Mother's Day is going to be different this year for many reasons. We do know that people will want to connect with their favorite moms, especially if they can't be together in person. FTD is expecting a strong holiday, especially after having an incredible Easter demonstrating the desire for people to connect by sending flowers. Working together with you, our florist network members, is critical to the success of Mother's Day for everyone involved.

As announced last week, FTD is adapting its merchandising strategy for Mother's Day from what was originally shared. The Mother's Day florist assortment will be reduced by 40% starting on May 4. This will help you focus production during the peak order taken days. Additionally, all retails will start at $50 or higher to help you maximize profitability. With this scaled back assortment, 21% less flower varieties will be needed for fulfillment. Flexible delivery will also be available for florists to deliver on Saturday or Sunday.

Hiring and training delivery drivers may be a challenge this Mother's Day. In partnership with DoorDash, FTD Delivery Service will make your deliveries for only $7.50 per order through June 30. This service is available for all florists to use to support your delivery operations within a seven-mile radius of your shop. DoorDash is also offering the option for a driver to pick-up five arrangements at one time making it more seamless for you.

Floral Insight in Houston, TX used FTD Delivery Service at Valentine's Day and said, "It's stress-free, quick, prompt and cost-effective!" Try out the service before Mother's Day.

The FTD Flower Exchange features competitive prices and a variety of shipping options on the flowers you need for Mother's Day. With the open market being limited right now, it is important to pre-book your flowers now for the holiday. Don't wait to make sure you get the quality stems you need. We're also offering 20% off fresh flowers for all buyers thru April 30 as part of our commitment to you during this challenging time.

Back by popular demand are labor saver bouquets best-selling items B03, B05, B35 and B55 for Mother's Day. If you don't sell-thru all of your labor saver bouquets at Mother's Day, you can request a refund. Reach out to one of our dedicated flower pros to order now with no inventory risk!

The Spring codified collection is live on FTD.com and ProFlowers.com. The Full of Joy™ (S2) and Cherry Blossom™ (S3) bouquets are expected to be the highest volume codified best sellers. The Spring/Summer codified items will be featured for Mother's Day (some removed during peak week to streamline your fulfillment - see above) and then all back online throughout the summer until Labor Day!

There is no risk to stocking up on container inventory for the holiday with buybacks available on S1, S3, S4, S5 and S8 if you still have full cases at the end of summer. Reach out to your Marketplace rep today or www.FTDMarketplace.com.

FTD has two helpful tools that can assist in planning for container and fresh flower inventory.

• The Product Calculator will help you determine the mix of products by item by entering the total number of orders you plan to fill for FTD and it will populate your count by item. If there is an item you are not planning to carry, you should select "NO" in the dropdown to remove it from the mix. Download the calculator here.
• The Stem Count Calculator is tool that tells you how many stems by variety is needed to fulfill orders based on container inventory. You can access the calculator here.

Last week, FTD hosted a webinar called "Preparing for Mother's Day in the Midst of a Crisis." You can watch the recorded presentation to learn ways FTD can assist you in preparing while day-to-day operations are in flux during this pandemic. We also shared marketing ideas, resources available, free services and more!