2024
VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
MERCHANDISING TIPS
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ASK A FLORIST
TELEFLORA’S SCARLET DIAMOND BOUQUET T24V400
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TOP 10 BEST SELLERS
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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CALENDAR JANUARY M O N D AY
T U E S D AY
T H U R S D AY 4
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W E D N E S D AY
MERCHANDISING
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Start securing your Valentine’s Day flower inventory on Flowerbuyer’s Open Market.
Display merchandising items from Teleflora's FSG Kit
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OPEN MARKET
F R I D AY
AUCTIONS UNDERWAY
Flowerbuyer.com Tuesday and Thursday auctions are live!
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PROJECTED BEST SELLERS
Finalize your lineup! See Teleflora's projected Best Sellers on p.6
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PREP
Valentine's Day prep – Staff Meeting
FEBRUARY M O N D AY 29
T U E S D AY 30
W E D N E S D AY 31
T H U R S D AY 1
F R I D AY 2
SKUS & PRICING
Upload custom Valentine's Day SKUs and update pricing on your eFlorist site
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Post, Tweet, and blog behind-thescenes Valentine's Day bouquet creations
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PRIORITY OVERNIGHT
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Last day to order your flowers on Flowerbuyer.com using priority overnight
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Galentine's Day
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Happy Valentine's Day
CONTENTS 04
MERCHANDISING TIPS Valentine’s Day Trends and Merchandising Tips
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BEST SELLERS Top 10 Projected Best Sellers for Valentine’s Day
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FLORIST FEATURE Born from the Love of Flowers
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SOCIAL MEDIA Schedule Your Socials to Save Time!
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NEW FROM EFLORIST Maximize Your eFlorist Holiday Revenue
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VALENTINE’S DAY MERCHANDISING TIPS SPLENDID SWIRLS
Teleflora's Swirling Splendor Bouquet T24V100
MERCHANDISING TIP: This swirling beauty is sure to make a statement! Pair this contemporary bouquet with tapered candles and champagne flutes to paint the picture of a perfect evening.
PRETTY PATTERNS
Teleflora’s Love Always Bouquet T24V200
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
MERCHANDISING TIP: Pretty patterns are trending everywhere. Style this pretty pearlescent container with pink candles, artisanal soaps, and stationary for love notes!
BLUSHING BEAUTY
Teleflora’s Pretty Love Bouquet T24V300
MERCHANDISING TIP: This blushing beauty will capture any vintage-lovers heart. Pair with pastel macarons, candy hearts, and greenery to make this pretty pink bouquet pop!
STUNNING SCARLET
Teleflora’s Scarlet Diamond Bouquet T24V400
MERCHANDISING TIP: Shimmering patterns in bold ruby red hues that are sure to stun. Style this showstopper with Valentine’s Day cards and indulgent chocolates. 5
VALENTINE'S DAY PROJECTED BEST SELLERS
Teleflora’s Scarlet Diamond Bouquet T24V400
Teleflora's Sweet Clouds Bouquet TEV65-1
Teleflora’s Love Always Bouquet T24V200
Teleflora’s Swirling Splendor Bouquet T24V100
Teleflora's Loving Bunch Bouquet TEV65-6
Teleflora's Be The Moment Bouquet TEV68-6
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
Teleflora's Playfully Pink Bouquet T21V300
Teleflora’s Pastel Party Bouquet TEV70-6
Teleflora’s Pretty Love Bouquet T24V300
Teleflora's Regal Pink Ruby Bouquet TEV59-3
ASK A FLORIST
TIFFANNI WRIGHT, MY LUCKY FLOWERS (KENNEWICK, WA) How do you inspire customers to embrace new design trends among Valentine's Day red rose traditionalists? What other color stories are popular for Valentine's Day? It’s important to inspire purchases by helping them tell a story or conveying a sentiment with flowers. When customers come into the store, we provide a choice through visuals. For some holidays, I create my own collections of flowers, plants, and giftware to express the sentiment or emotion that they describe. My color stories are different design aesthetics and palettes, whether it’s tight and compact, airy and lush, soft and elegant, bright and colorful, or dark and moody. Most customers are looking for guidance, especially on Valentine’s Day. I ask insightful questions, then give the customer a solution. If her favorite color is purple, let’s create a mixed floral design, including all shades of purple and lavender!
