Teleflora's 2018 Mother's Day Success Guide

2018 MOTHER’S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE TREND REPORTS | ASK A FLORIST | TOP 12 BEST SELLERS | MARKETING MODULES

LIZ STOCKER CFD

SEIFERT'S FLOWER MILL, NORTH CANTON, OH

2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

APRIL MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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Confirm Mother’s Day temps and delivery drivers

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17 Look for your May directory, arriving in shops this week

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Download the Social Media Kit from the Mother’s Day Toolbox on MyTeleflora.com

Flowerbuyer.com auctions every Tuesday and Thursday

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FRIDAY

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Are you open on Mother’s Day? Let us know at MyTeleflora.com or by calling 800.569.8302

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Display merchandising items from Teleflora’s FSG Update Kit

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20 Mother’s Day prep Staff Meeting

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27 Send Mother’s Day Statement Stuffers and other mailers

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MAY MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

1 Upload custom Mother’s Day SKUs and update pricing on your eFlorist site

Green and prep vases for Mother’s Day

9 Last chance to order via Flowerbuyer.com Auction

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15 Replace Mother’s Day merchandising with Everyday bouquets

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Are you open on Mother’s Day? Let us know at MyTeleflora.com or by calling 800.569.8302

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MOTHER’S DAY IS SUNDAY, MAY 13TH

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FRIDAY

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Last day to order your flowers on Flowerbuyer.com using priority overnight

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18 Email coupon to first-time Mother’s Day customers

This Mother's Day, Teleflora continues to encourage consumers to show their love in a big way, by reminding people of the power of a hand-crafted bouquet. See our national marketing campaign coming soon!

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

CONTENTS 4 6 7 8 9 10 12 14

TREND REPORTS: 2018 Mother’s Day trends include a nod to the Victorian era and inspiration from France. Check out how to incorporate these trends into your Mother’s Day merchandising.

ASK A FLORIST: Teleflora partner florists describe their biggest lessons learned from past holidays.

TOP 12 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS: Find out which bouquets will be a hit with your customers this season.

VONDA LAFEVER: Teleflora Education Specialist and floral shop designer gives advice on merchandising holiday containers for everyday use.

DOVE POS: Learn about tools you can use before and during the holiday rush.

SOCIAL INFLUENCERS: See how even small businesses can work with local influencers.

SOCIAL ENGAGMENT: Crystal Vilkaitis of Social Edge shows how to boost customer loyalty and engagement with new tools on Instagram.

EMAIL MARKETING: Customers gravitate toward email for Mother’s Day deals – give them what they are looking for.

2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

TREND REPORTS VICTORIAN CHIC

MERCHANDISING TIP: Play up pastels with watercolor signage, cards or art in your store.

Teleflora’s Winged Beauty Bouquet

LUXURIOUS LAVENDER

Teleflora’s All Eyes On You Bouquet

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MERCHANDISING TIP: Ombre is a continuing trend. This holiday, focus on purple ombre in candles, fabrics or flowers for a display.

2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

NATURAL BEAUTY

MERCHANDISING TIP: Merchandise the container in a way to emphasize the FDA-approved serve and store feature! Add cookies or kitchen utensils to show its versatility in the kitchen.

Teleflora’s Country Beauty Bouquet

FREE-FLOWING WHIMSY

MERCHANDISING TIP: Offer a letter writing station for customers to write a hand-written note to Mom to accompany their bouquets.

Teleflora’s Wildflower In Flight Bouquet

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

ASK A FLORIST What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from past Mother's Day holidays?

“I've learned that creating special package deals in advance is a great way to increase add-on sales. An arrangement in a Teleflora vase, a balloon and candy make a great package. Customers like easy decisions, especially if they know they are getting a slight discount for a package deal.”

CARLA FUSSELL, MANAGER, CULLMAN FLORIST, CULLMAN, AL

“Plan, plan, plan – Take notes each year to get new ideas from the staff right after the holiday, record number of arrangements you sold, know how many temps you need. Train staff on selling best sellers. Start planning early.”

SANDI YOSHIHARA-SNIFF, AIFD, AAF, CPF, GENERAL MANAGER OF LAFAYETTE FLORIST, LAFAYETTE, CO

“There are always multiple functions going on that week. From prom, college graduation, to weddings, it’s going to be super busy so stay super organized.

