Teleflora Christmas Success Guide 2023

CALENDAR

OCTOBER:

03 STANDING ORDERS Now is the perfect time to lock in next year’s flower prices! Sign up for standing order shipments on Flowerbuyer.com today.

09 THANKSGIVING (CANADA)

19 OPEN MARKET Holiday seasonal products and colors available on Flowerbuyer.com via Open Market.

24 BUY THE BUNCH Need fewer stems? Order using Flowerbuyer’s Buy the Bunch program to customize your own box and get exactly what you need.

NOVEMBER:

02 FLOWERBUYER Additional Christmas holiday auctions are underway! Join us 5 days a week at 2 p.m. ET to secure your favorite holiday florals.

10 AUTOBID Place your Autobids on Flowerbuyer.com to automatically bid on a great selection of quality holiday products at the prices you choose.

19 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS Finalize your lineup. See Teleflora's projected best sellers on page 8.

23 THANKSGIVING (U.S.)

DECEMBER:

01 CHRISTMAS TEMPS Confirm Christmas temps and delivery drivers.

08 CHRISTMAS SKUS Upload Christmas SKUs on your eFlorist site.

14 OVERNIGHT Order last-minute flowers with Flowerbuyer’s Overnight service to complete your Christmas bouquets. 21 FLOWERBUYER Additional holiday auctions are underway for Valentine’s Day! Join us 5 days a week at 2 p.m. ET to source your favorite holiday florals. 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS 31 NEW YEAR'S EVE

S RUSTIC CHIC

MERCHANDISING TIP: Pair this rustic chic centerpiece with natural earth-toned tablescapes bathed in textured linens, cream candles, and soft gold tones to highlight the beautiful fall colors in this arrangement.

FALL FOLIAGE

MERCHANDISING TIP: This season, bring the outside in! Use fall foliage like chic leaf accent pieces to enhance your décor, or pull from this bouquet's autumnal color palette via chunky throws and table linens to create an inviting environment.

T19H200

CALLING ON COPPER

MERCHANDISING TIP: This copper beauty is the perfect piece to bring warmth to your home. Complement with copper candlesticks, bowls, dinnerware, and silverware to really play off this haute trend.

AUTUMN AMBIANCE

MERCHANDISING TIP: This enchanted harvest of blooms is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of fall. Pair this fall-colored beauty with soft cream table linens, sage green foliage, gold silverware, and elegant candlesticks to create a magical table for family and friends.

CHRISTMAS TREND REPORTS

VINTAGE VIBES

MERCHANDISING TIP: This holiday season, nostalgic details are everywhere! Accent this centerpiece with vintage family heirlooms, velvety saturated reds, and fresh greens to bring about the holiday feel into your home.

HEY CUTIE

MERCHANDISING TIP: Sweet holiday touches like this snow-ready penguin mug pair wonderfully with fun prints in home décor and fashion, holiday cookies, and ornaments.

MAKE A SCENE

MERCHANDISING TIP: Create a lovely holiday scene with these crimson cardinals by displaying them with faux snow, cherry red décor, and glass ornaments to add that touch of magic. T23X600

T23X200

VERY MERRY VINTAGE

MERCHANDISING TIP: Vintage Christmas vibes are big this season! Create a festive tablescape or side table with this sleigh by adding retro signs, old-fashioned pottery, and knit throws that evoke that classic Christmas scene.

CHERISHED TRADITIONS

MERCHANDISING TIP: Nothing says holiday like the sweet sounds of old-fashioned carolers. Make your home merry by placing this classic Thomas Kinkade bouquet on a charming mantle wiith knit stockings and faux snow to create holiday magic for years to come.

SHINING STARS

MERCHANDISING TIP: Shining stars are trending for the season! Highlight this iconic shape through home accent pieces, festive baked goods, and ornaments to accentuate this whimsical bouquet.

Thomas Kinkade's Sweet Sounds of Christmas Bouquet

CHRISTMAS 2023 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS

Teleflora’s Snow What Fun Bouquet T23X300

Teleflora's Send a Hug North Pole Penguin Bouquet T23X500

TWR16-2

Thomas Kinkade's Sweet Sounds of Christmas Bouquet T23X200

Teleflora's Joy of Light Bouquet TWR16-4

Teleflora's Fa-fa-fabulous Bouquet TWR16-1

Teleflora's Rich In Love Bouquet by Teleflora TEV55-7

ASK A FLORIST

ELIZABETH SEIJI, AIFD, CFD, EDELWEISS FLOWER BOUTIQUE

Now that the industry has stabilized after multiple booming years for florals, how are you maintaining order volume?

I have been in the business for over 35 years and have seen these economic cycles before. Even though order volume has gone down, we continue to advertise on Google with Teleflora Search Marketing. I feel that the best way to get orders has been through online business.

