MOTHERS’S DAY 2021
PLANNING GUIDE together we make her day special
Partnering for success FTD appreciates everything you do to create gorgeous bouquets and floral arrangements for your customers. This Mother’s Day, thousands upon thousands of orders will be sent through the Mercury Network to talented FTD Florists like you, who will brighten your customers’ days with beautiful arrangements. To help make your Mother’s Day as successful as possible, we put together this planning guide with best practices, tips to help you attract more orders, and tools to help you market your shop. Because Together We Grow. We wish you a successful Mother’s Day and thank you for your partnership.
Executive Vice President, Florist
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
2
CO NTENTS 4 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS 5 MOTHER’S DAY CHECKLIST 6 FLOWER LIST 7 SUBSTITUTION 8 FULFILLMENT 9 DELIVERY 10
OPTIMIZING YOUR SITE
11
EMAIL MARKETING
13
SOCIAL MEDIA
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR MOTHER’S DAY Visit FTDi.com/MothersDay for additional information — including bouquet‑specific design tips, substitution guidance & more.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
3
PROJ EC TED B EST S ELLERS
1
2
3
C5375 LIGHT OF MY LIFE $58 $73 $90
BDB BEST DAY $66 $80 $93 $109
7
14
SNB SUNNY SENTIMENTS $58 $68 $78
16
S5272 BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT $85 $102 $120
12
TSB TRULY STUNNING $82 $100 $118
15
21-S1 LAVENDER BLISS $75 $90 $110
11
21-S8 ROSÉ ALL DAY $75 $90 $105
6
10
21-S7 LIFE’S A PEACH $60 $72 $90 $120
13
SSB SWEET SURPRISES $58 $68 $78
9
CGY HELLO SUNSHINE $60 $75 $95
5
CGP FIESTA $65 $80 $100
8
4
21-S2 FLUTTER BY $60 $72 $92 $122
Prices shown reflect delivered prices and are subject to change. The assortment was revised on April 1 to provide you with a more accurate forecast and eliminate items with container inventory constraints.
21-S5 MARIPOSA $58 $72 $90
S5286 RADIANCE IN BLOOM $90 $110 $130
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
21-S9 SWEET THING $62 $75 $95 $125
EO-6022 FLORIST DESIGNED $50 $65 $80 $100
FTD Bouquet
ProFlowers Bouquet
All SRPs were increased on April 12 based on higher wholesale prices in the market.
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
4
M OTH ER ’ S DAY C H EC K LIST
THINGS TO DO eview the projected best sellers for Mother’s Day and R project how much product you need to fill incoming orders. For your shop’s order estimate, contact your Marketplace representative at 800.767.4000. eview the ZIP codes where you deliver and same‑day R delivery cut‑off times. To view the ZIP codes linked to your shop, go to your FTD Florist Scorecard or call Member Services at 800.788.9000. pdate how many FTD orders you can fill on your Order U Capacity Tool in Florist Link. Instead of suspending your system, update your order capacity in the Admin Tool. Find more information. rain your staff on the importance of sending delivery T confirmations in a timely manner. The deadline to send in a delivery confirmation is 7 pm local time. Familiarize yourself with the substitution guidance for each arrangement. evelop a backup plan in case you need more delivery D capacity. Learn more about how our FTD Delivery Service can assist you. Check out our free business-building webinars on YouTube.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
TECHNOLOGY crub your existing email database & add new customers to S prepare for your new marketing campaigns. erchandise your website with Mother’s Day products & M promotions. If you have questions, call FTD’s Florist Online team at 800.576.6721. quip your drivers with mobile phones and the FTD Mercury E Delivery App. To learn more, download the app or call the FTD Technology Sales team at 800.767.3222. or Mercury Cloud users, make sure your staff is trained to F review orders frequently and acknowledge all orders as soon as possible.
PRODUCTS eview results from last Mother’s Day to determine which R items & price points were most profitable. earn about offers and promotions from FTD Marketplace by L calling 800.767.4000 or visiting FTDMarketplace.com. Pre-book fresh flowers or order labor saver bouquets from FTD Flower Exchange by calling 800.767.4000 or visiting FTDFlowerExchange.com.
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
5
FLOWER LIST ALSTROEMERIA
Hot Pink Orange Pink Yellow
DOUBLE LISIANTHUS
STANDARD CARNATION
MINI CARNATION
BUTTON POMPON
CUSHION POMPON
DAISY POMPON
Fuchsia Hot Pink Lavender Pale Pink Pink Purple
Hot Pink Pale Pink
Green Yellow
Lavender
Lavender Purple White Yellow
FUJI MUM
GERBERA DAISY
HYDRANGEA
MINI HYDRANGEA
HYPERICUM BERRY
Pink Purple White
Green
Orange
White
Green
Green Peach
LA HYBRID LILY
LIMONIUM
50 CM ROSE
SPRAY ROSE
SNAPDRAGON
SOLIDAGO
Orange Pink
Lavender
Hot Pink Ivory Pale Pink Peach Pink Red Yellow
Orange Pink Red
Yellow
STATICE
STOCK
SUNFLOWER
TRICK DIANTHUS
GREENS
Purple
Fuchsia Pink Purple
Green
Israeli Ruscus Ivy vines Leatherleaf Salal
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
6
SU B STIT U TI O N
SUBSTITUTION GUIDANCE It is extremely important that FTD Florists have the flowers available to create the arrangements ordered to meet customer expectations. If you find that you are out of a flower needed for a recipe, it is important to substitute with a flower of comparable color and value. A visual guide to proper substitution is available for all of the bouquets in the Mother’s Day Collection. Our Florist Quality Team, comprised of seasoned floral industry experts, is available to assist any FTD florist with order fulfillment and substitution guidance best practices to ensure customer satisfaction with every delivery.
Delivering an exceptional customer experience is our top priority.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
7
FU LFI LLM ENT TOP 10 FULFILLMENT TIPS Planning and prepping is crucial to a successful business. Increase productivity and customer satisfaction levels for everyday operations with some simple tips. Look for bouquet-specific design tips in the Product Recipe Catalog.
1
2
3
PURCHASE SMART When possible, purchase your flowers in the correct stem lengths to maximize profit margins.
ORDER EARLY Order product to match the timing of your production schedule and the proper stem counts to match your recipes.
ENSURE HYDRATION Keep flowers properly hydrated (including floral preservatives) to provide for the proper fullness in each design.
4
5
6
7
TAKE CARE IN HANDLING To prevent ethylene buildup, remove any dead or dying petals and leaves, and do not submerge foliage below the water line.
PROPERLY SOAK FOAM Gently place floral foam in a large enough water reservoir to allow for the foam to fill with water at its own pace. Don’t force underwater.
SCALE FOR SUCCESS Keep scale and dimensions in mind when building each design. This is key to your customers’ perception and satisfaction.
USE RIBBON SPARINGLY Ribbon should only be used when called for in the recipe and only in the manner in which it is described.
8
9
10
PACKAGE CAREFULLY Determine packaging per item prior to each holiday to ensure safe delivery.
CHECK WATER Check water daily on all of your premade arrangements prior to delivery.
DESIGN ONE BY ONE When a bouquet is offered in multiple sizes, concentrate on one recipe at a time to help ensure proper stem counts in each design.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
8
D ELIVERY
PROOF OF DELIVERY GUIDANCE Sometimes deliveries don’t go as planned or the recipient is not at home. Please note that sending a delivery confirmation is not considered proof of delivery. A photo of an arrangement left on a porch will be accepted as proof of delivery in place of a signature by the recipient. Photos that include the house number are preferrable, if possible. When emailing a photo to FTD customer service as proof of delivery, the subject line should include the Mercury order number and the recipient’s last name. A delivery log should include the Mercury order number, date, time and a valid signature for each order. Time of delivery is required for all business and funeral deliveries.
ALL ORDERS MUST BE CONFIRMED BY 7 PM ON THE DELIVERY DATE
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
If you have questions about proof of delivery, please contact customerservicect@ftdi.com.