Take great notes from year to year so your shop can be prepared.”

HELEN MILLER, AIFD, CAFA, CF, OWNER, FLOWERS & SUCH, ADRIAN, MI

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

TOP 12 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS

Teleflora’s Winged Beauty Bouquet T18M100A

Teleflora’s All Eyes On You Bouquet T18M200A

Teleflora’s Country Beauty Bouquet T18M300A

Teleflora’s Wildflower In Flight Bouquet T18M400A

Teleflora’s Heart’s Pirouette Bouquet TEV55-1A

Pretty Please TEV12-4A

How Sweet It Is T46-1A

Enchanted Cottage T50-1A

Teleflora's Polka Dots And Posies T52-3A

Cotton Candy T37-1A

Arrive In Style T55-2A

Full of Love Bouquet TEV24-2A

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

MERCHANDISING CONTAINERS FOR EVERYDAY

By Vonda LaFever

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How do you decide which products will work for everyday use?

You should always ask yourself, ‘What other functions or opportunities could this container be used for?

What other places could I imagine this container? What could be done with it after it’s a vase?’ That’s the key. Teleflora has nailed it lately with products that can be used beyond the holiday.

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Do you think customers want keepsake containers?

Some shops don’t want to invest in higher-end containers, which I think is a mistake. You can make a good margin on the container, as well as the flowers, and make the customers happy. Especially with Mother’s Day containers, you can buy more than you need for Mother's Day and sell the products through the summer.

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Any general advice for using holiday containers for everyday?

In general, higher-end containers are better suited for special occasions like birthday and anniversary bouquets.

Colors can also dictate after-use potential. For example, the Country Beauty container is a lovely teal color, which is perfect for housewarming bouquets because it’s a common home décor color.

Vonda LaFever AIFD, CFD, PFCI is a Teleflora Education Specialist and Vice President of TeamFloral. With over 42 years of experience, she has owned and managed her own retail shop in Dixon, IL for more than 20 years.

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

3 WAYS DOVE POS KEEPS YOUR MOTHER’S DAY BUSINESS RUNNING SMOOTHLY Do you want to increase sales, streamline your shop’s deliveries and easily integrate additional staff into your operations?

DOVE POS CAN HELP YOU PREPARE FOR THE MOTHER’S DAY MARATHON:

1.

ADVANCED MARKETING: Don’t wait. Start your

marketing today! Get proactive and email your customers, reminding them to purchase their Mother’s Day bouquets.

We’ve provided several Mother’s Day email templates within the Advanced Marketing module for you to customize and send with just one click. You can also mail postcards at the same time. Send today and see the orders roll in.

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DELIVERY MANAGER: Streamline your

shop’s deliveries to save on fuel and drive time.

With Delivery Manager, you can: • Receive alerts for timed delivery requests • Provide your drivers with turn-by-turn navigation • Automatically map all deliveries into optimized, timesaving routes • Easily manage multiple deliveries at once from one single screen Compatible with most smartphones, Delivery Manager uses industry-leading Google Maps so your drivers can navigate based on the latest traffic reports. Plus, drivers can use eDelivery for free, to complete real-time delivery confirmations from their phones.

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TIME CLOCK WITH QUICKBOOKS®: Are you adding extra staff to help out during the busy Mother's

Day period? The Time Clock and QuickBooks® interface module automatically tracks and manages employee timesheets and transfers all data into the QuickBooks ® accounting program, making payroll so simple that you can easily do it yourself. Additionally, Dove POS can automatically transfer your sales data into QuickBooks® eliminating the need to manually enter transactions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO GET STARTED, CALL 866.444.3683

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

3 KEYS TO DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL 3 “MUSTS” FOR ASTRATEGY WINNING FACEBOOK AD SOCIAL INFLUENCER

By Crystal Vilkaitis, Founder Social Edge, Retail Social Media Expert, and Speaker Working with a social media influencer is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach new customers in their local markets. Here are three tips for creating a successful influencer marketing campaign.

A social media influencer is a person who uses social media to establish credibility with an audience in a specific industry. A social media influencer has access to an engaged audience and can influence others to purchase products or increase awareness of your brand.

1. SELECTING RELEVANT SOCIAL INFLUENCERS Look for bloggers or lifestyle influencers who have between 5K – 25K Instagram followers; they are considered “micro-influencers.” When working with micro-influencers, repetition is key. Start with 5-10 local influencers and work with them monthly, if possible.