We always try to do the best for our clients, which has resulted in many positive reviews on Google, ultimately helping our business. The advice I would give to other florists would be to make sure you’re paying attention to your Google listing and adding photos of your work to potential clients so they see the quality and feel more comfortable purchasing. We have also found responding to reviews incredibly beneficial, without requiring significant extra work.

Not every marketing strategy will work for your customers and market so find what is most effective for you and stick with it!

What do you find most successful when merchandising your shop for the holiday season?

When it comes to Thanksgiving, we focus on fall displays for the season. The eye-catching lights and seasonal decor inside our sales area have been great at bringing in a lot of walk-in customers to our store leading up to the holidays.

Even though we are in an upper income and trendy area of Los Angeles, when it comes to the holidays, we have found that traditional and over-the-top Christmas décor is what is most appreciated by our clients—and it intrigues them to visit our shop!

When we merchandise our store for Christmas, we really try to create a warm holiday feeling for clients who are coming into the store or passing by our window display. We use a lot of lights, a tree full of ornaments, and Teleflora’s Christmas collection posters throughout the store.

We also stick to traditional colors of red, green, and gold for the most part during the Christmas season. We find that for many of our clients, there is a desire to keep Christmas classic and traditional, so we play into the nostalgia and try to take people back to their childhoods.

When do you start marketing for the holiday season and what channels do you use?

We start marketing for the holidays when the emailing options become available. We use Teleflora’s email marketing templates in addition to other marketing services to help get customers in the mindset of the holidays.

When it comes to the timing of marketing for the holidays, there has to be a balance. If we start marketing too early our clients get upset and feel we are rushing them into the holiday and can be turned off if we send reminders for Christmas before Halloween and Thanksgiving.

THRIVING AND SURVIVING FOR 150 YEARS

Heather Fowler worked in the floral industry for 10 years before an opportunity presented itself to purchase a shop, a Parkersburg, West Virginia, staple named Dudley’s Florist. In 2017, Heather and her husband, Marc, completed the sale from Doug Hall, whose family had owned the shop for five generations and over 150 years!

Dudley’s Florist was named for its founder, Lysander Dudley, who purchased 200 acres of land that became known as “Dudleyville.”

Lysander, and his son J.W., started the business as a floral and gardening shop, where they managed the land, grew the product, and built their own greenhouse.

When the Fowlers purchased the shop, they had a desire to keep the family-owned business going and to honor the decades of history at Dudley’s.

“It’s a sense of responsibility to do the family proud, to keep it going, and to continue improving,” Heather recounted.

Parkersburg, West Virginia, is not a huge city, but with approximately 30,000 people, it’s the third largest in the state. Still, the Fowlers know their customers by name, and they focus on repeat business. They have regulars that come in every week, and make new connections through supporting community events and fundraisers.

Dudley’s involvement with the community helps keep the shop’s name at the top of their customers’ minds. Whether it’s participating in the fire department’s ice cream social fundraisers, donating bouquets for the town’s homecoming pageant, or participating in the town’s multicultural festivals, the Fowlers believe it’s important for everyone to find a way to give back.

HEATHER AND MARC FOWLER

Recently, they’ve dealt with some of the challenges that many small-business owners have had to endure: inflation for hard goods, leading to price increases; and the global pandemic. But when COVID struck, they knew they were strong enough to endure any problem that came their way.

Through all the trials and tribulations, the winter holidays have remained a special time. Each shop has its own traditions, and Dudley’s is no different. During Christmastime, they sell grave blankets made from pine decorated with a red velvet bow, as well as cemetery saddles made from silk, to honor deceased family members buried locally. Most people ordering these items are from out of town, and Dudley’s helps care for these graves by placing the decorations.

Inside the shop, the Fowlers have continued putting up Christmas decorations, and have introduced a new section created entirely out of Teleflora containers. Dudley’s has remained a Teleflora member for over 20 years. Heather and Marc commented that continuing with Teleflora was an easy decision to make.

“We love the product and containers. Our best sellers are Teleflora’s Be Happy Mug and the Thomas Kinkade containers around the holidays.”

Much has changed in the 150 years since Dudley’s was founded, but with the combination of a historic brand; a strong, experienced team; and a supportive community, Dudley’s has proven that they are truly a shop that is built to last.

Founded during the Civil War, our shop survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the last global pandemic, the Spanish Flu, so we knew we could survive COVID,” Heather remarked.

VIDEO EDITING DEEP DIVE

This summer, you saw our intro to video editing. In this issue, we’re diving even deeper into editing! FROM TRANSITIONS TO TIMING, OUR GOAL IS TO HELP YOU FIND NEW WAYS TO BE CREATIVE AND MARKET YOUR SHOP!

Our (Teleflora’s) preferred video editing app is Capcut, but there are a variety of apps to choose from.

