Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for florists. The demand for romantic Valentine’s Day flowers skyrocket during this time, and if you don’t plan ahead, keeping up with it can be troublesome for you. This is why we have curated this Valentine’s Day checklist for florists, so that you can prepare ahead of time and enjoy the fruits of your labor fully. 

In our checklist, we have included everything from how to revamp your florist e-commerce websites and florist shop, to how to stock up and multiply your revenue by keeping a steady supply of flowers ready, and many more.

Do give it a read if you’re confused about how to prepare yourself for the D-Day.

Phase 1: Prepare your Website and Software

Your Valentine’s Day checklist should start with the most basic tasks. Before you start other preparations, there are some things that you need to take care of at the software level. For example:

Website traffic surge

During the Valentine’s Day, most people like to send flowers online to their loved ones, and look for the best deals and discounts available. If you’re planning to have special offers during Valentine’s Day, then expect a sudden surge in traffic to your floral website. If your website is not built in a way to handle all that traffic, first you need to sort that out. Ask your developer to take care of this before you announce your special offer.

Valentine’s Day Products

Your product photos should be highlighted across the website. We recommend creating a separate Valentine’s Day section on your website for this purpose. When customers come to your site specifically to shop for the holidays, this makes it easier for them to do so.

Valentine’s Day Policy

Make sure your website has a clear Valentine’s Day policy that can be found on the homepage as well as on Valentine’s Day page with product offerings. Customers will be more in tune with the specifics that will assist them select the greatest buy for their preferences as a result of this knowledge. Include non-specific delivery schedules, order deadlines, substitutes, and pickups for Valentine’s Day in your policy.

Product Banner

Adding a festive banner to your floral eCommerce website’s homepage is a terrific idea. Banners are useful whether you’re seeking to drive attention to a specific product or advertising your ecommerce business on another site. They are visually beautiful and might entice customers to buy more from your store. Brand recognition can also be aided through banner adverts. Customers will be directed where they need to go if you use a phrase like “Shop Now for Valentine’s Day Flowers.” Make sure that Valentine’s Day is prominently displayed in your site’s navigation bar so that clients can easily find the page.

Optimize for Mobile

Studies show that today, more than 50% of online shoppers use smartphones for shopping. So, your website must be optimized for mobile users. Make sure that your website loads fast on smartphone, and has a simple layout and uncomplicated navigation. This is true for the desktop version too. User-friendliness is a must-have quality for all florist e-commerce websites.

Optimize Checkout

You should also review the checkout system on your website. If not already done, try to include as many payment options as possible. Don’t ask for the customer’s details again and again and don’t make the checkout process too complicated or time-consuming.

Invest on a POS system 

A POS system for florists can make all these steps easier, and offer many more amazing benefits. It can automate the order entry and pre-order registering process, auto-assign delivery persons, keep track of existing stock and help in inventory management, mark completed orders and archive them, and so on. Investing on POS software will be the best solution for all your online flower-shop related problems.

Phase 2: Promotions and Marketing Strategies

After the website and software updates are done, your Valentine’s Day checklist should include plans for sales and marketing. You should spend a considerable amount of time and resources in creating marketing and promotional strategies for your florist website well before the D-day. 

Announce special offers in advance

Make announcements about your Valentine’s Day special offers and discounts at least 1 month in advance so that it can reach the maximum number of people. You can also create hype by planning a few good deals, and announcing them one by one throughout a few weeks before Valentine’s Day. Also, take special care while designing the announcement banners, and their placements on your florist e-commerce website. They should be big and flashy, something that no visitor can overlook.

Run organic marketing campaigns

Blogs and articles are one of the most effective organic marketing strategies that you can use. Combine that with video content on YouTube, meme marketing and audio-visuals on Insta and Facebook, and you’re covered. However, organic marketing and SEO take time to yield results, so it will be best if you start a few months in advance. 

PPC ads and social media marketing

Lots of people look for recommendations on social media before they choose a florist to send flowers online. PPC ads and Social Media ads are, however, not recommended for launching in advance. People have a short memory, and so, it’s best to start your paid marketing campaigns only a few days or weeks before Valentine’s Day.

Email Marketing

The fundamental goal of newsletters and email marketing is to interact with customers on a personal level, remain in touch, and deliver value through your content. Another thing to consider is sending holiday-themed emails to your contact list. Customers who follow you indicate that they are interested in your business. Emails can help to pique people’s interest even further. These emails will drive more customers to your site, encouraging them to place their Valentine’s Day orders and informing them of any relevant promotions or ordering deadlines. However, customers dislike businesses that are solely focused on selling. Make sure they’re up to date on your company’s news and changes, not just the sales.

Offer pre-order special deals and discounts

Pre-order is a great option for both the customers and the business. On the one hand, customers can order in advance and take the pressure off. On the other hand, you as a business can get assurance about the floral demands and stock up accordingly. In order to encourage customers to order in advance, you can offer pre-order-exclusive deals and discounts on your florist e-commerce website.

Phase 3: Gear Up for the High Volume of Orders

And now it’s time for the final step in your Valentine’s Day checklist, i.e. taking care of things at the execution level. Here goes:

Extend the cut-off time

Instead of all those pre-order-special offers, there are still a lot of people who will wait till the last minute to place their order. If you extent the cut-off time as much as possible for the Valentine’s Day scheduled delivery service, you can really make a fortune out of it.

Enable pick-up

Another great option for some extra business is enabling pick-up option at your store. Stock up on budget-friendly small valentine’s flower collections, or even single red roses beautifully wrapped with some fillers. These things sell like hotcakes during Valentine’s Day. Another big advantage of pick-up is if someone forgets to order in advance, they can just drive to your store and get everything they need.

Offer products in different budgets

Try offering lots of options in different budgets, especially in the below-$50 bracket. In high budget options too, try introducing innovative designs and out-of-the-box ideas. Don’t just stick to roses, rather, experiment with other romantic flowers, and greeneries too.

Talk to your supplier about last-minute requirements

This goes without saying, but talk to your wholesaler about any urgent and last-minute requirements for if/when you run out of stock. You might have to pick it up yourself, so, keep those arrangements handy.

Enlist a florist’s choice option

One of the biggest windows of profit for you as a florist might come to you in the form of the ‘Florist’s Choice’ bouquet. The idea behind the florist’s choice flower arrangement is, there’s no fixed design or flowers mentioned, only an overall idea about the size and style. The buyer gets a beautiful bouquet at a slightly lesser price than the other flower arrangements of the same size, and you get to repurpose all those extra flowers and fillers that you have stocked up.

Stock up on the add-ons

Flowers are perishable, but soft toys and balloons are not. Even chocolates and cookies can also be stocked up for a few weeks in advance. Offer them along with the Valentine’s Day special flower arrangements so that your revenue increases even more.

Delivery confirmations and order tracking

Providing reliable shipment information and tracking updates communicates to clients that your shop is trustworthy, which is critical for customer retention. Mark your orders as “delivered” or “available to pick up” as soon as they are delivered or ready to be picked up. Knowing when their order has been delivered is a tremendous relief for clients, and it should ideally reduce the number of questioning phone calls to your shop.