Presenting

(containers, ribbon, decorative accessories, fl ower food, etc.), cut fl owers and foliage, and plants based on your planned designs and sales projections. • Arrange for extra staffi ng and delivery drivers and/or vehicles. • Schedule product delivery dates with suppliers. • Develop design and work schedules and sales training sessions for all staff ers, both permanent and temporary. While consumers still visit stores to order and purchase gifts, many prefer to order online—and this trend increases every year. is makes updating your website early, to showcase your holiday off erings, vitally important. Start showcasing your Valentine's Day off erings in early to mid-January (some consumers start researching gift options early!). "Off er a limited collection of creative, distinctive designs, each in a variety of price points, to help you control inventory, maximize your purchasing power, and design more effi ciently and profi tably," suggests Teresa (Terry) Godfrey, AIFD, CFD, EMC, a fl oral design educator and freelance designer in the Washington, D.C. area. "Also, promote a 'designer's choice' option to help avoid product availability and supply-chain issues." 42 December | 2022 ORGANIZATION Compiling complete and accurate records of everything about every holiday is imperative in helping you make wise decisions when planning for the next holiday. Refer to your data from previous years, and consider any anomalies, abnormalities and irregularities such as unusual weather, day of the week, the pandemic, the economy, consumer spending, etc., to gauge what and how much to order this year, staffi ng requirements, store hours and so on. " Write everything out, jotting notes all throughout the weeks leading up to the holiday," advises Lori Himes, AIFD, CFD, owner of Abloom Ltd. Flowers & Events in Walkersville, Md. " en, immediately following every holiday, I inventory what is left and note feedback from customers and employees. I have notes in spiral notebooks from my last 30 years in business: arrangement recipes, fl ower lists, quantities, costs, who I bought from, quality issues, weather factors and so on. My notes make planning for each subsequent year so much easier and accurate." After reviewing notes from previous Valentine's Days, do the following: • Create your collection of signature holiday designs that are both modern, relevant and exciting to your customer base, each in a range of price points and with a "recipe" for each. • Set sales goals or estimates for each of your holiday designs. • Order the required supplies Patience Pickner, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, owner of e Picket Fence in Chamberlain, S.D., off ers this suggestion for creating some of your holiday specials: "Choose containers carefully. Vases with a smaller choke (the narrowest part of the vase) make designing much easier and faster, they cut down on the need for mechanics to hold the fl owers in place, and they make delivery much easier," she shares. "Also, choose distinctive but well-priced vases and other containers that could have multiple 'after' uses and a 'keepsake' appeal." Once you've created your holiday arrangement lineup, make samples and take high-quality photos of each of them, for promoting them on your website and social media platforms. Photo courtesy of Rosaprima Miami, Fla.

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