For each of the examples in the video editing deep dive: You can click on the pictures (which include links) OR Use the QR codes next to the pictures

SEAMLESS VIDEO TRANSITIONS FOR BEFORE AND AFTER REVEALS

Our first video edit shows that a simple transition can be magical. As part of our Halloween content, we used a transition featuring a spinning chair, which transformed a fall setup to an eerie Halloween workspace. Create something similar in 4 easy steps!

FILMING A SMOOTH TRANSITION: THE SETUP

Use a tripod that remains in the same spot for both the before and after reveal when filming. This prevents the final transition from looking choppy.

Keep your subject in the same position as well. In this example, we kept our subject’s chair in the same place so the spinning movement was the focus.

PRO TIP: Use painter’s tape on the floor to mark your tri-pod or subject.

In this example, we had our talent spinning in a chair. As she spun, we waited until her back was turned to connect the before and after reveals together.

Make sure you record your subject completing a full rotation of the movement, whether they’re jumping, spinning, walking, etc. This makes editing the reveal more seamless.

03

CROPPING THE VIDEO FOR THE TRANSITION

Crop the before and after reveals at specific points in the movements that make it feel impactful:

If your subject is spinning, create the reveal as their back is turned.

If your subject is jumping, create the reveal as they land the jump.

If your subject is walking, create the reveal as their foot hits the ground.

CHOOSE AN IMPACTFUL TRANSITION

Video editing apps have many choices for transitions. Choose a transition that allows your reveal to shine without being distracting.

Focus on transitions that allow you to quickly but clearly see the before and after.

BRING YOUR PRODUCTS TO LIFE: SCREEN GRAB TRANSITION

Our next video edit showcases how to turn a simple edit into an impactful transition! We created this video to demonstrate the illusion of turning a flat image into a real-life bouquet brought to life, made even better by timing the transition to music!

FILMING A SMOOTH TRANSITION: THE SETUP

Similar to our first video, use a tripod to film both the flat 2D image and the computer grab when filming. Remember to keep the tripod in the same spot before and after the reveal to keep the transition smooth.

PRO TIP: Use painter’s tape on the floor to mark your tripod or subject.

POSITIONING MATTERS!

If replicating this example with a still to real-life bouquet transition, make sure to position your hand in the exact same angle for the before and after shots. This will make the reveal feel more realistic.

SELECT A SIMPLE BUT MOVEMENT-BASED TRANSITION

When creating the illusion of flat image to real-life bouquet, we recommend using a shake or swirl transition. They’re simple, but effective without being distracting.

04

TIME YOUR MUSIC TO THE TRANSITION TO ENHANCE THE IMPACT

Another trick we implement to enhance the impact of a transition is timing it to music! Consider using a track that has a clear beat change or bass drop to give your video that extra wow factor.

FINAL TIP: HAVE FUN WITH VIDEO EDITING AND PLAY AROUND WITH THE CREATIVE CONCEPTS TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR SHOP!

TRIM DOWN YOUR COSTS ON BEST-SELLING FLOWERS THIS CHRISTMAS

If you’re looking to save money on high quality fresh-cut flowers this holiday season, jump on Flowerbuyer’s Live Auctions! Thousands of florists who work with us save up to 20% compared to local wholesalers, and you can, too!

WATCH FOR POPULAR CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS WITH LOW PRICING SUCH AS:

Cedar Gold Tip 55-65cm 1lb/bu 10st/bu

FOB Miami Auction Price:

Carnation Christmas Mix Select 65cm

FOB Miami Auction Price:

Rose Vendela 50cm 25st/bu

FOB Miami Auction Price:

Don’t need a full box of one type of flower? Flowerbuyer’s Buy the Bunch program allows you to customize your own box with the exact flowers you need, all delivered directly to your door!

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLOWERBUYER AND HOW WE CAN ELEVATE YOUR BUSINESS?

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON:

TELEFLORA IS NOW THE EXCLUSIVE CHEWY FLORAL PARTNER IN CANADA FOR PET SYMPATHY!

In partnership with Chewy, Teleflora has brought warmth and comfort to more than 200,000 Chewy customers coping with the loss of their beloved pets all across the United States. This would not be possible without the amazing support of our Teleflora partner florists. But the impact has only just begun. Our beautiful pet-friendly bouquets have garnered millions of likes on TikTok among other social media platforms. Some recipients have even expressed their gratitude with handwritten thank you cards that just melt our hearts!

It is no surprise that Chewy is growing and expanding their reach to Canada for the first time ever, and Teleflora has been selected as Chewy’s exclusive floral partner for their Canadian pet sympathy program due to our incredible success in the U.S.!

Our pet sympathy program is a unique initiative aimed at providing comfort and assistance to those going through a difficult time due to the loss of their pet. Our exclusive pet-friendly bouquets are designed to be safe for all pets in a household.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PARTICIPATE?

