FTD Mercury Messenger - February 2017

FEBRUARY 2017

MERCURY MESSENGER STUNNING NEW SPRING AND SUMMER EXCLUSIVES PG. 2

JOIN FTD IN CELEBRATING WOMEN'S DAY PG. 2

GROW YOUR WEDDING BUSINESS IN 2017 PG. 4

WHAT'S NEW

SPRING AND SUMMER 2017:

Letter from Tom Hello FTD Florists!

I hope 2017 is off to a great start and that your Valentine’s Day was up in sales and profits. We certainly appreciated all of your support and focus in delighting hundreds of thousands of customers. I hope that our streamlined holiday product assortment helped you prepare and execute your plans successfully.

Please enjoy this edition of our Mercury Messenger. It is loaded with a lot of good information to help you manage and grow your business as well as inspiration. The below are a few tips and highlights:

A COLORFUL CELEBRATION FTD’s Spring and Summer 2017 Exclusives are sure to delight in hues of citrus, honeysuckle, pink, lavender and serene blue. Metallic, graphic and colorful glass containers are the perfect vessels for the sophisticated florist-filled designs. The entire Spring and Summer 2017 collection will debut on FTD.com after Valentine’s Day and remain on the site throughout the summer.

THE CODIFICATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 21 To place your container orders today, please call your Marketplace representative at 800.767.4000.

1. As a key strategy to drive FTD brand awareness and celebrate our florists, we’re excited about the upcoming Women’s Day promotion. The #ILookToHer campaign will celebrate inspiring women and will be highlighted at the Philadelphia Flower Show as well as in consumer marketing. We want you to join in the fun too, so we’re giving away eight pairs of round-trip plane tickets to florists in our #ILookToHer sweepstakes!

2. To help boost both Spring and Summer sales, check out our stunning new product lineup and get codified now to drive more orders. These bouquets were thoughtfully designed using easyto-source flowers and with an eye toward providing you with a better gross margin.

The FTD® So Very Loved™ Bouquet by Hallmark 17-M3p | DSRP $84.99

JOIN FTD IN CELEBRATING WOMEN’S DAY

3. Want to reduce fresh flower costs?

Be sure to take full advantage of our industry-leading FTD Rewards program.

All FTD Florists are automatically enrolled and you’re earning points for every dollar spent on membership, products and services. These points can then be translated into savings at the FTD Flower Exchange.

FTD’s #ILookToHer marketing campaign will begin in March and is all about celebrating the inspiring women in our lives.

The campaign will kick off on International Women’s Day, March 8, and run through April. The multifaceted campaign encourages consumers to send a floristdesigned bouquet to celebrate a special woman.

4. Looking to drive more local business? Consider the newly enhanced FTD Market for You and FTD Wedding programs. Want an affordable and industry-leading point of sale system?

Call FTD Technology Sales at 800.767.3222 to learn more and schedule a FREE Mercury Point of Sale system demo.

5. Ready to learn and grow? Take full advantage of our education programs, summarized on page 6. Many of these events are free and well worth taking an hour of your time to learn something new.

Thanks again, everyone. We appreciate your business and look forward to working together to drive it further in 2017!

Executive Vice President Florist Division

The FTD® Spring Skies™ Bouquet 17-M4p | DSRP $74.99

The #ILookToHer campaign will be highlighted at the Philadelphia Flower Show, where FTD will be a supporting sponsor of the Designer’s Studio from March 11-19 and will also host a floral bouquet giveaway on the opening day of the show.

Other key channels where the eight-week campaign will be featured include: • • • •

Direct mail, email and social media Print ads in Better Homes & Gardens United Airlines gates at O’Hare International Airport 5,000 bouquet giveaway in Chicago on Women’s Day

FTD Florists can also get involved by entering the #ILookToHer sweepstakes, which is awarding eight pairs of round-trip tickets from United Airlines to the winners. More information will be coming soon.

Image Above: An ad to be featured in Better Homes & Gardens.

Celebrating

FTD MEMBER FLORISTS

B

C

A

D

E

F

A. FTD honored longtime Field Business Consultant Joe Arbona at the 2017 National Sales Meeting. Joe was FTD's longesttenured employee and retired in January after 44 years of faithful service. B. FTD Field Business Consultant Carol Wells visited Dale’s Florist, Inc. in Fayetteville, NC, to present owner Dale Lasater with her Top 1000 Partner plaque. C. Tom Addalia of Flowers by Addalia, Inc. in Toms River, NJ, receives his Top 100 Sender plaque from FTD Regional Vice President Jim Weedon.

