Although opening your own flower shop can be very exciting, it can also be overwhelming. Still, if you follow a few useful tips and tricks, you'll be running a successful and beautiful flower shop at the same time. You must remember that running a flower shop is not like running any other retail business; it can be a little more difficult because, in a flower shop, you are also the manufacturer of your retail products so you will be in charge of multiple roles. Let's get to it! Here are ten crucial tips for launching a flower shop!
10 Crucial Tips to Know Before Opening a Flower Shop
Ahhh, starting a flower shop must be one of the best feelings in the world because you'll be selling and offering one of nature's most precious things: flowers. As you may be well aware, flowers make people happy, period. This is why opening a flower shop is always a good idea because it will bring happiness to anyone who visits your shop. However, there are important steps and tips to consider along the way.
1. Flower Shop Location
As a first crucial point, you must understand that your flower shop location is critical to your success. A visible location for your floral business will help you attract customers while also creating a memorable brand image. A busy location with ample parking is always ideal even if at first it doesn’t seem to fit your budget because when clients have where to park comfortably and time to look around, it will definitely add more value to your already very valuable flower shop.
2. Purchase Your Own Domain Name
In today's world, purchasing your domain name is similar to purchasing a physical location for the internet. Your domain will host your SEO (search engine optimization) and provide a valuable address for potential customers to find you online using your direct flower shop name brand. Do not allow the person you choose to host your floral website to also purchase the domain name. Some website hosting companies will not release your domain if you decide to switch to another provider.
When your domain becomes valuable in search engines and begins to rank on the first page, or even in the top three, the last thing you want is for a web hosting company to control it. When running a flower shop, you should always keep all of your options open. A domain name can be already available for about €15 per year.
3. Focus on New Customers
As a flower shop owner, you will have a large number of potential customers. The problem is that many florists do not invest the time and money in advertising to attract new customers. Smart business owners focus on 'lead generation' to attract new customers and keep them. Here are a few ways in which you can attract new customers to your flower shop:
- Host flower Workshops
- Enhance your floral website
- Participate in community events
- Join all the social media communities
- Concentrate on your website's SEO
- Get backlinks for your flower website
- Encourage online reviews
- Offer discounts and free incentives
- Run ads on social media
- Participate in a Wedding Expo
- Partner with a business that complements your flower shop
4. Expand Your Horizons
Flower shops that are the same year after year can get a bit old and boring for the human eye and experience. Do not just assume your community is not ready for a cutting-edge floral arrangement or a succulent garden.
- Offer new floral designs that will appeal to the younger generation
- Improve your flower shop's curb appeal, which is extremely important
- Expand your markets and the products you provide. (Not just balloons and plush, but also greeting cards, candles, bath and body products, and so on)
- Create a commercial for your flower business; you can hire a freelance videographer or try it yourself. Post on YouTube
- Take pictures of your own floral arrangements and post them on your floral website
- Consider expanding your offerings beyond flowers. You might attract some new customers and even make some money!
5. Safeguard Operations
Successful businesses in any field ensure that operations run smoothly even when the owner(s) are away.
As a florist, you should strive to ensure that your business can continue to operate smoothly even if you are no longer in charge. This is a byproduct of effective training. Teach your employees to 'think like you!' If your flower shop is a one-man show, you can still protect your operations by remaining consistent and maintaining a business-specific insurance policy. Make sure to also maintain your flower shop hours and be cautious about answering your business phone. Be organized, and last but not least, to make it easier on yourself, create a contract specifically for weddings and events that'll save you time.
6. Find a Good Floral POS
When opening a flower shop, remember to budget for floral POS. The era of handwriting flower orders is over. Running a flower shop without a floral POS, even with excellent accounting skills, can result in poor or no data-analytic sales reports. Aside from reporting, you'll need a floral Point of Sale that speeds up the checkout process by allowing you to store encrypted customer credit cards and collect their information for marketing purposes.
There are numerous reasons why you should only use a floral POS company. There are numerous non-floral industry POS companies available, but keep in mind that running a flower shop is not the same as running a coffee house. Even if you don't need them right now, your flower shop POS will require them as your business grows.
7. Flower Sale and Wholesale Purchases
Yes, flower shop owners can get very excited and want to buy all sorts of flowers for their clients but it may not always be the best idea. In this case, you can buy your awesome, one-of-a-kind blooms while keeping your flower and supply budget in check. A florist's profit margin is already low, so paying attention to what you're buying and the overall cost is essential! Shop around for the best prices and develop a relationship with our floral wholesalers.
8. Consider Multiple Income Streams
Flower sales may generate the majority of your revenue. However, a successful business often requires multiple revenue streams. To attract more customers, you could offer cemetery delivery or collaborate with floral business partners and floral delivery services. There are MANY in the industry!
9. Learn to Say No
This may be the complete opposite of what you've heard about good business practices, but saying 'No' is always preferable to saying yes and ruining your floral business brand in the process. So, what does this mean exactly?
Customers can be demanding, needy, opinionated, and difficult to satisfy. Listen to your gut: Is the customer asking for too much for too little profit? Do you feel uneasy or stressed? Is the customer asking for something you know you cannot do? Being accommodating to customers in business is 'a rule of thumb', but not at the expense of your reputation. With the advent of online reviews, which have a significant impact on your business's credibility, it is acceptable to politely say No. On the other hand, when companies or people ask for donations, ask how they can assist you. If they have a website, ask for a backlink to your floral website; these are invaluable and will boost your SEO. Don't be shy about being direct!
10. Rely on Yourself
You are so close to opening your flower shop, and you may be relying on others to help make it a success. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that the only person you should ever trust is yourself. If you are opening a flower shop and have no idea how to design flowers and are relying on a hired floral designer, it's important to learn how to design flowers; if you never want to deliver a floral arrangement, have a backup plan, and if you are not into processing flowers, learn how to do so. You must know about every area of your flower shop because you never know when someone will not be available and your flower shop business must go on as usual.
With these tips in mind, you can start getting everything prepped for the opening of your flower shop. Make sure to make it flourish with lots of love and care as well.