Remember that recipients may have more than one pet in their household. Therefore, we recommend using pet-friendly flowers to prevent pets from getting sick from florals that are toxic to them in the event of ingestion.

DON’T HAVE THE FLOWERS FOR THESE SELECT PET-FRIENDLY RECIPES?

HERE ARE SOME GREAT ALTERNATIVE PET-FRIENDLY CHOICES:

Pet Friendly Angel Wings Bouquet CAN63-1A

Pet Friendly Fields of Love Bouquet CAN63-2A

Pet Friendly Everlasting Bond Bouquet CAN63-3A

Pet Friendly Serene Sunset Bouquet CAN63-4A

CLICK ON IMAGE TO WATCH CONTENT ON TIKTOK

Zinnia

Aster

Petunia Roses Alstromeria

Snapdragons

Daisies

Sunflowers

Fern Varieties

Spider Plant Orchids

Violets Pansies

TELEFLORA'S JOYFUL HOLIDAY TREE BOUQUET

T23X315

TELEFLORA’S JOYFUL A 6-STEP DESIGN TUTORIAL

Year after year, holiday trees remain one of the best-selling Christmas bouquets on Teleflora's website.

This year, we again partnered with Education Specialist and Owner of Farrell's Florist, Tim Farrell AIFD, AF, PFCI, to create a simple stepby-step guide on designing the premium version of the projected 2023 bestseller, Teleflora's Joyful Holiday Tree Bouquet.

Start by placing 1/2 block of fully saturated floral foam in the container. Place your first stem of cedar in the center of the design to establish a straight and vertical line.

Continue to add additional stems of the fragrant cedar to create the conical form of a miniature tree. Carefully insert stems into a radial pattern that closely resembles the branch structure of an actual tree.

Cut apart the stem of oregonia and place the clippings throughout the tree adding a variegated green color interest to the composition.

Cut apart the stems of white spray roses and miniature carnations and place in the tree to fill in any larger gaps still present.

Add in the stems of red spray roses distributing the color evenly throughout the design.

Accent your tree with festive and reflective red ornament balls to finish off this design.

TIM FARRELL AIFD, AF, PFCI Owner of Farrell’s Florist Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania

MAKE TIME FOR REVIEWS THIS HOLIDAY

If you were offered free advertising that was proven to drive consumers to purchase, would you take it? Most would, and great reviews are just that: satisfied customers telling the world exactly what they appreciate about your business, marketing your business for you. Focus on building up your reviews online in preparation for the holidays; you can never have too many!

Not convinced? Here are three reasons why you need to prioritize growing your total reviews online today:

LACK OF REVIEWS CAN COST YOU BUSINESS

You probably already know but, potential customers are more likely to trust words written by your customers in reviews than words written by you on your website. And if you don’t have many reviews, potential customers will likely find someone else in your area that does.

REVIEWS IMPACT RANK IN GOOGLE MAPS

More reviews and a positive rating can improve your business's local ranking. Constantly wondering how to get your site to be listed first instead of third in local map rankings in search results? More reviews could be just the ticket!

NEGATIVE REVIEWS HELP… HONEST!

Reviews give your business credibility—it’s a collection of real people sharing their real experience with your store. If you only have 5-star reviews, it casts doubt on the authenticity of your reviews. Everyone has critics (founded and unfounded); while your overall star rating should be at least 4 stars, seeing some negative reviews is expected (and in some cases, rewarded).

If you’re convinced that reviews are important but need help managing them, give us a call! eFlorist created Review Manager just for you to grow, monitor, and reply to reviews that your customers leave online. You can get more reviews, respond to the reviews, and showcase them on your website—all without lifting a finger!

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Email emarketing@teleflora.com or call 866.983.3932 today

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/customer-testimonials/ | https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/

EFLORIST POS CONTINUES TO GROW

Easy to use and scalable to your shop, Teleflora’s eFlorist POS is always improving to help you operate more efficiently. New features, such as Accounts Receivable, ePOS Connect, Cash Drawer, and the Transaction Report, offer you even more options:

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE (A/R)

With a convenient dashboard, account detail screen, manual and automatic billing options, printed or emailed statements and invoices, reports and more, A/R can help you maintain your customer accounts.

EPOS CONNECT

Easily manage and auto-print to multiple printers for your receipts and Supertickets with ePOS Connect. You can print from any device, including desktops, laptops, tablets, or phones.

CASH DRAWER

The full-featured Cash Drawer helps track your cash financial transactions with functions such as Pay Out and Miscellaneous Income, Drawer Balancing, and Drawer History. Plus, you can personalize your customer receipts with custom messages.

TRANSACTION REPORT

This new management recap report allows you to quickly filter shop information by cash drawer, customer, or transaction type; and print a summary or detailed analysis about your shop’s business.

HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS