth and building a mutually beneficial partnership with you. We have many business-building initiatives on our roadmap that I believe will continue to drive higher quality orders and reaffirm our position as the best florist partner in the industry.
Birthday Direct Mailer
New Sympathy & Birthday Containers Support Top Occasions
All the best and stay tuned for more exciting news and positive changes at FTD!
Executive Vice President Florist Division
SB7
Sympathy and birthday are the top reasons consumers send flowers to express a sentiment. To support order volume growth in these categories, new codified containers are available now from FTD Marketplace. As the #1 occasion on FTD.com for orders year-round, a birthday direct mailer is being sent out various times throughout the year to new and past purchasers to continue to grow the occasion. The mailer features BD2 (Birthday Brights™), BD3 (Birthday Sprinkles™) and BD4 (Birthday Bliss™).
BD3
Order now at www.FTDMarketplace.com
Check Us Out @MercuryNetwork Make sure you follow @MercuryNetwork on Facebook to learn when we will be going “live” each month to share with you a variety of new products, ideas to grow your business and tips to make the most of your FTD membership. Plus, you get a chance to win free product from us just for letting us know you’re watching!
Email Marketing is Alive and Well As one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your customers, email can grow sales, generate new customers and build loyalty. FTD’s email marketing program is led by a digital marketing specialist who helps you promote your brand and keep your message in front of customers. The program also monitors your campaign results and makes adjustments to generate the largest return. Let us take email marketing off your Mother’s Day “to do” list and create campaigns that can grow your business.
Learn more at www.FTDi.com/OnlineMarketingServices
FTD Boot Camp Network • Business • Design Three sessions in 2020! DATES: June 8–10, 2020 August 3–5, 2020 October 5–7, 2020 LOCATION: Downers Grove, IL — FTD Headquarters Register now for the early bird rate! Learn more at FTDi.com/FTDUniversity/bootcamp
2020 Education Calendar At FTD University, our ultimate goal is to focus on your success and identify opportunities that will help you achieve your goals. Through our education formats, we offer you access to industry leaders and business experts both in-person and online. Further develop your leadership skills today for a successful tomorrow.
Visit www.FTDi.com/FTDUniversity for the full 2020 course calendar.
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A. Fabulous Flowers of Tremont Avenue in Bronx, NY gear up for Valentine’s Day during a visit with FTD. Shown are (left to right) Frankie Villano, FTD Regional Vice President Jim Weedon, Donald Ramdin and FTD Executive Vice
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President Tom Moeller. B. Javier Brun of Dusty’s Flowers located in San Antonio, TX was recognized as a Top 100 Partner in the FTD network. C. Members of the Dalton’s Flowers team in Overland Park, KS were recognized for their 75th anniversary as an FTD Member by FTD Field Business Consultant John Calhoun (far right). D. Rich Mar Florist in Allentown, PA recently sponsored NASCAR driver #52 Garrett Smithley in a successful promotion for the shop. Rich Mar vice president Jonathan Morrissey and his family enjoyed a day at the races which was also promoting breast cancer awareness. E. FTD Regional Vice President Jim Weedon, Sutton Florist owner Bobby Devivo (center) and FTD Executive Vice President Tom Moeller met at the flower shop located in Bronx, NY to talk about Valentine’s Day preparations. F. Visiting with our florist members is important to FTD. Anne Burns of Andrew’s Florist in Indianapolis, IN met up with FTD Regional Vice President Wendy McGoff and FTD Executive Vice President Tom Moeller.
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Delivering an Exceptional Experience FTD makes it easy to send a delivery confirmation with tools that give your delivery driver the ability to notify the customer that their FTD.com order was delivered real-time. FTD Mercury Point of Sale users have access to the FTD Mercury Mobile app for iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) and Android devices. The mobile app enables point of sale users to keep up with the FTD Mercury Dashboard when on the go. FTD Mercury Cloud users have easy access to a dashboard where they can confirm one or multiple orders with the click of one button.
Join us for our new FREE webinar series for Mercury Point of Sale users. Learn more at www.FTDi.com/FTDUniversity under FTD Mercury Webinars. All webinars are recorded and available to watch at your convenience.
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FLORIST SPOTLIGHT
ANCHORAGE FLORAL Seeing Things Differently in 2020 When Adrian Dube of Anchorage Floral located in Alaska, attended Boot Camp in October 2019 on a scholarship she won through FTD, she hit the ground running. Adrian not only attended the three-day workshop full of business and hands-on design classes, she maximized her time by arranging one-on-one meetings with a variety of FTD associates. FTD recently sat down with Adrian to learn more about her experience at FTD Boot Camp and how it changed her perspective going into 2020. Tell us about you and your shop. AD: I’ve owned my shop over 23 years after first working in corporate America. The shop, established in 1978, is a traditional flower shop located in the same neighborhood where I grew up. Anchorage Floral has been an FTD Florist from the very beginning. Why did you decide to attend FTD Boot Camp? AD: Being a part of a well-established business is wonderful, but I wanted to expand my experience and be with younger shop owners and learn more about social media. The link between social media, marketing and sales is vital to today’s business.
