Petals Winter Success Guide

WINTER 2019

SUCCESS GUIDE PRODUCT TRENDS

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I N S TAG R A M S T O R I E S

ENCHANTED WISHES | K51V

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WINTER BEST SELLERS

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E F L O R I S T U P DAT E

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CALENDAR 12 J U LY

NT Tennant Creek Show Day

19 JULY

NT Katherine Show Day

26 JULY

NT Darwin Show Day

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AUGUST NSW Bank Holiday, NT Picnic Day

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AUGUST QLD Royal Show (Brisbane area only)

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SEPTEMBER Father’s Day

CONTENTS 4

T RE N DS See the trends behind our petals bouquets.

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WEBSITES Learn about eFlorist's new website enhancements.

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INSTAGRAM 3 ways to drive customers to your store.

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FLORIST FEATURE A small town florist shares her social media strategy.

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Trends RICH SATIN

XOXO Sweetheart

MERCHANDISING TIP: Heat up the romance this winter with the trend of luxury satin. Merchandise this bouquet with an artisanal chocolate or a rich hot chocolate to keep the romance alive this winter.

POLISHED SPARKLE

Snow Sparkle

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MERCHANDISING TIP: White and metallic are so chic for winter! Pair delicate white textures like fabrics and flowers with hard metallics for a visual contrast.

FLOWING WHIMSY

Enchanted Wishes

MERCHANDISING TIP: Embrace the enchanting garden trend with toy butterflies and purple twinkle lights to create a bit of magical whimsy in your store.

TIMELESS TRADITION

Heartfelt Love

MERCHANDISING TIP: Create a year-round gift station in your shop! Flowers often are one of many gifts given, so offer beautiful gift boxes or extravagant wrapping options like bows, ribbons etc.

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PETALS FLORIST WEBSITES JUST GOT BETTER!

If you wonder if your website is optimized for your shop, don’t hesitate to email us with questions at eflorist@petalsnetwork.com.

As floral Internet orders grow, it’s critical that florists are well positioned to compete in this changing landscape. The Petals Florist Website Program is continually being enhanced and expanded with one goal in mind: TO BRING YOU MORE ORDERS! • Higher order conversion redesign on mobile and desktop • Increased security to protect customer data The Petals Florist Website program is included as part of the standard cost of the Petals membership and literally generates orders while you sleep! Every Petals florist receives an online ecommerce web site specifically for their business that drives local floral orders.

An online ecommerce website is not just nice-to-have. It is a required part of any successful business in today’s market and Petals Network is the only relay company in Australia that provides this service for free!

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SAVE TIME & MONEY EVERY DAY WITH OUR PETALS EXCHANGE

Petals Exchange also has tools that can help you dive deeper into your eFlorist site or POS system. For more information about changing over to the Petals Exchange, please email membership@petalsnetwork.com.

Spend less time on the phone and more time running your shop with the Petals Exchange next generation online order transfer system for our members. Bypass the fax and phone fees by using the Petals Exchange which is free for members.

Accessing the Petals Exchange is easy and you will have loads of information at your fingertips. In the Dashboard on the Member Control Centre you, can quickly see a snapshot of: • Total orders received for the month • Total orders sold for the month • Total orders generated from eFlorist for the month • Most Importantly view any new incoming orders and messages.

Simply accept and print the order or reject the incoming order.

From the sidebar, you can send an order or a message relating to an order, look up your sent and received order history, set your shop open and close dates, download your monthly statements, print current international price list, and place an order for promotional materials and Keepsakes.

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DRIVE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES

BY CRYSTAL VILK AITIS, FOUNDER CRYSTAL MEDIA RETAIL , SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT, AND SPEAKER

Check out more of Crystal Media's Social Media advice: Bit.ly/3InstagramStories

When it comes to leveraging social media to advance your business, Instagram has become a platform you don’t want to miss out on—particularly its “Stories” feature. Stories has become a powerful tool that can help drive customers to your store. They should be organic, behind the scenes and authentic to you.

Check out these three tips from Crystal Media to learn what floral retailers should post in their Stories.

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01 Limited Quantity If you only have a few items left of something, create a Story to highlight them! Share or message with the cost, and don’t forget to tag your store location.

02 Events or Sales Begin posting Stories days or weeks leading up to a big occasion, like an open house, annual sale or anniversary. Give your followers a taste of what to expect, like teasing discounts or giveaways, and be sure to announce the date, time frame and tag your location.

03 Behind the Scenes Instagram Stories are meant to tell stories! Bring your followers along for a peek inside a day at your store. Unbox new merchandise, showcase the bouquet design process or share something funny that happened at the shop.

Remember, people buy from people, and Instagram Stories is a great way to share more about your business and the people behind it in order to build stronger relationships with customers.

INSTAGRAM FEATURE GENNY HAY: @EAUCL AIREFLOR AL

Has Instagram helped your business?

I have grown my Instagram significantly over the last couple years and it is hands down the best form of advertising and it’s free! I use it to promote giveaways, weekly specials and recruit staff members. I have met many potential brides and customers through social media.

How do you decide what to post on Instagram Feed vs. Instagram Stories?

Usually I post pretty portraits of ordered arrangements or pictures of our in-store specials each week.

I link my Instagram to Facebook, so I only post on my Instagram feed what I want to show up on my Facebook page.

As far as stories go, I post quick snaps of bouquets we make each day and flowers and plants we have around the shop. I also use Instagram stories to show what goes on in the shop during the day, and funny things my daughter does at work since she is there with me a lot.

How do you decide what to add to your “Story Highlights”?

I think of highlights like my portfolio, so I like to keep wedding and prom pictures there along with different in-store specials. Customers can look at them anytime they want, and they are all saved.

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Trending: Organic, Botanical Wedding Designs Sourcing the right florals for wedding bouquets, centerpieces, arches and installations can be overwhelming. We consulted a panel of expert florists for the most in-demand items. Today's brides are looking for natural, outdoor florals, with lots of greenery. Consider some of these trends for brides requesting an organic, natural and botanical wedding floral design:

Italian Ruscus This popular greenery fills up a bouquet or garland with flowing, lush leaves.

The foliage also mixes well with other blooms and greenery.

Garden Roses Also known as Centifolia, or cabbage roses, these large, petal-filled blooms are perfect for a feminine and romantic look.

Eucalyptus These soft, pale green leaves are in demand for weddings this season.

Popular varieties include silver dollar, seeded and baby blue eucalyptus.

These trending flowers are only some of the most popular varieties available to you this wedding season.

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SNOW SPARKLE | K8

HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Customer Service NZ:

0800 565 200 hq@petalsnetwork.com

Customer Service AU:

1800 802 035 hq@petalsnetwork.com

Dial Options:

1 – Place an Order 2 – Existing Order Enquiry 3 – Membership team or email membership@petalsnetwork.com 4 – Accounts Team or email accounts@petalsnetwork.com 5 – eFlorist Website Team or email eflorist@petalsnetwork.com 6 – Keepsake Team or email keepsakes@petalsnetwork.com 7 – Petals Exchange Technical Team or email helpdesk@petalsnetwork.com 8 – Point of Sale Support Team or email possupport@petalsnetwork.com For Quality Complaints Team, please email quality@petalsnetwork.com