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Ringing in Profits
Cashing in on weddings |
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Written by Patsy L. Deswaef, aifd
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Are weddings a time-sucking nightmare or a wondrous fairytale experience? For every florist, this is the agonizing question. With all the details and perfectionism involved in the stages of wedding planning, this market can be overwhelming for any flower shop. Some florists aggressively pursue weddings while others shy away from them, viewing consultations as time consuming or having the perception that it is difficult to make a profit.
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Flowers by Patsy Deswaef
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This isn’t necessarily true – the wedding market is full of opportunities, you just have to know how to take advantage of them.
Unlike many sectors, the wedding industry is one that hasn’t been heavily impacted by the recession. Economists report that bridal vendors are more likely than others to be sheltered from the full impact of its effects, as people still are going to want beautiful weddings. Wedding sales will not only help any florist through the slump of a recession, but will also help drive sales through the lag period of the summer months.
Thanks in part to the many wedding-based reality television shows broadcasted by TLC, and the Slice and Food networks, brides of today are much more aware of budgets and costs involved for the luxury of having wedding flowers. These shows have reduced the overall shock many brides face when they first inquire about flowers. It also has made many brides aware of their “Bridezilla” potential and many are conscientious about their behaviour to avoid becoming one themselves. Today’s high-gloss magazines are featuring less staged content in favour of real-life weddings. These images provide a great selling tool and present opportunities to promote potentially higher-end arrangements. While some pictures brides select may be budget busters, you can rely on your creativity and selling skills and use magazines as a means of creating a conversation and helping to build concepts.
So why, when it comes to the wedding market, are some florists at the right church but in the wrong pew and missing out on wedding profits? As a florist, you must evaluate your current position to the bridal sector in your area. Look beyond your retail horizon. Evaluate your competition and define where you feel there is opportunity to provide better service. Your main objective with the wedding business is to help couples find their style and make their dream day a reality.
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How can you actually profit on weddings? You need to decide what type of service to provide the bride – minimal or full service – and devote time and effort to this sector.Flowers by Patsy Deswaef
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In today’s market a website is crucial to capturing a wedding client’s attention. Years ago, the secret to retail success was location. The majority of brides today are busy online Twittering and posting their engagement news on Facebook. Their next step is to source vendors online who are going to build their dream wedding. Website statistics state the average bride will use the Internet to shop and browse for vendors online first and will make choices without ever setting foot in your store. Brides usually shop online between the peak hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – often multitasking on their lunch break. This is why a website that truly showcases your talent is of the utmost importance. Many stores are running cookie-cutter website templates to drive day-to-day sales using low-resolution photos and potentially allowing a wedding client to overlook them as potential wedding designers. Create custom web pages featuring high-resolution real wedding photos to intrigue the couple enough to select your shop. Brush up on your photo techniques or talk to the photographer who shot weddings you serviced. Offer links on your website in exchange for displaying their photos. New trends in web design you might also want to explore are videos that pre-sell your business by showing your shop or you at work. This starts building a relationship with customers before they set foot in your store.
Most couples come into the shop with a spending plan in mind. If the budget comes up early in the consultation, delay in giving specifics until you have developed a relationship. Reassure them that you will do your best to stay within their spending plan. To pick up clues about budget you will need to ask the right questions – consider what they have planned for the rest of the wedding. Which venue have they selected? How many guests have they invited? Where will they honeymoon? Such questions help develop a sense of their spending intentions.
Once you have inspired the couple and have demonstrated that you embrace their vision, don’t forget to explain why flowers are important to the wedding process and where they are appropriate. If the couple is open to additional flowers, suggest arrangements for the engagement party, bridal showers, and rehearsal dinners, as well as thank-you flowers. There is ample opportunity to add on sales that they may not have considered.
Modern-day wedding couples tend to be well educated and more mature than couples of the past when they finally decide to get married. Couples are leading very busy lives and most clients do not have the time to do the legwork nor the energy to source all the necessities. Filling this void is a new industry of wedding planners. These planners have flooded the market and may take a significant bite out of the couples’ wedding budgets. One idea for your shop might be to train yourself or a staff member as a certified wedding planner. Expand your floral business in the areas of décor and bridal accessories, and this will speed up the process for the couple. There are many stages of service through which to develop yourself as the “go-to people” for wedding needs. These stages range from the do-it-yourself (DIY) package, to limited service, on to intermediate service, and finally to full service. Currently, most flower shops are offering DIY and limited service, but don’t hold back from expanding if this is a good fit for your shop.
Here are examples of the stages you can provide:
- DIY packages are generally sold from a predetermined catalogue of designs. Centrepieces are designed and sold in a way that allows the customer to pick them up and requires no on-site assistance.
- Limited Service involves a brief consultation, and designs must remain simple enough to allow for easy transport and setup by in-house delivery personnel. In most cases, the couple is responsible for returning rental display items.
- Intermediate Service is where most flower shops can challenge themselves to become more involved. Consultations and designs are customized and flower knowledge becomes imperative. Arrangements are larger and require on-site design or assembly. Develop a wider range of rentals to meet the demands of the current market. Be prepared to work as a team to clean up before leaving and don’t forget to take the time to build new business relationships with other service providers such as wedding cake designers, DJs, caterers, linen renters and lighting production companies.
- Full Service is what brides and grooms dream of – stress free with the one-stop experience. Wedding florist and event designers are able give personal attention to details. Leadership and logistics are key in guiding a mobile team of floral designers to execute weddings successfully. You will need to co-ordinate delivery times, set up the reception and ceremony, transfer flowers and display props, as well as handle reception hall dismantles when the wedding is over. Charge accordingly for this service and do not undervalue the cost of providing a professionally polished wedding.
In the end, wedding florists who care beyond their design benches will build a greater reputation by offering exceptional service. Be excited for the couple, as this may be your path to future sales. Successful weddings will gain customers for life.
Patsy L. Deswaef, aifd, is the owner of Patzees Floral Scapes in London, Ont., a full-service wedding and event decorating company.
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