Valentine's 2019

This year Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday, a good day for our industry, so it's advisable to be prepared to handle the single busiest day of the year. It is celebrated in Canada, The United States, Mexico, The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Italy and Japan. Even though we promote Valentine's Week, the day itself represents approximately 13% of yearly sales. As a holiday season, however, it is surpassed by Mother's Day and Christmas.

Almost half of purchases will be roses (~17,000,000 in Canada in 2018), with 3/4 of them being red. Most of these rose are shipped from The Netherlands, Ecuador, Kenya, and Columbia. 30% will have been grown in Canada. Valentine sales have been increasing, on average, about 10% each year. We see this even though the average sale has decreased slightly in value. By now, roses should be pre-booked, staffing needs should be in place, set designs to aid in your flower pre-books and overstocking have been created, and the time for promoting is here. 

Show pictures of your sample designs on the media of your choice. Keep your selections limited to not only control the amount of product you need to carry, but to also make it easier for the consumer to make a purchase. In store, you can show as many designs as your time and talent permits, but online keep it simple. Make sure each sample is distinctly different, with a variety of price points. When pricing, think outside your pocket. It's easy to lower a price if the customer thinks it's too high, but it's hard to raise a perceived value, once it's been set in the buyers mind, so start with the Cadillac. 

It will soon be time for in-store prepping for this major holiday. Get as much preparation work done ahead of time as you can. Pre-made greenery bunches can be made, wrapped tightly in newspaper and stored in cooler buckets until ready to drop into a rose vase when needed. Delivery boxes can be prepared and wrapping paper cut to size and stacked. Food sachets can be attached to flower care tags. Flower buckets cleaned with no-rinse Chrysal Professional Cleaner can be prepared two weeks in advance, and the residual properties will remain in effect. Flowers stay fresh longer when placed in hygienically clean buckets and vases, and when processed with hygienically clean tools. Biodegradable, user-friendly Chrysal Professional Cleaner is not harmful to flowers and ultimately increases their vase life. 

We can expect decent weather this year with a forecast high of zero and a low in the minus teens in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. That will help with wrapping, but we still need to remember to wrap in tissue, then in plastic, so that the plastic is not directly touching the flowers. Presentation is important, as it represents your business to a potential future customer. Everything from the colour of the packaging, to the look of the attached business card, makes an impact on your name recognition and retention. 

Visit Amazing Floral Wholesale for all of your hard good floral supply needs.