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Business 56 September | 2021 "Curate provides everything florists need to automate their businesses. It is a holistic portal designed specifically to help manage the unique workflows and pain-points of florists. Curate software makes it easy for florists to instantly create beautiful proposals, process payments, manage complicated supply chains, and optimize communication with customers and suppliers, saving time and maximizing profitability." In an effort to help the floral industry during the height of the pandemic, Curate rolled out a streamlined e-commerce platform for florists to manage their daily orders. "Curate is the first platform to allow florists to keep track of stem counts on their daily orders," O'Neil reports, "and this has empowered many business owners to be able to run their entire companies on the platform." With many different POS systems and e-commerce options for floral-related software, how do floral retailers know which platform will be best for their companies and offer the potential to increase future sales? According to Tim Huckabee, FSC, president of FloralStrategies, decisions about floral- specific software should not be made based on the number of Facebook likes or because it's the cheapest option available. Rather, Huckabee suggests, florists should make these decisions only after researching various software options and determining which one best meets the specific needs of their individual companies. Along with not fixating on the highest popularity on Facebook or the lowest price, Huckabee asserts that flower retailers need to consider additional factors when doing research and prior to changing their current platforms or making the leap from working on paper to using technology. "As part of doing your homework, ask yourself what, specifically, do you want your POS to do for your business, and how much of it will you really use," he advises. "Most systems offer the same basic options and benefits, such as basic inventory, time-clock features, sales analytics, forecasting and delivery management—and, of course, the ability to take and process an order. Buy only what you need and what you expect to use." When considering a potential vendor, Huckabee says florists should ask questions like, "What is your support like?" and "Do you have tech support people available on the weekends and holidays?" He adds that flower retailers should also ask how software training works, by which methods staff will learn the platform and how ongoing support will be available after the initial software instruction is finished. Huckabee points out that another thing flower retailers should keep in mind is order history. "When you migrate from one vendor to another, be prepared to lose your order history. You may be able to keep your customer list, but you will probably lose their order histories because there generally isn't any crossover between vendors and platforms." Another major consideration for florists when choosing a software platform is the ability to have multiple stations, ensuring it will be a true store management software. "If you are still writing phone orders by hand, you are inefficient and doing twice the labor," Huckabee asserts. " You should cut your order time in half by moving onto a POS system, not doubling it!" Huckabee also suggests that flower retailers invest in the proper forms, with their company logos on them, to look more professional and further market their companies' brands. "A POS system can become a marketing companion because it gathers emails and customer information with every order," he informs. "A wise choice of a POS system will help pay for itself with increased sales and efficiency—and, therefore, profits." Image courtesy of Curate Florist uses Curate software to manage her business. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, THEN DECIDE

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