• There are several free resources available to help find these influencers: - INSTAGRAM SEARCH: Search hashtags relevant to your location. For example, if you are a Dallas-based florist, search hashtags like #dallasblogger, #dallasblog, #dallasbloggerevent - INFLUENCER SITE: Use this website to find out more about influencers https://influence.co/category - Filter your search by the number of followers and location you’re looking for, as well as the ‘Lifestyle’ category.

• Look for influencers who match the style of your shop or have audiences similar to yours.

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

2. OUTREACH Most micro-influencers will be willing to work with you for an exchange of free flowers. If not, and you’re willing to provide additional compensation, pay them based on their number of followers and engagement rate – the number of likes and comments. A good rule of thumb is that for every 25K followers, an influencer will earn $50.

Influencers with higher engagement will earn more per post.

• METHOD: Instagram Direct Message (or email if it’s provided in the influencers' bio) • TIMING: Begin outreach at least one month prior to when you’d like their post to go live - MAJOR HOLIDAY: Post 7-10 days before the holiday

• OFFER: Free bouquet(s) • ASK: Instagram Post and an Instagram Story mention tagging your shop • TAGGING RECOMMENDATION: #sponsored and branded hashtags like the ones you use on your Instagram posts.

3. CONTRACT & PERFORMANCE When providing free products or additional compensation, you should always have a contract. Search "influencer contracts" to find an example online.

• POST GUIDELINES: Give the influencer as much creative freedom as possible to ensure that the post looks organic in their feed, but don’t be afraid to give a few talking points for the caption.

• PERFORMANCE METRICS: A great way to gauge performance of an influencer is by post engagements – likes and comments. Ask the influencer if they’re willing to provide the engagement rate of the post.

• RESULTS: In a recent study, 40% of respondents said they've purchased an item online after seeing it used by an influencer on Instagram, Twitter, Vine or YouTube. Measure success by an increase in your Instagram followers or by increases in sales or queries about a bouquet that was featured.

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

POLL YOUR AUDIENCE, INCREASE ENGAGEMENT!

By Crystal Vilkaitis, Founder Social Edge, Retail Social Media Expert, and Speaker

Smart small business retailers will want to take full advantage of Instagram's new polling feature now available on the app.

The polling feature on Instagram allows you to ask simple "yes" or "no" questions, giving you an easy way to find out consumers' preferences. This can be put to good use when it comes to your holiday marketing initiatives.

You can even use this as a sales tool. Showcase items you wish to sell-through, and then create a display or mark them on sale depending on your audience’s response to the item.

Here are some ideas of fun polls you can run during the upcoming Mother's Day period that also provide you with valuable information about your customers: • Will we see you on Mother’s Day?

• Love this item?

• Which bouquet do want to receive for Mother’s Day?

• Would you buy it?

• What price point are you shopping for? Under $60 – Over $60

• Been to our store before?

• Are you hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch?

The polling feature is a smart and fun way to increase engagement on social media. It’s important to have high engagement with your audience because the more people engage with your content the more likely it is that they’ll see your future posts.

DOWNLOAD THE SOCIAL MEDIA KIT ON MYTELEFLORA.COM/SOCIALMEDIAKIT.ASPX FOR READY-TO-POST IMAGES AND COPY FOR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK 12

2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

COUNTDOWN TO MOTHER’S DAY Flowers represent one of your largest costs. Realizing an average of 30% savings compared to local prices is a huge deal – and on Flowerbuyer.com that’s exactly what you get. Here are some key dates for ordering fresh cut flowers for Mother's Day.

SET YOUR AUTOBIDS – NOW OR ANYTIME Set autobids for specific products and arrival dates. An autobid can be applied to one auction, or every auction until you win at the price you set.

TIP: Check the average auction price to help you set prices and win more bids.

4 MOTHER'S DAY TUESDAY/THURSDAY AUCTIONS – STARTING TUESDAY, MARCH 27TH The Mother’s Day Special Auctions run in addition to the regular Monday, Wednesday and Friday Auctions.

3 SPECIAL SATURDAY AUCTIONS – SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH AND SATURDAY, MAY 5TH The Special Auctions feature popular seasonal products for arrival ahead of Mother’s Day.

