Mother's Day 2013


FTD is excited to provide you with several tools and resources to ensure your Mother's Day is successful. To help you plan for anticipated demand, we have created a list of the projected Top 15 FTD.com best-selling bouquets for Mother's Day.





* Projections are subject to change based on market conditions and/or florist performance.
Arrangements shown above are ranked in order of projected sales and are the Deluxe versions.
Pricing shown above is Delivered SRP.

  

  


Planning and preparing is critical for a successful Mother's Day. FTD can help make preparations simple with several design tips to improve productivity and customer satisfaction levels.

The following design tips are helpful during the holidays and every day. You can also find bouquet-specific design tips for each projected best seller in the top right corner of the product boxes above or Click Here for a .pdf to download.

  • Purchase your flowers in the correct stem length to maximize profit margin whenever possible.
  • Order product to match the timing of your production schedule and the proper stem counts to match your recipes to the style purchased.
  • Properly hydrate your flowers (in cool water with flower food) based on variety allowing for some of the flowers to begin to open and show color. This will provide the customer with a better experience upon receipt and provide for the proper fullness in each design using the correct number of stems in the recipe.
  • Concentrate on one recipe at a time if a SKU is offered in Standard, Deluxe and Premium sizes to help ensure proper stem counts in each design.
  • Keep in mind the scale and dimensions when building each design; this is key to the perception and satisfaction of your customers.
  • Ribbon is an accessory and should only be used when in the recipe and only then used in the same manner it was originally intended.
  • Determine packaging per item prior to the holiday to ensure safe delivery.
  • Check water daily on all of your premade arrangements as well as prior to delivery to keep hydrated.

 



The FTD Holiday Capacity tool enables you to view the last two year's statistics for FTD.com and florist-to-florist orders sent to your shop during the three major floral holidays (Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day), as well as indicate the number of orders you can fulfill this year.

Here's how it works:

  1. Access the holiday capacity tool through the Florist Look-up feature in your Mercury system*
  2. Click on the "ADMIN" icon in the top right corner of the screen
  3. First time users must enter an email address and password
  4. Click on "Holiday Capacity"
  5. View your shop's historical order data from FTD over the past two years for FTD.com orders
  6. Input your daily order capacity for Mother's Day 2013
  7. As a convenience to you, FTD.com will stop sending orders to your shop for any delivery day where your order volume has exceeded the capacity listed in the Holiday Capacity tool

Go to floristwiki.FTDi.com for more information on the new order capacity tool.

*FTD Florist Link is available to members using the following systems: Mercury X2 fall or newer,
Mercury Connect and Mercury Direct 5.0 or newer.


The greater the scope of products offered and the greater the delivery area serviced by your shop, the greater the chance your shop has to increase the quantity of orders received. FTD can show you how to get the most out of your membership by helping you get on the path to more orders, potentially increasing your shop's profitability.

For a complimentary Path to Orders review, contact FTD Member Solutions at 800.788.9000.

 


FTD Flower exchange can offer you competitive pricing and flexible packages to fulfill your Mother's Day flower needs. Benefits include:

  • Buy now, pay later with the FTD Clearinghouse
  • Choose from a variety of logistic solutions
  • Earn credit back for future purchases with the FX Rewards Program
  • Save time and labor resources with exclusive drop in bouquets for C12-4792 Sweet Surprises (Deluxe) and 13-M8 Mother's Day Mixed Rose Bouquet (Deluxe)

Book early to secure best pricing and availability. Contact your FTD Flower Exchange Representative at 800.767.4000 today or visit FTDFlowerExchange.com. Upon logging in click on the "Mother's Day" section found under the "Holidays & Events" tab.



Visit FTD Flower Exchange to use our time-saving Stem Count Calculator.

Simply enter the number of codified containers for each style that you are projecting to sell (Standard, Deluxe and Premium), and the Stem Count Calculator will instantly tell you how many stems per flower variety you need.

Login today to add stem count calculator precision to your Mother's Day planning.


The top five ways, FTD florists advertise during the holidays:

  1. Outdoor Signage - Hanging banners, adding promotions to street signage or even a simple sidewalk sign and can help increase foot traffic that may have walked on by.
  2. Online Advertising - Optimize search engine keywords and list shop in Google Places, Yelp and other directories.
  3. Print Advertising - Placing an ad in your local newspaper or in your community bulletin is a great way to promote Mother's Day specials.
  4. Email Marketing Campaigns - Email campaigns are simple and can easily be tracked. Make sure to ask every customer that places an order for their email address and send emails regularly.
  5. Statement Stuffers - Adding a flyer to your statements, or even Mother's Day copy or promotions in a prominent place on your statements is a great reminder for customers to get them back in the door.

