Your customers know what floral preservative is – it’s that little bag of flower food that (hopefully) comes with each flower purchase. Beyond that, your clients probably don’t know how the flower food works, what quantity to dump into the vase, when to add more or that different preservatives are used to feed specific flower groups and varieties. A U.S. study, reported in the March/April 2011 OFA Bulletin, reveals that when it comes to flower food, many florists are missing out on a big opportunity. Educating shoppers about floral preservative and its function can actually increase flower consumption and add greater value to your product.
Researchers Kimberly A. Williams, Morgan Jenkins and Laura Brannon designed a survey to evaluate how consumers perceive floral quality, purchase intention and price in relation to flower food. Respondents were shown four pictures: the first was a photo of a flower arrangement without preservative; the second was the same picture with a small, unlabelled package of preservative; the third was the same photo, but with a large package of clearly labelled flower food; and the last picture included the large labelled packet with a short description of how the preservative works. People were asked to rate the quality of the flower arrangement in each picture, provide a price and report whether or not they’d buy the flowers.
The study found that when people were more aware of the use and function of floral preservative, they gave the flowers a higher quality and value rating (the ratings grew from 4.9/7 to 5.3/7). Greater education also influenced the percentage of people who would purchase the arrangement as it increased from 63 per cent to 71 per cent. People were also willing to pay more when they understood how preservatives work – the price point of the arrangement went from $25.50 to $29.15 when more detailed information was given.
It’s clear that taking the time to communicate the importance of floral preservative to your customer is worth the extra effort. Younger shoppers especially are more receptive to this information: the researchers found that they were willing to pay more for designs that included flower food. Letting younger buyers know how to take care of flowers also will guarantee that they have a great floral experience (for some it could be their first) and will encourage them to become regulars.
Think about how you dispense these valuable little packets in your shop. Don’t just toss the package inside the cellophane and expect that the customer will know what to do with it. Make it your policy to ensure the shopper understands how important floral preservatives are. Develop a handout or a note (branded with your shop name) that you can attach to the flower food to offer these detailed instructions and to explain why flowers need these nutrients. You’ll extend the vase life of your flowers and position you and your staff as experts with the knowledge and the resources to make flowers last.
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