For frequent customers where rapport building is key, how do you connect with them to create floral arrangements that feel personal and unique? Sometimes, it feels similar to being a wedding consultant. We go over colors, flowers, size, placement, and aesthetic. Some customers have preferences and others leave it up to me. It’s about connecting with them and understanding their vision. I feel blessed to be trusted to convey their message with my designs. Customers seek us out because of the one-of-a-kind, personalized designs I’ve created over the years. They will even bring personal items to be included in the designs—fishing rods, boots, t-shirts, gardening tools, antlers, figurines, pictures—you name it—I can create it! I also enjoy the creative and mechanical side of it! Almost all of my regular customers call or come in and give me a certain price range, then I can do my thing. It has taken many years of getting to know them and asking for feedback on the previous designs to get things right!
What kind of innovative floral designs or Valentine's Day add-ons does your shop offer to increase profitability? Valentine’s Day is a great holiday for add-ons! Often, if we enthusiastically suggest a pairing, it will be purchased. The key is having salespeople to support those pairings. Knowing your employees and customers is key! Anything is fair game—get creative! Creating a package is simple: it can be a flower arrangement, a bottle of wine, a candle, and a box of chocolates. We create the answer for you! Various combinations and price points are created to suit different price ranges. Some packages have only six available, others have three, some have one. The limited number exclusivity also makes it more enticing. One special add-on that we create is our readyto-go “Lucky Boxes”—these are our curated gift boxes that can include flowers or plants. Customers can also create them, or they can give us some details about the recipient, and we will create them. It’s a fantastic way to move giftware!
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BORN FROM THE LOVE OF FLOWERS As the third-generation owner of her family’s shop in Richmond, Virginia, Patti Williams has always loved the floral business. She practically grew up in the flower shop that she now owns and operates. “The flower shop was my second home growing up. When I was an infant, I would sleep in a bassinet in the back office. After school, I would come into the flower shop, and I would beg to go on deliveries. I would sit in the passenger seat, reading the maps and looking up the streets.” At the time, she didn’t realize that she was being coached to take over the business. While other kids were playing outside, she was in the flower shop having fun and learning from her family. The vision for the store started with Patti’s grandmother, Mabel Johnson in the late 1960s. She went to flower shows, but she was turned away from learning more about the industry because she was a Black woman. However, that didn’t deter her from her dream. She went to libraries with her sister, and they read everything that they could find to teach themselves how to become florists. In 1974, Mabel Johnson opened a small shop. The patrons of the shop started as friends and family, but due to the shop’s success, Ms. Johnson needed a larger space. Patti’s father, Walter, bought the lot next door, and he personally laid down the foundation for the structure that became Pat’s Florist. Patti’s parents worked together in the new building, but they still faced adversity. Vendors didn’t want to sell to Mr. Williams, so he would take his refrigerated truck from Virginia to New York’s floral district for purchases. Eventually, wholesalers changed their minds after seeing his determination and success, but he took pride in continuing to do it all himself.
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
Walter passed away in 2002, and after a bout with COVID, Patti’s mom, Patricia, needed more help with the shop. In 2020, Patti moved back to Richmond to help her mother with the shop and her recovery. Since then, Patti has worked hard to modernize the shop, using Teleflora’s services to help with the changes. “My mom was a paper and pen lady. It became very time-consuming to write up a delivery log by hand during Valentine’s Day. With Teleflora’s Dove Enterprise system, everything has become modernized.” Through all of the trials that they’ve endured, Patti and her family have stayed true to their goals of keeping customers satisfied and supporting the community. The Richmond City Sheriff’s office has recognized the shop for the positive impact it has had in supplying affordable floral arrangements for sympathy. The shop also provides altar arrangements at their local church for $40/week, which helps keep Pat’s Florist at the top of parishioners’ minds. Now, a new generation of family members has taken over the shop, with Patti at the helm. Her niece is the lead designer, and her nephew takes the lead on deliveries. They have overcome adversity through hard work and dedication to the floral business. For Patti, she was born from the love of flowers. In 2024, her shop’s 50th year, she is thriving and continuing to build the shop into a community staple.
This is my passion. I was born to do this. Every day, I love being part of the flower business.