EXPLORE MORE TIPS FOR DELIVERY BEST PRACTICES
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
9
O PTI M IZI N G YO U R S ITE
MERCHANDISE YOUR WEBSITE FOR SUCCESS Increase your Mother’s Day orders with optimization strategies. 1. Feature your best-sellers on your homepage for quick accessibility. 2. Make sure delivery areas and fees are accurate and up to date. 3. Post custom products on your website to showcase your artistry. 4. Update online prices for your Mother’s Day products. 5. Add new content to your site and update SEO keywords to improve your shop’s performance in organic (non‑paid) search results. 6. Consider a pay-per-click online advertising campaign to promote your website to consumers searching for flowers. 7. Use an online listing management tool, like our eBiz Marketing program, to ensure your directory listings are accurate and your shop doesn’t miss out on being at the top of the list in search results. 8. Stay connected to your customers and drive traffic to your site with our Email Marketing services.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
10
EMAI L MAR K E TI N G
BEST PRACTICES FROM FTD’S EXPERTS • Send marketing emails only to customers or leads that have opted-in. • Make the “From” line your store name or one that is identifiable. • Subject lines should be short and concise enough to pique interest, drive subscribers to open the email and learn more. • Entice users to open your emails by including a pre‑header — a preview section that appears in inboxes. • A clear and compelling call-to-action button (e.g. Shop Now) should be above the fold (within the top 360 pixels). This is the area subscribers first see after opening the message.
Email marketing is a extremely efficient and cost effective way to directly impact your bottom line and grow your business. It is an essential method to drive traffic to your website for holidays as well as stay connected with your customers for everyday orders.
• Test sending your emails in the early morning or late evening to find the optimal time to drive opens and clicks. • Remind past customers of an annual occasion when they purchased flowers from you to drive a repeat purchase for other occasions. • Send your recipients to landing pages that make sense based on your email copy or promotion that provides a seamless transition to making a purchase. • Always include a one-click “unsubscribe” link in every email you send.
99% OF CONSUMERS CHECK THEIR PERSONAL EMAIL EVERY DAY*
• Use a professional service, such as FTD’s Email Marketing program, to save time and drive traffic to your site.
*Source: DMA, 2017
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
11
EMAI L MAR K E TI N G
5 WAYS TO I N CR E A S E YO U R E MAI L S U B SCR I B E R LI ST 1 Ask for an email when taking a phone order to send an order confirmation and then a delivery confirmation.
2 Collect an email address for all orders taken on your website.
3 Add an email marketing sign-up on your Facebook Business Page.
4 Run a contest (online or in‑store) to win a free bouquet and require participants to sign up with their email address. Give additional entries if they share the content on social media.
5 Offer a coupon or promotion in exchange for an email address.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
12
SOCIAL M EDIA
LET’S GET SOCIAL Social media is an incredibly effective and low cost way to promote your business. Keep customers engaged by constantly updating your accounts with images of your bouquets, behind the scenes exclusives & more! FACEBOOK Post photos of your preparations and promotions on Facebook. For a small fee to Facebook, you can boost your posts to reach a larger audience.
DOWNLOAD SAMPLE IMAGES
INSTAGRAM While designing, stop for a moment and post photos of your creations. Instagram has unique editing features so you can enhance photos before uploading them. You can instantly share your post on other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Instagram Stories are another way you can reach your audience with quick glimpses of your business.
DOS AND DON’TS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA 9 Use content-driven posts to 9 Don’t just ask to “like” or “follow” gain followers and potential your page, give them a reason customers. (sneak peeks, giveaways, etc.). 9 Engage your audience with posts that encourage discussion.
9 Don’t post photos without a caption.
9 Focus on sharing your brand story across all social channels.
9 Don’t post personal information.
9 Plan your posts with a social media calendar.
MOTHER’S DAY PLANNING GUIDE
9 Don’t share content that isn’t about your business or a related product.
FTDI.COM/MOTHERSDAY
13
STAY CONNECTED Get the latest FTD news, events, education, promotions & more... @MercuryNetwork
@FTDMercuryNetwork
blog.ftdi.com ©2021 FTD, LLC · 1685
