McShan Florist Christmastime events draw hundreds, in part because McShan’s team works hard to offer something new every year. “It’s something competitors who only sell flowers can’t do,” said Jodi McShan.
You’ve likely already read the news that experts say another 12,000 national retail stores will close in the U.S. this year — a bleak-sounding estimate that underscores the uphill battle brick-and-mortar operations face in the age of online shopping. Still, many local businesses are finding a way to authentically connect with customers, by offering experiences not “just” products.
Consumer hunger for experiences is particularly strong among younger shoppers — nearly three quarters of millennials say they’d choose to spend their cash on experiences over tangible items — but, across generations, the impulse to do something rather than buy something is growing.
This month in Floral Management, we preview SAF Amelia Island 2019 programming that charts this trend — and share tips on how you can capitalize on it.
The big question? How can the floral industry leverage the radical consumer mind shift — from buying products to investing in experiences — and get more customers buying more flowers more often?
Dustin Garis
For starters, think bigger, suggests Dustin Garis, a consultant who has worked with multinational corporations including Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. Garis takes issue with anyone who says brick-and-mortar retail is dead. As evidence, he points to a grilled cheese sandwich.
“I was at this small restaurant not long ago and grilled cheese is all that they do, but these aren’t your normal sandwiches,” he explained. “You can pick from a range of really wild ingredients — doughnuts instead of bread! — and then they’ll create this special sandwich, exactly as you imagined it, just for you.”
Garis argues the floral industry is especially well suited to capitalize on this new focus on experiences over products … if individual business owners start thinking bigger about the case they’re making to customers.
“This is a powerful trend and a chance to reposition flowers from an occasion product to an everyday experience people crave,” he said. “Florists need to think more broadly about that experience of giving and receiving flowers and how they can craft, accelerate or redefine that experience. When you figure out how to do that, it’s a fantastic service to offer, and it’s one that you can monetize.”
Jodi McShan
In a separate panel, Jodi McShan, of McShan Florist in Dallas, and Sally Kobylinski, of In Bloom Florist in Orlando, Florida, will give real-world florists’ perspectives on how they use experiential marketing to grow their businesses.
“Offering people experiences gives us a reason to exist,” said McShan, noting that her shop’s Christmastime events draw hundreds, in part because the McShan’s team works hard to offer something new every year. “It’s something competitors who only sell flowers can’t do.”
Sally Kobylinski
Kobylinski takes a similar approach. “As florists, we have the opportunity to give our community the ability to interact directly with our products, which sets us apart from other retailers,” said Kobylinski, who has hosted in-store workshops, turned the shop into a venue for speakers, hosted pop ups and played a lead role in organizing customers and neighboring businesses in support of charitable causes.
Finally, while it can sometimes feel like the rate of change today is unprecedented, Garis argues that consumers’ clear interest in experiences proves that some facets of human nature haven’t changed, and that’s good news for the industry.
“At our core, we are still social creatures,” he said. “We used to gather around the fire, or in front of the radio. Now people also gather around digital devices or in digital spaces. But most people still aspire to the same things: a memorable life, meaningful connections.”
When you help people create those things — and show them the role flowers can play in making them happen — your customers remember, he added.
Read more about SAF Amelia Island 2019 programming in the July issue of Floral Management. Plus, register for SAF’s convention and book your hotel.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.