Flowers as a standing order rather than an occasion purchase

2 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

Floristry has one of the most brutal demand curves in retail. Two or three dates produce enormous volume, funeral work arrives unpredictably, and the weeks in between can be very quiet indeed while the rent is due every one of them. A business built on occasions is a business with a great many empty Tuesdays. The rent does not follow the demand curve.

Standing orders solve that. A weekly arrangement for an office reception, a fortnightly delivery to a restaurant, a monthly subscription to a household — each is small individually and each recurs without being sold again.

Ten such accounts change the shape of a week permanently. They also carry you through the quiet months.

1. Flowers as a standing order rather than an occasion suit business customers best

Businesses buy recurring; households mostly buy occasions.

Target the premises where appearance matters

Offices, hotels, restaurants, salons, clinics, estate agents. Start with the ones nearest to you. Anywhere a customer forms an impression on arrival. Walk your own high street and list them.

Approach in person with something in your hand

A sample arrangement delivered to reception outperforms any email, and it shows exactly what they would be buying. Ask who looks after the reception area.

2. Make it easy to say yes to

Remove every reason to defer.

Offer a fixed weekly or fortnightly price

A stated figure, invoiced monthly. Businesses approve a small predictable cost far more readily than a variable one. Keep it small enough to sit below an approval threshold.

Start with a trial period

Four weeks, then a conversation. Invoice it at the normal rate. It converts better than asking for a commitment from a standing start. Deliver the trial yourself.

3. Sell the household subscription properly

It is the best product a florist has and it is rarely offered.

Offer three, six and twelve month terms

Monthly delivery, seasonal, chosen by you. Price it so it is an easy monthly decision. Customers enjoy not choosing. Say what they can expect seasonally.

Sell it as a gift as well

A subscription is a better present than a bouquet and it produces twelve deliveries rather than one. Promote it before the gifting dates.

4. Build the routine so it does not need managing

Recurring work should be quiet work.

Fix the day and keep it

The same delivery day every week. Businesses build it into their own routine and stop thinking about it. Never move the day without telling them.

Vary the arrangement, not the schedule

Seasonal changes keep it interesting without disturbing the arrangement itself. Tell them what is coming each season.

5. Look after the accounts you win

They are worth more than their weekly value.

Speak to them quarterly

Ask whether the size and style still suit. Contracts are lost through silence more than dissatisfaction. A five-minute call is enough.

Notice when a delivery is not used

Flowers left in wrapping mean the arrangement is not landing. Ask before they cancel. The delivery driver will notice first.

Conclusion

Occasions produce a brutal demand curve and standing orders flatten it, so aim at the businesses whose premises need to look right — offices, hotels, restaurants, salons, clinics and agents — and approach them in person with a sample rather than by email.

Offer a fixed weekly or fortnightly price invoiced monthly, because a small predictable cost is approved far more readily than a variable one, and start with a four-week trial rather than asking for commitment. Sell the household subscription properly with three, six and twelve month terms, and offer it as a gift since that produces twelve deliveries instead of one. Fix the delivery day and keep it, vary the arrangement rather than the schedule, and speak to every account quarterly — these are lost through silence rather than dissatisfaction.