D. Regional Vice President Frank Stornelli and Field Business Consultant Larry Herz pose with the bouquets they built in conjunction with Random Acts of Flowers during the 2017 FTD National Sales Meeting. FTD employees crafted a total of 170 bouquets, which were donated to residents at two local healthcare facilities. E. Denise Carroll of Jim Durio Florist in Opelousas, LA, poses with her husband, Jerry, near one of the wagons featured in the 2017 Rose Parade. Denise won FTD's Everyone "Likes" a Parade Sweepstakes and enjoyed a free trip for two to the parade and Rose Bowl. F. Frank Viviano of Bartz Viviano Flowers & Gifts in Toledo, OH, receives his Top 100 Sender plaque from FTD Regional Vice President Ed Cronin.

DON’T FORGET

REDEEM YOUR FTD REWARDS & SAVE 20%!

Each month, you receive one point for every dollar spent on purchases made through FTD, including membership, products and services. You also earn three points for every dollar spent online at the FTD Flower Exchange. Points can then be redeemed toward the cost of flowers purchased online through the FTD Flower Exchange.

All FTD Member Florists are automatically enrolled in the FTD Rewards program. To learn more and view your points balance, please visit FTDi.com/FTDRewards.

EARN POINTS ON: MEMBERSHIP

PRODUCTS

SERVICES

FRESHLY BLOOMED

FTD Market for You:

PERSONALIZED SERVICE, EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to social media success.

That’s why the FTD Market for You team takes the time to understand your business goals and create a strategy that helps you achieve them. Once a plan is in place, the Market for You team will post to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and create email campaigns on your behalf.

MARKET FOR YOU CUSTOMER PERKS:

✓

Increased online orders and engagement on social media channels

✓

An uptick in local business via walk-ins and phone-in orders

✓

More time to focus on what’s most important, managing your operations and increasing profitability

All it takes to get started is a five-minute chat with our team.

Contact FTD Market for You today at MarketforYou@FTDi.com.

TAKE YOUR WEDDING BUSINESS FURTHER With more than 2 million weddings per year and an average spend of almost $2,000 on flowers, the wedding business represents a tremendous opportunity to grow.

FTD Wedding Program participants now have access to exclusive training delivered by wedding expert Rick Brewer. The new “Get More Brides” online training sessions will be offered monthly throughout 2017. Rick will teach you how to attract more brides and capture their business.

THIS $250 MONTHLY VALUE IS JUST $75 PER MONTH!

Additionally, all FTD Wedding Program participants are able to communicate with brides through Wedding.com and collect and share customer feedback using Wedding.com’s review tools.

An FTDWeddingFlorist.com online directory listing and dedicated customer service support round out the program’s businessbuilding tools.

To learn more and get started, contact FTD Florists Online at 866.926.5197 or FOLGoldSupport@FTDi.com.

Our exclusive email campaign templates are personalized with your shop's information.

FLORIST SPOTLIGHT Countryside Floral and Garden, located in Issaquah, WA, strives to offer exciting and unique plants and floral designs to keep customers coming back again and again. FTD spoke with owner Jon Robert Throne AIFD, who will be a featured speaker at the 2017 AIFD Symposium.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR SHOP? WHAT IS YOUR SPECIALTY? We do everything. We’re a true brick-and-mortar store and we do daily events, weddings, green plants, etc. Our style ranges from classic design to high-end pieces. I bought a farm in April—we’re growing plants to be sold through the shop and I planted a number of bulbs for next year. We’re really embracing the “local” movement. The biggest thing for me is trying to grow things that will not be available widely.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A FLORIST? HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED IN FLORISTRY? I’ve been in floristry for almost 30 years. When I was a child, I had environmentally minded people who really encouraged me. My neighbor had a greenhouse and my grandfather was a serious gardener. As a child, I would try to grow anything I could get my hands on.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR FLORISTS LOOKING TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS? Shops need to be diversified. It’s tough to survive on just flowers. You also need to do weddings, rentals, Christmas décor jobs, offer giftware, and have the ability to expand other offerings in the business outside of daily deliveries.

It’s important to do everything you can to bring in money from all available sources.

WE UNDERSTAND YOU’VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH FTD’S MARKET FOR YOU PROGRAM. CAN YOU TELL US HOW IT HAS BENEFITED YOUR SHOP? Market for You’s social media posts are a continual reminder to our customers that we’re here. We do our own posting too, but it’s nice to not have to worry about it every day. I work with our dedicated representative on an email campaign every month and provide feedback on what she creates. It’s great because I can focus on design and not have to worry about day-to-day marketing.

