How To Compete in an Ever-Changing Market
By Julie Anderson

The challenge of conducting business in this continually changing environment has put tremendous pressure on the operation and marketing of your company. Isn't the goal to bring the right product to the right people at the right time?

Many phrases have been created to encourage business not to fear change, rather embrace it. Its true change is a necessary evil, however, there are still core business principles that remain constant. Strengthen these principles, and update where needed. Lose focus of your brand integrity, and you'll lose your business.

Here is some objective input on the core issues that will generate greater profitability from your floral departments:

• Floral Programs and Merchandising
  Is your program providing the right product for your customers? Every quarter take time to review and refocus the entire program and the merchandising at store level. Has the demographics of your market changed? What are your competitors doing? These questions will help you see what needs to be done to update and create a more effective floral program.
   
• Budgets
  Yikes! The dreaded numbers!!
  January is the best time to review the finances and plan your promotions around the numbers. If the numbers seem a little out of reach, plan holiday and everyday promotions to attain your financial goal. Work your mix so you maintain the gross profit. Everyone says January is a bad sales month for floral. If nothing is planned, you will have bad sales.
   
• Category Management
  The biggest challenge with category management is gathering the data, organizing it, and interrupting it. If you have this system already in place or are just beginning, you must make the commitment to make it a priority. It is one of the most effective business tools in today’s competitive market.
   
• Edges
  These are your floral program’s unique selling features. Every retailer tells you its product is the best. It’s not enough anymore.  Why should customers buy your product? Once you’ve identified the unique features, the challenge is marketing and promoting them to the floral associates and your customers.
   
• Communications
  Corporate to Stores.
  So much internal reorganization has been occurring that somehow the stores get put on automatic pilot. Once you’ve reevaluated and established your floral program and merchandising -- and identified your edges – it’s time to clearly market it to the stores. This can be done in the weekly planner that goes to the stores. Seminars or district meetings can be effective, too. It’s critical that the stores be pulled back under the corporate umbrella. 
   
• Floral Associates and their customers
  The objectives for the floral associate is to get new customers, have the new customers come back, and have them spend more each visit.  Some quick and easy ways to let customers know what is happening is through effective customer service, informative signage, and posting their work schedule. Let customers in on the secrets of your beautiful department.

Julie Anderson is president and owner of Julie Anderson Consulting.  She has been in the supermarket floral industry for 20 years, and was a director and chairman of the Floral Marketing Association. She can be contacted at juliea@thuntek.net

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