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SCHEDULE YOUR SOCIALS TO SAVE TIME! STEP 1:
If you don’t have a business account set up just yet, see this tutorial on how to! To start, you’ll want to click on the Meta Business Suite:
STEP 2:
We know you’re busy running a shop. Did you know you can plan your Instagram and Facebook posts and stories a month in advance with Meta Business Suite’s Planner? See the quick steps below to get started!
Click the Planner icon on the left-hand menu:
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
STEP 3:
Once you are in the planner you are able to get started! You can pick the day you would like to post in the calendar, or you can click Schedule and adjust the date and time from the pop-up.
STEP 4:
You will be able to choose which platform you want, or you can post directly to both Instagram and Facebook!
Once you have entered which platforms you want to post on, it’s time for the actual posts! Add in the copy and photo you would like to use (a preview will appear on the right-hand side to make sure you’re happy with the post) and click Schedule!
If you need to make adjustments after you have already scheduled a post, no worries! You can click the post in the planner, click Edit and make your changes, and then click Reschedule.
By using the planner, you can save time by loading in all of your posts at once! With the planner and Teleflora’s Social Media Kits, your socials will be ready for every holiday! 11
MAXIMIZE YOUR EFLORIST HOLIDAY REVENUE This Valentine’s Day, revisit your approach to holiday pricing. Whether on custom arrangements, add-ons, or holiday favorites, your pricing strategy can help you cover extra holiday costs, manage demand within your delivery radius, and boost your average order value this holiday. Here are a few opportunities for you to explore as you prepare for Valentine’s Day:
ADJUST YOUR PRICING While it is always good to have arrangements of varied prices, consider increasing pricing a few dollars across all of the products you offer. Whether due to flower pricing surges or demand spikes, ensure that all of your orders are providing the margin you seek. As a standard feature, eFlorist activates holiday pricing in advance of Valentine’s Day, but be sure to review and make any changes you see fit by the end of January.
UPDATE YOUR ADD-ONS Make sure that all of your products—especially your best sellers—have an assortment of add-ons to choose from. Did you know you can create custom add-ons for your eFlorist site? Consider adding seasonally themed add-ons from local businesses you partner with for gift baskets. Alternatively, if you prefer the existing add-ons available on your site, you can simply adjust the prices to reflect your pricing structure.
OPTIMIZE YOUR DELIVERY FEES Customizing your delivery fees is a simple yet effective approach to drive higher average order values for your business or to manage order volume during the holidays. Within eFlorist, you have the ability to adjust delivery fees based on the delivery area, the delivery date, and if the customer is willing to be flexible on the delivery window.
WANT TO GET STARTED OR LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FEATURES AND SETTINGS AVAILABLE ON YOUR EFLORIST SITE? EMAIL EFLORIST@TELEFLORA.COM OR CALL 866.983.3932 TODAY 12
2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
THE FREEDOM ROSE, A FLORAL LOVE STORY For over a decade, the Freedom Rose has been considered an iconic Valentine’s Day flower in the eyes of North American consumers. While it’s easy to overlook this classic rose that remains a staple in florist coolers, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the Freedom Rose and offer a glimpse into its symbolic history. For being considered a must-have for any florist, it may be interesting to learn that Freedom Roses are a relatively young breed. Twenty-four years ago, a German rose breeding group, Rosen Tantau, developed what we now know as the Freedom Rose. Its excellent head size, long stem length, superior vase life, and high production yield made it an attractive flower for Colombian and Ecuadorian growers. The Freedom Roses' large, cup-shaped blooms sport a traditional true red color that made them perfect for Valentine’s Day or any type of event. Did you know that when this rose was initially launched in the North American market, it was called Bloody Mary? That’s right! And it promptly flopped. North American consumers didn’t catch on to the name, leaving this beautiful rose to be overlooked until the early 2000s. A rebranding took place, and the Freedom Rose was re-released just after the September 11th attacks in 2001. The name "Freedom Rose" was inspired by the resilience of the American people, and over time it grew to be the most popular rose sold in North America. Today, millions of Freedom Roses are purchased by American consumers each Valentine’s Day and are gifted as a symbol of love and romance. We can’t think of a more perfect bloom that portrays the sentiments of Valentine’s Day.
