Give (Generously of Flower Food Packets) and Ye Shall Receive
When I buy a bouquet of flowers, I can always count on one packet of flower food being included with the flowers.
One.
Not two or three or a handful. One.
Problem is, I am fully educated on how to get the longest vase life out of the flowers I buy, so I regularly change out the water, wash the vase, trim the stems and add new flower food to the fresh water in the container. As a result, I keep a stash of extra packets of flower food at home to ensure I care for my blooms properly.
Most consumers aren’t like me.
In all the years that I’ve bought flowers, only once has a florist asked me if I’d like some extra packets of preservative. I occasionally request extras, and—so far—no florist has ever said no or asked me to pay for them. But I feel sort of guilty for asking. After all, I know the florist pays for those tiny envelopes…
Yet, I know how important this powder is for giving consumers the best possible experience with the flowers they buy or receive. In fact, florists who focus on educating their customers about the importance of caring for flowers at home and who also emphasize the freshness of the flowers they sell will tell you that they have the happiest, most satisfied customers. And while you may hear a few florists complain that if flowers last too long, their customers buy less often, most floral pros will tell you just the opposite—that consumers who experience long-lasting flowers tend to buy more because they feel they are getting their money’s worth.
In fact, I’ve heard numerous floral-industry experts over the years refer to studies that prove that long-lasting flowers are the key to increasing sales. Granted, a lot of the basis for long-lasting flowers starts with the growers, the importers, the wholesalers and the florists themselves. If the cold-chain isn’t maintained properly, or clean care-and-handling techniques aren’t followed, then it doesn’t matter how many packets of flower food you give to customers.
But, even so, it’s always made me wonder why most florists don’t give multiple packets of flower food with the flowers they sell.
What’s your reason? The cost? A lack of trust that consumers will use the packets? A lack of trust that consumers will use them properly? (After all, multiple studies show that adding too much or too little of the flower powder to the water solution is as bad as not using any at all.)
Share your thoughts here or send them to [email protected].
When I buy a bouquet of flowers, I can always count on one packet of flower food being included with the flowers.
One.
Not two or three or a handful. One.
Problem is, I am fully educated on how to get the longest vase life out of the flowers I buy, so I regularly change out the water, wash the vase, trim the stems and add new flower food to the fresh water in the container. As a result, I keep a stash of extra packets of flower food at home to ensure I care for my blooms properly.
Most consumers aren’t like me.
In all the years that I’ve bought flowers, only once has a florist asked me if I’d like some extra packets of preservative. I occasionally request extras, and—so far—no florist has ever said no or asked me to pay for them. But I feel sort of guilty for asking. After all, I know the florist pays for those tiny envelopes…
Yet, I know how important this powder is for giving consumers the best possible experience with the flowers they buy or receive. In fact, florists who focus on educating their customers about the importance of caring for flowers at home and who also emphasize the freshness of the flowers they sell will tell you that they have the happiest, most satisfied customers. And while you may hear a few florists complain that if flowers last too long, their customers buy less often, most floral pros will tell you just the opposite—that consumers who experience long-lasting flowers tend to buy more because they feel they are getting their money’s worth.
In fact, I’ve heard numerous floral-industry experts over the years refer to studies that prove that long-lasting flowers are the key to increasing sales. Granted, a lot of the basis for long-lasting flowers starts with the growers, the importers, the wholesalers and the florists themselves. If the cold-chain isn’t maintained properly, or clean care-and-handling techniques aren’t followed, then it doesn’t matter how many packets of flower food you give to customers.
But, even so, it’s always made me wonder why most florists don’t give multiple packets of flower food with the flowers they sell.
What’s your reason? The cost? A lack of trust that consumers will use the packets? A lack of trust that consumers will use them properly? (After all, multiple studies show that adding too much or too little of the flower powder to the water solution is as bad as not using any at all.)
Share your thoughts here or send them to [email protected].