Anchorage Floral owner Adrian Dube (center) won a $1,000 scholarship to attend FTD Boot Camp in 2019 along with four other florist scholarship recipients.
Were the additional meetings you set up while at FTD headquarters beneficial? AD: I met one-on-one with my FTD “team” from ecommerce to member services and they helped strengthen connections and provided an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how I can benefit from the services I have with FTD. Do you think Boot Camp is helpful for new and tenured floral professionals? AD: There is so much material covered during the workshop, it is beneficial for both. Time is given to student sharing, so the mixed experience levels bring different perspectives and knowledge to the entire class.
Why did you apply for the $1,000 scholarship from FTD to attend Boot Camp?
A snow covered storefront at Anchorage Floral
AD: I applied on a whim after receiving an email about it. I am so glad I took advantage of the opportunity! The money helped pay for the tuition and some of my travel expenses.
What do you value about your FTD partnership? AD: I love the technology and the support it provides. My FTD Marketplace and fresh flower reps are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. And, the educational opportunities, like Boot Camp, and the online seminars are first rate.
What are some of the things you learned at the workshop that will impact your business? AD: I learned a great deal about social media and its use for marketing and branding. I came away with a better understanding of branding’s usefulness. My greatest takeaway was the distinction between owner/manager and design functions. Since I have a design background, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of the shop and neglect the managing/planning/marketing. Now, I’m focusing more on my owner/manager duties.
What would you say to a florist unsure about the value of attending Boot Camp? AD: Continuing education is very valuable – not only for learning and keeping up-todate on new trends and technology, but also for the confidence boost that it gives you. FTD provides many opportunities for high-quality education and it’s important to take advantage of it!
What did you like about the instructors and format of the workshop? AD: The instructors speak from real world experience and could relate well to the students and provide practical answers. The camp is informal and relaxed, and allows for plenty of learning from other attendees.
Adrian Dube participates in a hands-on design session at FTD Boot Camp.
For more information about FTD Boot Camp, visit www.FTDi.com/FTDUniversity. Scholarships are available. The application deadline is March 1.
FTD Florists and Designers Celebrate
“The Power of Hope”
at the Rose Parade®
The 2020 Roses Parade theme, “The Power of Hope,” provided the perfect way to start off a new year and decade — on an optimistic note that with hope, everything is possible. Once again, FTD was the Official Floral Company of the Tournament of Roses and the Sponsor of the Rose Parade Float Awards which recognize excellence in a variety of categories.
FTD Florist sweepstakes winner Tom Williams (right) from Mark Knox Flowers in Odessa, TX and partner Chris Collum AIFD
This year’s FTD sweepstakes winner, Tom Williams, TMF, and partner Chris Collum AIFD, TMF, received an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game, among other perks. Tom is the manager of Mark Knox Flowers in Odessa, Texas, and Chris is the manager of Flowerland in Midland, Texas. Conducting and overseeing the behind-the-scenes work is FTD Education Consultant J. Keith White AIFD. He’s served as the FTD Lead Designer of the Rose Parade’s VIP Entries for the past 16 years. Keith and Pete Samek AIFD, an FTD Quality Services Representative, along with the skilled design team, decorated 10 vehicles that carry the parade’s special guests. Approximately 12,000 stems provided by the FTD Flower Exchange and California flower growers were used to decorate the antique vehicles and carriages.
An impressively decorated antique fire truck by the FTD Design team was the carrier of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees
“Keith is an amazing designer and I have always loved his work,” Tom says. “This year’s colors and grouping on the cars were amazing! A lot of people and effort go into the parade and festivities, and there are a ton of floral products used! This was definitely a ‘Wow’ experience.” Reflecting on the Rose Parade experience, Tom concludes, “Life is short. So, travel whenever possible and make memories! I want to send a huge thank you to FTD for this memorable travel experience.” Lead designer J. Keith White AIFD (right) and Rose Parade Grand Marshal Rita Moreno take a test ride in her beautifully decorated VIP Vehicle
Special thanks to the following FTD Florists that provide floral décor on FTD’s behalf for a variety of events for the Rose Parade: Jacob Maarse Florist, Pasadena, California The Enchanted Florist, Burbank, California The Flower Factory, Tarzana, California Flowers by Robert Taylor, West Covina, Californiabv
Yellow strawflower is used to decorate the FTD branded signs on the VIP vehicles in the Rose Parade
Together We Grow FTD is focused on the success of our Florist Partners.
Leadership Development
Innovation & Store Operations
Comprehensive Marketing Tools
Unique Designs to Drive Orders
Exceptional Supply & Quality
TO LEARN MORE FTDi.com/grow | 800.788.9000 | floristrelations@ftdi.com
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