Plenty of industries have had to pivot their marketing and business strategy to maintain eyes on their product. The floral industry has done the same and they made a great impact on the world.
The question arises how did they do that?
They used good pivoting tactics and we will discuss them in brief.
So, If you're in need of change in your company to ensure you stay afloat, or you're looking to move in a new direction, consider these pivoting tactics taught by the flower industry.
Pivoting Tactics By The Flower Industry
Selling Online
Most industries have had to place their inventory online and create a delivery method to ensure their survival. From shopping for a new car to buying groceries, virtually anything can pivot to online sales. In June 2020, online sales rose 76%, whereas e-commerce makes up 14.5% of total retail sales. It's in your best interest to have some online presence.
Although placing your inventory online, the most crucial goal is to close the sale. For example, bouqs.com offers plenty of incentives for customers to hit checkout on their cart. From next day delivery to sales, you'll find beautiful Bouqs flower arrangements for a competitive price. Plus, their subscription service keeps a consistent flow of income and sales.
The Bouqs is a flower arrangement company which was established in 2012. Their philosophy is very simple: They care about people, the planet, and the process of growing flowers. They partners with farmers who use sustainable growing practices like minimizing waste and recycling water. You can order farm- fresh flower arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion.
Features/What do they offer
- Flower Arrangement for any occasion: No matter which special occasion happens in your life whether it is birthday, anniversary, or valentine. You can order the farm fresh flowers in any occasion.
- Delivery Service: The flower arrangement delivery service makes the work easy for you. Their delivery service will easily delivers the flowers to the doors of your loved ones.
- Quality and Variety: The quality of the flowers is top-notch as they are farm-fresh flowers. They have the flowers of different variety like roses, tulips, peonies, and more.
Styles of Flowers
- Fan - a classic style of arranging flowers with the flowers and greenery spread like a fan.
- Triangular - trimmed in a triangular shape usually to highlight a large focal flower in the center.
- Vertical - popular for mixed bouquets, vertical arrangements highlight different types and colors of flowers in a unified composition.
- Horizontal - arranged in rows or even zig-zag patterns, these arrangements are frequently used for flowers with strong scents.
Give to Charity
Buying flowers has always been a non-essential service, but plenty of businesses that sell a product in this sphere have managed to stay afloat. It's challenging to pivot in the floral industry by selling new products that don't pertain to flowers. Instead, flower shops have added a charity element to buying products sold in these shops.
The Flower Drive for COVID-19 relief created by Sophie Felts of Sophie Felts Floral Design asked their community to buy $35 bouquets. 100% of that profit went to COVID-19 relief, and plenty of people stayed on her website to purchase other items. Sophie Felt used locally grown flowers and supported other local businesses during this campaign.
Target a New Audience
Your customers' needs and attitudes have changed during the pandemic, which is reflected in their spending patterns. Depending on your industry, you've likely noticed a steep decline in the demand for your products, and the floral industry is no different. While pivoting, never forget your original audience because you'll need them when things go back to normal.
You can find a new audience by improving your branding and using social media. @oliviacholivia has a viral video with 1.1M views on TikTok that talks about a floral hack that involves placing hydrangeas in water. Her florist husband is included in many of her videos. If they had had a website to plug, that would have been 1.1M potential customers they could attract.
Work Completely From Home
Working from home has been a lifesaver for many struggling businesses because it helps them save on utilities and rental space while still managing their company. While being in the retail industry can make working from home complicated, it isn't impossible. Similar to real estate agents who show virtual tours, a florist could give a virtual exhibition for their flowers.
Instead of getting all of your florals shipped to your home office, only send a few sample pieces that you can record or take pictures of. Now, you can take paid virtual tours of museums, national parks, and aquariums, which have given businesses that sell experiences, rather than items, a way to keep some money coming in for the time being.
The Small Business Advantage
While operating a small business is stressful during this time, but there are a lot of benefits of having a small business as they are independent and have the advantage of less overhead and inventory space. Plenty of businesses have operated from home since the beginning of 2020 and managed to stay steady, and you can too.