The good news about the top advertising mediums being used is that they are fairly cost-effective even for the smallest of flower shops.


We need your help! Each holiday, orders are left unfilled harming the reputation of local florists, and ultimately the industry. If you are not confident about being able to successfully deliver an order, please reject the order within 2 hours of receiving it instead of sending an ASK. This will allow the order to be sent back into the network to find a florist that can fill the order.

FTD has taken the initiative to have the industry's first protection policy that tracks all orders through the Mercury network and assesses charges on behalf of the sending florist if an order is not rejected or fulfilled in a timely manner. The charges allow the filling florist to take care of the customer whether it is to provide a full refund or send an apology bouquet.

For more information about the FTD Delayed Response Program, visit FTDi.com/Quality/DRP.

 


 FTD continues to recognize that quality will define the floral industry. We're always seeking out new ways to improve the customer experience and retain their business with FTD and FTD Florists. Delivery confirmations should be sent by 7pm on the day of delivery after the recipient has received the order.

Don't forget: the delivery confirmation sends an email directly to the FTD.com customer informing them of the delivery.

For more information about the FTD Delivery Confirmation Program, visit FTDi.com/Quality/Delivery.

 


FTD Mercury Direct users have access to a website called FTD Unconfirmed Deliveries that makes sending a delivery confirmation easy and hassle-free. This website (FTDconfirm.com) enables Mercury Direct customers to easily process delivery confirmations that are sent over the Mercury Network to the sending florist or FTD.com.

To get started:



FTD Mercury X3 or X3 fall users have access to FTD Mercury Mobile, an iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) and Android mobile application. The mobile app enables point of sale users to keep up with the FTD Mercury Dashboard when on the go. Users can also confirm deliveries remotely, either from individual orders displayed in the FTD Mercury Mobile Undelivered Orders screen or by an order number if working off of a delivery manifest.

For more information about FTD Mercury Mobile, visit floristwiki.FTDi.com/FTDMercuryMobile. 

 


With so many things happening at once during the holidays, some employees that normally operate your Mercury system may be busy answering phones or making deliveries. We want to make sure that whoever is responding to the messages on your Mercury is comfortable sending and answering messages. We've developed this quick reference guide for you to post near your Mercury system that highlights the most common questions and answers.

 Mercury Message Quick Reference Guide

 

 


  • Hire additional delivery drivers to increase your capacity to fill orders, especially on Sunday, May 12.
  • Get pay-as-you-go cell phones for delivery drivers so you can always keep in touch without increasing your cell phone costs.
  • Set up an assembly line to put together the top selling arrangements the day or two before your busiest delivery day.
  • Save time by making up arrangements in FTD holiday codified containers to offer for sale to walk-ins.
  • Give your computer a tune up to ensure it is running accurately and minimize disruptions. Make sure your ink cartridges are full and your invoice and receipt paper is in-stock and easily accessible.
  • Offer a promotion for orders delivered on Saturday, May 11 to maximize your driver availability on the 12th.

 

  • List your best selling items on your homepage so customers can find them quickly.
  • Include your online customers in your e-mail marketing campaign - contact FTD Florists Online support for assistance obtaining e-mail addresses for these customers.
  • Verify your delivery information is correct and updated so that your customers can choose you for their Mother's Day orders.
  • Create custom products on your website to showcase your artistry.
  • Update your online pricing to match what your store charges for Mother's Day orders.
  • Consider increasing your Local Search online advertising spend so that your website is promoted in the sponsored links in all search engines.
  • Review the training videos and documentation at floristwiki.FTDi.com for additional tips and suggestions.

Click Here for an FOL Mother's Day checklist to help you prepare.

Be sure to visit these links for training and updating your FTD Florists Online website: FOL Training Resources | Web Portal

To speak with an FTD Florists Online Service Representative



FTD Florists Online customers can instantly expand their Mother's Day offerings by adding WebGifts. This inventory-free customer direct service offers a collection of both floral and non-floral items for you to sell in-store and on-line. Boost add-on sales this Mother's Day and gain the following benefits:

  • Earn normal sending commission (20%), plus sending rebates
  • No inventory to carry and no product to purchase
  • Your Shop name and branded marketing message are printed on the shipping label and gift card
  • Each sent order counts toward your monthly sending quota
  • Ability to compete with e-Commerce businesses by offering elite brands such as Godiva, Starbucks, Build-A-Bear and more

Call FTD® WebGifts today at 866.926.5197 or Click Here for additional information.


 


Make sure to advertise that you can send orders worldwide, especially for Mother's Day. Let your customers know that flowers are a great gift to send when you cannot be there in person. Sending an international order over the Mercury is quick and easy!

If you have questions about how to send an international order, send a GEN message to
90-0266AA or email retrans@FTDi.com.