LivRio April - Issue No.4 - Pre-Mother's Day Issue

{ PRE MOTHER’S DAY ISSUE }

E - M AG

APRIL

2017

ISSUE No.4

dear

MOMS

we LOVE YOU

in this issue:

M OT H E R ’ S D AY P. R . E . P. – V A L E N T I N E ’ S R E S U LT S - G I F T S

LIVRIO THE E-MAGAZINE OF RIO ROSES Issue No.4 APRIL 2017 IN THIS ISSUE: People of Rio Mot her’s Da y P.R.E.P. Wedding Collection A Valentine’s Retrospective Gif t guide Community outreach Bir t hda ys + anniversar ies FOR INQUIRIES marketing@equiflor.com

EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT RIO

N E W W E B S I T E C O M I N G I N M AY & K E E P A N E Y E O U T F O R O U R P O S T E R I N S E R T I N T H E M AY ISSUE OF FLORIST REVIEW TO SEE OUR FINEST ROSE COLLECTION

PEOPLE of RIO

RIO FAMILY TALKS MOTHER’S DAY OSCAR FERNANDEZ > My mom taught me to love, to be a better man, a better friend, a better husband, and a better father. I wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for my mom. Mom, I love you. Happy Mother’s Day!

< S O N I A C A S T I L LO “Best advice I got, is the same I tell my 2 daughters, it’s a Spanish proverb that translates to; A pencil weighs less than a shovel. As a mother I like to remind my girls of the importance of education every chance I get, I want them to have the best life possible. “ v RICKY SANGIO “The most important things she taught me was punctuality and honesty. She always taught me to be myself and do my best every day. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.”

v R AU L M A R R E R O My mom taught me to be aggressive and to take risks, which has been really important to me. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

< M AYA S AGA S T U M E “My mom taught me everything I know and stand for, she raised me to be independent. She also emphasized the importance of travel because it broadens your horizons”

BLOOM of the MONTH handpicked, fresh from our farm

Ranunculus - White

The ranunculus flower symbolizes attractiveness and charm across cultures and generations. Originally known as a cost-effective alternative to peonies and roses, these gorgeous blooms have become extremely popular with brides as a prime choice for both bouquets and centerpieces.

We grow these beautiful flowers on our farm in Ecuador year-round and carry a huge range of colors, suitable for any occasion.

MOTHER’S DAY P.R.E.P (PLAN, REVIEW, EXCECUTE, PROFIT)

WITH LESS THAN SIX WEEKS TO GO BEFORE MOTHER’S DAY, THE SECOND-BUSIEST DAY IN THE FLORAL INDUSTRY IS FAST APPROACHING.

JUST LIKE VALENTINE’S DAY, WITH A BIT OF EXTRA PREPARATION AND MARKETING, IT CAN BE AN EXTREMELY PROFITABLE HOLIDAY.

HERE ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF MOTHER’S DAY:

REWARDS BONUS PROGRAM INCENTIVIZE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH REWARDS OR BONUS PROGRAM OFFERINGS. A FEW COMMON TACTICS AND THEIR ADVANTAGES INCLUDE: • Offering discounts on Mother’s Day pre-orders or bonus points in place of discounts (double or triple bonus points for orders placed before a specific deadline).

• A reward system allows you to charge your full price, deferring the discount into the future. It will also be a much lower discount, especially since many customers will never get around to redeeming their points.

• A points system gives the customer a reason to share valuable marketing information. In order to take part of the points program, the customer has to give you their name, phone number and email address.

• Bonus programs should be promoted to your customers so all of your receipts, invoices and marketing materials should mention that you are offering bonus points on all sales during a specific time.

BUILDING AND MAINTAINING CUSTOMER DATABASE MOTHER’S DAY IS A GREAT HOLIDAY TO INCREASE YOUR CLIENT DATABASE SINCE YOU HAVE A GREATER NUMBER OF CURRENT AND NEW CUSTOMERS ORDERING FOR THAT DAY: • Taking down customer names and email addresses even when the shop is busy. This information will help increase sales all year long.

• Keep your staff relaxed and customers happy by splitting deliveries into separate roads and providing drivers with printed lists.

•Create an alphabetized pickup list for customers collecting flowers in-shop; make sure to collect any missing information when they arrive.

CONTINUED... MARKETING IDEAS HIG H S C HOOL S AN D CO LLEG ES • Put up posters on college campuses, at coffee shops, and other places where students hang out, perhaps advertising cheaper, student-only arrangements.

• You could also try offering a small discount when students show their school ID.

