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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 65 R E A D O N L I N E 1. Be Aware of COVID-19 Part 1: Customers Forgetting about the great divide in politics and even science, the eff ects of COVID-19 still have the potential to wreak economic havoc on our fl oral industry. According to an ongoing survey conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a.k.a. Deloitte—a multinational professional services network with offi ces in more than 150 countries and territories around the world—some 35 percent of all U.S. consumers are concerned when it comes to one-on-one interactions. Additionally, the survey reveals that 67 percent of individuals say they feel safe going into a store while 33 percent say they are unconvinced that doing so won't aff ect their personal safety. e takeaway is that until COVID evaporates from public consciousness, your foot traffi c and sales could be negatively impacted. You have to be prepared to fi nd diff erent ways to create traffi c to your store. For tips on one way to do that, refer to the "Floral Design Workshops" feature in our November 2021 issue. 2. Be Aware of COVID-19 Part 2: Supply Chain Supply-chain issues will continue to be a huge concern in 2022. In the fl oral industry, the issue of product deliveries from overseas is not yet as devastating as it has been in other industries. It is true, however, that we may be unable to get large quantities of a certain posy or specifi c supply items from time to time, so it behooves you to pay attention to what is going on in external markets as well as local markets, to ensure that your supply of fl owers and other products won't be dramatically aff ected. 3. Become More Digital e days of being solely a brick-and- mortar fl ower shop are over. Because of, or even in spite of COVID, the ability to gain business without foot traffi c into your shop is key. If you have a website and sometimes place content onto various social media platforms, 2022 is the time to kick things up a notch. If not, this should be your main plan for the year. Whether it's the creation of a whole new website or just ensuring that your current one is constantly updated or made more customer friendly, now is the time. Even before COVID-19, customers were moving en masse toward the convenience of e-shopping, and hopefully you were moving in step with e-commerce. But, because of the pandemic, online transactions have become even more prevalent, especially among those who were previously reluctant. E-commerce is here to stay, and it will likely continue to grow, so make sure that the online experience you off er is the best it can be for both you and consumers— especially the consumers. 4. Become Voice- assistant Savvy No doubt you've heard of Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa, even if these digital voice-controlled personal assistants are not something you utilize much. TV commercials show Alexa and other programs like it being able to play your favorite music, order a pizza, and turn lights on or off via a verbal command. But did you know that these digital voice assistants can also order fl owers and arrange for deliveries? Can your current website handle such electronic purchases? If you don't know, it's time to fi nd out more. We're not suggesting any one company over another, but Plume (plume.com), a smart-home and small business solutions provider, believes that digital voice assistants will have a global penetration of some 8.4 billion units. We're unsure of that projection, considering that most population counters and population clocks estimate the total population of the world to be around 7.9 billion (as of December 2021). However, we'll cut Plume some slack because it also predicts the average household will have 38 "devices" by 2024, with it seeing digital voice assistants becoming more prevalent in tomorrow's world. If you want to remain (or become) relevant to consumers, you need to be able to respond to a consumer base whose primary method of purchase and research will be via digital voice assistant. 5. Taking Stock of Economics How many of you predicted that when the pandemic hit in early 2020 that the stock market drop was going to be as far-reaching as it was? Although it caused only a two-month-long recession, where did we fi nd ourselves in 2021? With labor and product shortages. ere continues to be a global microchip shortage and an impending vehicle tire shortage. While it can be partially

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