LASTING IMPRESSIONS

Valentine’s Day and Christmas have a lot in common. Both are a ‘red holidays’ that fall in a period of the year when sunshine is not as prevalent or abundant. Secondly, cooler or cold weather have a direct effect on production of the product as well as its delivery to the customer. Thirdly, both holidays bring us customers to our shops or to our website that may only use our services once or twice a year and always at the busiest times! We all know how hard it is to attract those new customers and how easy it is to loose them. So as the next red is just around the corner, it’s time to step back and take a good look and listen to what your customers are seeing and hearing.
What makes a lasting impression when a customer opens the door of your shop or clicks on your web page to see what your shop is featuring for the holiday? Are there still tell-tale signs of the past red holiday hanging around or is the new red reved and ready? One simple way to brighten up the shop and make a big impression is to place large clear cylinders of fresh blooming branches such as cherry, quince, plum, and apricot in several locations throughout the sales floor. Not only do they make a great visual impact, they also provide a fresh spring-like fragrance that customers will remember long after they have left your store. These can be left out of the cooler and used for everyday stylings or sold by the branch for customers to enjoy at home or the office. Surround these vases with additional vases or buckets of other by the stem spring products such as hydrangea, lilies, and fragrant stock. Smaller vases of cut Hyacinth, paper whites and lilac make for a very European experience of choosing their own flowers for a one of a kind bouquet. Don’t forget the simplicity of stemmed Cymbidium orchids, Phalenoposis , or Oncidium orchids for the true WOW factor! This is a great way to interact with your customers and share additional suggestions for rounding out the bouquet, adding the right foliage’s or suggesting a beautiful vase to accompany the floral selection. Also, this is the perfect time to share some basic care and handling tips for continued and prolonged shelf life.This personalized service is what most of the big box shops are sadly missing, so take advantage of the one on one service opportunity.
Make it a daily responsibility to maintain the water and product as no one likes to shop in an unkempt or dirty environment. Displays that are on the sales floor do take more maintenance than normal, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Perhaps a wrapping station on the sales floor would be a consideration for Valentine’s Day if space permits.
Remember as busy as it may be, these are the customers that may only come to visit you once or twice a year. Make the experience one to remember for them and you may be surprised to see them more often in the future.