Beautiful, high quality, Freedom Roses with delivery dates just ahead of Valentine’s Day are now available on Flowerbuyer. Secure your orders now and rest easy during this busy time of year. Head to http://www.flowerbuyer.com or call 877.625.3243 to register.
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SOMETHING TO CHEWY ON! The Chewy pet sympathy program is a unique initiative aimed at providing comfort and assistance to those going through a difficult time after the loss of their pet with our exclusive pet-friendly bouquets.
ANGEL WINGS
FIELDS OF LOVE
EVERLASTING BOND
SERENE SUNSET
Like Chewy, we believe that the love and bond we share with our pets go beyond their time on Earth, and honoring their memory is essential. Thus, we are proud to partner with Chewy in providing beautiful hand-crafted bouquets by amazing florists like you!
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PARTICIPATE? Recipients may have more than one pet in their household. We recommend using petfriendly flowers to prevent pets from getting sick from florals that are toxic to them in the event of ingestion.
HERE ARE SOME GREAT ALTERNATIVE PET-FRIENDLY CHOICES: Asters
Alstromerias
Daisies
Fern Varieties
Orchids
Pansies
Petunias
Roses
Snapdragons
Sunflowers
Spider Plants
Violets
Zinnias
ADD-ON THE LOVE Teleflora is thrilled to announce the launch of custom sympathy ribbons as our newest add-on. This thoughtful addition allows our mutual customers to personalize their floral tributes with a personalized ribbon, weaving in heartfelt messages or the names of beloved individuals to create a truly touching tribute. The ribbon will retail for $12.99 and the custom message will be limited to a maximum of 25 characters (this will appear in the Special Instructions section). If you are unable to customize the ribbons but do have pre-printed ones in stock, you will be able to make appropriate substitutions. Thank you in advance for allowing our customers to make their bouquets resonate with deeper sentiment by including this distinctive, considerate touch.
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SEE WHAT’S NEW IN DOVE POS 8.4 Dove POS continues to add new features and enhancements to help manage your shop daily. Some exciting new features in Dove POS 8.4 include eFlorist Subscriptions, New Stop/Start, Customized Superticket, and Dove Status in Florist Lookup.
EFLORIST SUBSCRIPTIONS Dove POS accepts Subscription orders placed on your Teleflora eFlorist website. eFlorist customers have options to schedule their orders to be placed on a recurring basis, and these options are received and processed through Dove POS.
NEW STOP/START The new Stop/Start online form makes scheduling and viewing your Dove stops and starts easier than ever before. Available in Dove Actions, this new online form supports multiple Stop/Start schedules to be entered at the same time.
CUSTOMIZED SUPERTICKET Style your enclosure card your way! Choose the font, style, and position of the Recipient Information, Acknowledgment/Care Instructions, and Card Message.
DOVE STATUS IN FLORIST LOOKUP To help you make choices faster, Florist Lookup displays the current receiving status of shops in the search results. Simply look for the green Dove
for receiving shops or the red Dove
for stopped shops.
CHECK YOUR DOVE POS 8.4 RELEASE NOTES TO LEARN ABOUT THESE FEATURES AND MORE!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DOVE POS OR A DEMO, CALL 1.800.720.9407. FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT, CALL 866.444.3683.
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE
BLOSSOM YOUR BUSINESS:
UNVEILING AN INNOVATIVE FLORIST EDUCATION HUB We are thrilled to announce the launch of a groundbreaking education hub tailored exclusively for florists who want to blossom in their craft and business skills. Our comprehensive platform is designed to empower florists with a diverse set of skills, including floral design, merchandising, and essential business insight.
With one location where you can check listings of our latest inperson shows and hands-on classes, on-demand training, and meet your education team, florists have access to numerous resources, all at the touch of a button. We’re bringing together the floral community with a comprehensive hub of information. -L OT T IE M C KIN NO N, P R O GR AM DI R E CT OR, I ND USTRY RE LATI O NS AND E D UCATI O N.
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HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Customer Service:
eFlorist: 866.983.3932 800.421.2815 U.S. and Canada
DovePlus: 800.720.9410 Monday–Friday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (CST)
Saturday: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. (CST) Products: 800.333.0205 Flowerbuyer.com: 877.625.3243
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2024 VALENTINE'S DAY SUCCESS GUIDE