2 BUY THE BUNCH – ORDER BY MONDAY, MAY 7TH Choose bunches from our large variety of cut flowers and order the quantity you need.

Arrival dates can be as soon as the next day. Fill the box and shipping is free!

1 PRIORITY OVERNIGHT – UNTIL THURSDAY, MAY 10TH Need last-minute flowers? Order Thursday by 2:30PM (ET)/ 11:30AM (PT) and get your flowers shipped to you overnight for Friday.

VISIT FLOWERBUYER.COM OR CALL 877.625.3243 TO REGISTER

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

EMAIL CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE TO BRING ORDERS WHY RUN EMAIL CAMPAIGNS? Studies show consumers continue to prefer email for receiving marketing messages. Email campaigns are powerful retention drivers because they send customers back to your site for additional purchases of your flowers and gifts. For this past Valentine's Day, email orders were up 18% to the previous year for eFlorist customers.

HOW CAN I GET MORE FROM EMAIL? With 77% of customers opening emails in search of a discount, you can grab their attention by offering a deal right in their inbox.

HOW DO I TAKE IT UP A NOTCH? Reward your loyal customers with a $15 coupon from eFlorist’s eMail Plus, a new program exclusively for eFlorist members.

We offer your customers a $15 coupon on all arrangements to help bring in repeat business at no additional cost to you outside of the program participation fee.

HOW DOES IT WORK? 1. eFlorist sends two emails featuring three of the season’s best sellers to your entire active email subscriber list during the holiday season. Each email includes a $15 coupon good for all arrangements on your website.

The best part is the $15 coupon is covered 100% by eFlorist.

2. You watch your orders grow, and eFlorist automatically credits every $15 redemption back to your Clearinghouse Statement.

DID YOU KNOW? If you're an eFlorist member, eFlorist sends emails weekly on behalf of your shop to your customers, at no cost to you.

You can customize your subject line and product selection or choose to offer a promotion or discount at anytime.

READY TO GET STARTED? CONTACT US AT 800-333-0205 OPTION 2 OR EMAIL INSIDESALES@TELEFLORA.COM AND SIGN UP TODAY! 14

2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

OPEN ON MOTHER’S DAY? LET US KNOW!

If you plan to be open and accepting orders for delivery on Mother’s Day, we need to hear from you! Teleflora is making special efforts to route Headquarters and florist-to-florist orders to your shop for delivery on Sunday, May 13, for Mother’s Day, ensuring that your shop receives every order possible.

PLEASE VISIT MYTELEFLORA.COM OR CALL 800.569.8302 STARTING MARCH 19TH TO TELL US IF YOU WILL BE OPEN!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS Flexible Codifications gives you real-time control over your delivery areas - turn specific delivery ZIP codes on and off any time you like! Available on MyTeleflora.com, the Holiday Delivery tab will become active on April 23rd, allowing you to add and delete delivery ZIP codes for the Mother’s Day period, so you can focus on quality customer service for your area.

Order Delivered? Send a Confirmation Today, customers expect delivery confirmations. Confirm your deliveries as soon as possible, and avoid fees by sending confirmations by 9 p.m. (local time) on the requested delivery date. To avoid confusion, confirm the delivery AFTER it has been made.

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2018 MOTHER'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE

TOP TAKEAWAYS TREND REPORTS

Teleflora’s experts predict worldly influences - from the Victorian era to modern day French gardens - will be trending this Mother’s Day. (p. 4)

ASK A FLORIST!

Our Teleflora partner florists dish on the biggest lessons they’ve learned from past Mother’s Day holidays. (p. 6)

MERCHANDISING FOR BEYOND THE HOLIDAY

Education Specialist Vonda LaFever AIFD, CFD, PFCI, explains how and why you should use your creative side to help turn a profit. (p. 8)

LEARN TO WORK WITH LOCAL INFLUENCERS

Even small shops can leverage local social media influencers using our step-by-step guide. (p. 10)

DISCOUNTS DRAW IN CONSUMERS

Email campaigns continue to be preferred by consumers. (p. 14)

Teleflora’s Heart’s Pirouette Bouquet

HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Customer Service: 800.421.2815 U.S. and Canada Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (CST) Saturday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (CST) eFlorist: 866.983.3932

DovePlus: 800.720.9410

Products: 800.333.0205 Flowerbuyer.com: 877.625.3243

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