Market for You's social media posts are a continual reminder to our customers that we're here.

JON ROBERT THRONE AIFD

WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH FTD? The Mercury Point of Sale system, definitely. It’s easy to use and I use it to look up sales every day. I can print out statements and do payroll without having to pay someone to do it for me. My entire inventory is in the system, even giftware. At the end of the year, we print out our inventory to get a good understanding of what we have.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A FLORIST? Plant wise, it’s the challenge to see if I can make it grow and bloom. Design wise, it’s what flowers and greens and textures I can combine to make it look new and different.

ARE THERE ANY CURRENT FLORAL TRENDS THAT REALLY EXCITE YOU? I’m intrigued by the use of the color navy. I was excited to see Greenery selected as Pantone’s Color of Year 2017.

I’m also curious about olive as a color, and the use of terra cotta pots. I feel like those trends should swing back around.

To learn more about how Countryside Floral and Garden utilizes FTD Market for You, please view the video at FTDi.com/MarketforYou.

EDUCATION

& EVENTS

FTD is proud to sponsor dozens of state and national association conventions and education programs each year. Our mission is always to support our florists and help them succeed through continuing education and lifelong learning.

FEBRUARY 2017 25-26

ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPO & THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP Westminster, CO Floral Association of the Rockies www.floralassociationrockies.org Featured FTD Design Program: “Jubilation” presented by FTD Education Consultant Randy Wooten AIFD

MARCH 2017 3-5

GREAT LAKES FLORAL EXPO Grand Rapids, MI Michigan Floral Association www.michiganfloral.org Featured FTD Design Program: “Jubilation” presented by FTD Education Consultant Randy Wooten AIFD NORTHEAST FLORAL EXPO Springfield, MA Connecticut Florists Association www.northeastfloralexpo.com Featured FTD Design Program: “The Emotions of Color” presented

by FTD Education Consultant Jacob McCall AIFD

10-12

SOUTH DAKOTA FLORISTS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION Pierre, SD Chad Kruse 605-854-3773 Featured FTD Design Program: “Put Some Pizzazz in Your Everyday Work” presented by FTD Education Consultant Deborah De La Flor AIFD

GEORGIA STATE FLORIST ASSOCIATION CONVENTION Macon, GA Georgia State Florist Association www.georgiastateflorist.com

13-14

SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS CONGRESSIONAL ACTION DAYS Washington, D.C. Society of American Florists www.safnow.org

24-26

ILLINOIS STATE FLORISTS’ ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE Decatur, IL Illinois State Florists’ Association www.isfaflorists.com Featured FTD Design Program: “Trendy Wedding Bouquets” presented by FTD Education Consultant Jacob McCall AIFD WISCONSIN & UPPER MICHIGAN FLORISTS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION Wisconsin Dells, WI Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association www.wumfa.org Featured FTD Design Program: “Doing the Daily Grind” presented

by FTD Education Consultant Jeff Corbin AIFD

APRIL 2017 2 NIAGARA INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FLORISTS ANNUAL DESIGN SHOW Niagara Falls, NY Niagara International www.niaflorists.org

Check out the 2017 education and events calendar at FTDi.com/FTDUniversity.

REGISTER NOW AND SAVE ON FTD BOOT CAMP Enjoy an early bird discount on our toprated FTD Boot Camp! The cost drops to $599 per person (regularly $699) when you: REGISTER BY APRIL 5, 2017 FOR THE JUNE 5-7 SESSION REGISTER BY JUNE 7, 2017 FOR THE AUGUST 7-9 SESSION REGISTER BY AUGUST 2, 2017 FOR THE OCTOBER 2-4 SESSION

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TEXAS FLORAL SHOWCASE Waco, TX Texas State Florists’ Association www.tsfa.org

$20,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS EXCLUSIVELY FOR FTD® FLORISTS CONNECT WITH US www.FTDi.com | 800.788.9000 facebook.com/MercuryNetwork instagram.com/mercurynetwork YouTube.com/FTDMercuryNetwork blog.ftdi.com

FTD is doubling the amount of scholarship dollars available in 2017 to $20,000! The scholarships are awarded to attend industry-leading business and design events through FTD University. The scholarships are exclusively for member florists and their employees who share our passion for continuing education in the floral industry.

Twenty $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Scholarships are available to FTD Boot Camp, AIFD Symposium and Society of American Florists’ Annual Convention.

The scholarship application deadline is April 1, 2017.

Complete your application at FTDi.com/FTDUniversity.