JULY 2018
Mercury Messenger
NEW AT FTD PG. 3
MILESTONE FLORIST ANNIVERSARIES PG. 5 INTRODUCING THE DESIGNER'S WORKSHOP COLLECTION PG. 6
WHAT'S NEW
LETTER FROM TOM Hello FTD Florists! We made some great moves during Mother’s Day. I extend my thanks to all of you who worked closely with FTD and capitalized on the multiple changes we made to work differently this holiday.
FTD TO HOST INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION IN PHILADELPHIA
As I shared with you in the last edition of the Mercury Messenger, we are actively taking steps to reach the goals outlined in our five-year Strategic Plan, including: •
Recreating a network of strong partnerships with the world’s best florists.
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Investing heavily in technology, starting with a redesigned FTD.com and new online florist websites that greatly improve the consumer shopping experience.
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Introducing the FTD Designer’s Workshop Collection to differentiate and elevate the FTD brand with bouquets featuring unique flowers and recipes that rotate on a quarterly basis for an always-fresh assortment.
I encourage you to mark your calendars now for March 1-3, 2019. That’s when the best floral designers in the world will come together in Philadelphia for FTD World Cup 2019. This is the first time the competition has been held in the United States since 1985. Don’t miss your chance to join us at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show and see who claims the coveted title of Interflora World Champion. Finally, I extend my congratulations to the 200 shops celebrating milestone anniversaries starting at 25 years with FTD in 2018. Two shops, Shotwell Floral & Greenhouse in Fargo, ND and Doebel’s Flowers LLC in Clyde, OH are both celebrating 100 years as FTD Member Florists in 2018 – that is truly remarkable and we are thankful for their longstanding partnership. We wouldn’t be FTD without all of you.
Executive Vice President Florist Division
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Floral artists from around the globe will come together at the world’s most prestigious floral design competition and vie for the coveted title of Interflora World Champion during FTD World Cup 2019. The competition, organized and hosted by FTD, will be held at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show. This is the first time the competition has been held in the United States since 1985 and you don’t want to miss it – mark your calendars now for March 1-3! FTD and the United States will be represented in the competition by the winner of the FTD America’s Cup, which was held in early July at the AIFD National Symposium in Washington, DC. Be sure to head to FTDWorldCup2019.com to learn more about the event and the competitors.
Follow the event @ftdworldcup2019
#ftdworldcup
BOOST YOUR EVENT AND WEDDING BUSINESS We’re excited to present an encore opportunity for one lucky designer to intern with Ian – Ian Prosser AIFD, that is! The winner of the FTD Intern with Ian contest will work side by side with Ian as he brings his vision for a high-profile wedding to life. If you have dreams of elevating your event and wedding business, this is the contest for you. The contest runs from July 23 through August 20. Enter at www.FTDi.com/InternwithIan.
New
AT FTD
FTD is making strong strides toward the goals first outlined in February by CEO John Walden. Among the goals comprising FTD’s five-year Strategic Plan are rebuilding a strong FTD brand of which we can all be proud and recreating a network of strong partnerships with the world’s best florists. We are also developing unique and integrated technology services to help our members meet rising consumer expectations. Keep reading to learn more about the progress we have made so far.
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INNOVATIVE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION TEXT FEATURE FTD's new text message delivery confirmation service, rolled out at Mother’s Day, is available for use year round. The service is compatible with FTD Mercury Point of Sale, Mercury Direct and Mercury Cloud and can be used on any cell phone with texting capability. Delivery drivers can report orders as delivered in real time in just a few simple steps. Instructions for using the service can be found at www.FTDi.com/quality/delivery/tools.htm
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FTD ON THE MOVE This fall, FTD is relocating its headquarters to downtown Chicago, a move designed to strengthen FTD’s position as the world’s leading floral innovator. FTD CEO John Walden was joined by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to officially announce the move at a press conference in May that also included FTD Lead Floral Designer Andrea Ancel demonstrating floral design. Certain FTD functions will remain in the Downers Grove, IL location, including all the teams that support FTD Florists.
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NEW MOBILE-CENTRIC FTD.COM SITE LAUNCHED Shortly before Mother’s Day, FTD launched a new FTD.com website with show-stopping photography that showcases the work you do every day as an artisan florist. The new site supports the increase in consumers shopping on mobile devices and also looks great on other devices, including desktops. The new site is far easier to navigate and has led to increased consumer satisfaction, which can lead to more orders for you. Only a portion of online traffic will see the new site as we continue to test and learn from our Mother’s Day launch, so check back often if you don’t see it today.
INVESTING IN FLORIST TECHNOLOGIES We’re excited to share that we are currently developing a new online solution for florists to dramatically improve the consumer shopping experience. It will be mobile-friendly and fully customizable to meet the needs of each flower shop. Shops will also have access to a system that can easily manage content with real-time site updates. FTD CEO John Walden (right) poses with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FURTHER
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A. FTD Senior Quality Manager Keith Harbison (left) and Regional Vice President of National Accounts Ed Cronin (right) paid a visit to John Looby and Eileen Looby Weber of Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, IL. Lake Forest Flowers celebrated 100 years in business in 2017. B. Florist Business Unit Executive Vice President Tom Moeller (left) and Regional Vice President Jim Weedon (right) congratulate Field Business Consultant Dave Galvin (center) on his upcoming retirement at the recent FTD National Sales Meeting. C. Florist Business Unit Executive Vice President Tom Moeller (left) and Regional Vice President of National Accounts Ed Cronin (right) visited Anton Engelmann of Town & Country Gardens, which has multiple locations in the western Chicago suburbs, prior to Mother’s Day.
SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING The recipients of this year’s FTD University scholarships have been selected to attend an industry-leading continuing education program to help them support their business and career development. Each recipient was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to attend FTD Boot Camp, AIFD National Symposium or SAF Convention. To view a complete list of the recipients, visit www.FTDi.com/ftduniversity/scholarshiprecipients.htm.
JOIN US FOR FTD BOOT CAMP There’s still time to register for the October 1-3 session of FTD Boot Camp and enjoy early–bird savings. FTD Boot Camp is the perfect blend of business, design and quality training and is taught by AIFD designers in a small classroom setting to generate discussion. Come find out why it is consistently rated our top education course! When you register by August 1, you’ll receive $100 off registration. Learn more and register at www.FTDi.com/ftduniversity/bootcamp.
New
HOW-TO VIDEOS AVAILABLE Based on great feedback, we’ve added eight new how-to design videos to the Mercury Network YouTube channel. The lineup includes bouquets from the new FTD Designer’s Workshop Collection, exquisite holiday designs and the ever-popular Color Confections Collection™ . Our goal in creating these videos was to help you execute popular designs with the highest possible accuracy and quality for improved customer satisfaction. YouTube.com/FTDMercuryNetwork
FLORIST SPOTLIGHT MEMBERS CELEBRATE MILESTONE
Anniversaries 100 YEARS
Doebel’s Flowers LLC Clyde, OH Shotwell Floral & Greenhouse Fargo, ND
Congratulations to FTD Member Florists celebrating major milestone anniversaries in 2018. We are grateful for your longstanding partnership and celebrate your shop’s success. Nearly 200 florists will receive a recognition plaque in 2018 in honor of a milestone anniversary, beginning at 25 years with FTD.
75
YEARS
Flower Patch Provo, UT Green Bay Floral & Greenhouse Green Bay, WI Shinkles’ Flower Shop & Greenhouse Temperance, MI
50
YEARS
Azle Florist Azle, TX
Grand Florist Maspeth, NY
Park Florist Richmond, CA
Corum Flower Shop Manchester, KY
Herman J. Heyl Florists & Greenhouse Inc. Pittsburgh, PA
Petree’s Flowers, Inc. Knoxville, TN
Feldis Florist & Greenhouses Garden City South, NY Floreria Embassy Guayaquil, Ecuador Flowers by George, Inc. Arlington, WA Flowers by Jerry Rochester, MN Flynn’s Flowers & Fruit Baskets Edison, NJ Goshen Floral & Gift Shop Inc. Goshen, IN
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Jacob Maarse Florists Pasadena, CA
Phillips-Kifer Flowers Clarion, PA
Lansing Floral & Greenhouse Lansing, IL
Pontiac Greenhouses Florist & Garden Center Pontiac, IL
Magnolia Flower and Gift Shop Clarksville, TN
Port Washington Florist Inc. Port Washington, NY
McKean’s Flowers Ltd. New Glasgow, NS
Sunset Florist & Greenhouse Spokane, WA
Monrovia Floral Monrovia, CA
Soderberg's Floral & Gift Minneapolis, MN
Nix Florist Hampton, SC
Toni’s Flower Shop Galion, OH
QUALITY CORNER DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS WITH THE
Designer’s Workshop Collection FTD is proud to introduce the Designer's Workshop Collection, our first collection to truly differentiate the FTD brand and the skills of our artisan florist network. This exciting new line is the perfect mix of modern and natural, free-flowing designs. You're going to love it - and your customers will too. The collection will launch on FTD. com in late July. The following tips can help position you for success designing and delivering the FTD Designer’s Workshop Collection. We have also created several how-to design videos showcasing FTD Designer’s Workshop bouquets. You can view them at YouTube.com/FTDMercuryNetwork.
1 Carefully review bouquet recipes before codifying Carefully review bouquet recipes in the Product Recipe Catalog found at www.FTDi.com/Quality to ensure correct stem count and prevent customer disappointment.
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The recipes will be updated quarterly In order to provide a continuously fresh and seasonal assortment for your customers, the Designer's Workshop recipes will be updated every quarter. Based on performance, some existing bouquets might stay in the assortment while other new recipes are introduced. The good news is that the new bouquets will feature existing Designer's Workshop containers, so you can feel confident purchasing them from FTD Marketplace.
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Some flowers should not be substituted
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The visual aspect of these designs is extremely important and vital to customer satisfaction. Therefore, the following flowers, which if omitted will change the uniqueness of the design, should not be substituted: Blue Thistle Brunia Cymbidium Orchids Gerbera Daisies Green Trick Dianthus Hydrangea Leucadendron Ornamental Kale Sunflowers Veronica
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The containers will also be used in holiday and everyday codified designs
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Two of the containers, 1870 and 1871, are also featured in Fall and Christmas codified designs, so be sure to stock up on these particular containers.
blog.ftdi.com To learn more about the FTD Designer’s Workshop, contact FTD Marketplace at 800.767.4000.