ONLINE MARKET IN G • Six weeks before Mother’s Day, use your customer database to send regular emails with discounts for advance orders, using time limits to encourage immediate purchases.

• Helpful reminder emails a week or two before the day can be used to promote reasonably priced arrangements and information about product availability.

• If you don’t already use Google AdWords, they often offer free credit for new users, and you only pay for the clicks you get on your ads. They also provide a great web portal, giving you details on the demographics of the people who clicked on your ads, allowing for more targeted marketing.

COU PO N S WIT H ARRAN G EM ENTS • Provide discount vouchers for Mother’s Day with all arrangements sold, encouraging customers to sign up for your rewards program.

RES TAURANT PART N ER S HIP S • Partner with local restaurants to offer special Mother’s Day dinner and flower packages.

• Ask the restaurant to display one of your arrangements in their window, allowing them to give it away to a different customer every week during the month or so before Mother’s Day. EFFECTIVE MARKETING IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN NORMAL DURING THESE BUSY TIMES OF YEAR, AS IT CAN BOTH BOOST SALES IN THE SHORT-TERM AND BRING IN MORE CUSTOMERS DURING THE QUIETER PERIODS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IF YOU ARE PROACTIVE ABOUT PREPARATION AND MARKETING, THERE ARE SOME GREAT CHANCES TO ADD UP TO 15% TO YOUR NORMAL SALES THIS MOTHER’S DAY.

ACCORDING TO A SURVEY BY THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION,

66% OF THOSE CELEBRATING MOTHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY WILL BUY MOM FLOWERS, SPENDING AN ESTIMATED $2.4 BILLION IN 2016.

RIO’S 2017 WEDDING COLLECTION

“AVANT-GARDEN”

“AVANT-GARDEN” COLLECTION This collection was inspired by the beautifully lush rose gardens at Marie Antoinette’s Le Petit Trianon, in Versailles, just outside Paris.

For this wedding season, we wanted a fairytale-like selection of awe-inspiring, dramatic blooms with a pop of red for flair.

Contact your Rio sales associate for the complete collection.

1. White O’Hara 2. Pink O’Hara 3. Playa Blanca 4. Creme de la creme 5. Shimmer 6. Hearts 7. Pink Mondial 8. Jessika

A

VALENTINE’S RETROSPECTIVE Nothing says “Valentine’s Day snuck up on me” like last-minute flower orders.

In fact, a survey by the Society of American Florists reported that 38% of this year’s Valentine’s Day orders came in on the day itself, compared to 13% last year. But just how do factors like last minute orders affect the flower industry in general?

Timing is everything, as most florists reported a 15-20% increase in sales for the flower industry’s token holiday—even though marketing efforts remained the same across the board—largely crediting the fact that Valentine’s Day fell on a Tuesday (last year, the holiday fell on a Sunday). The majority of sale increases occurred via walk-in, phone, and web orders, with factors such as increased shop advertising, higher price points, and regional economy contributing to the growth.

On the other hand, wholesalers did not report as large an increase as expected—only about 5-9% according to a WF&FSA analysis, compared to a 15-20% prediction. Though some wholesalers did sell out their inventory, many wholesalers on the front lines reported less sales growth, as well as an excess of product that wasn’t sold for the holiday. Factors contributing to lackluster increases include the aforementioned last minute orders, which caused delays with farms and importers, as well as snow days impacting business in the Northeast region of the country. Additionally, increased advertising from mass market competitors (supermarkets, big box stores, internet florists) negatively affected sales for traditional retail florists and wholesalers.

Other factors included delays in shipping, such as planes arriving late from South America, resulting in late product that did not make the shipping window, as well as an overestimation of sales and conservative buying of flowers due to poor holiday sales the previous year.

WHILE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY WAS AN OVERALL SUCCESS, ESPECIALLY IN COMPARISON TO 2016, THERE IS ALWAYS HEALTHY ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. TRADITIONAL FLORISTS AND WHOLESALERS CAN LEARN FROM THIS YEAR’S RESULTS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE COMPETITIVE PLAYERS DURING NEXT YEAR’S HOLIDAY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ONSLAUGHT OF MASS MARKETS AND LOW-PRICED ONLINE SELLERS. Some helpful tips include planning for the holiday further in advance and encouraging customers to place their orders beforehand. This will help move product through the delivery chain more quickly, ensuring fewer delays and a better product.

VALENTINE’S DAY IN NUMBERS Valentine’s day 2017 at a glance

38% 51% 67%

OF ALL ORDERS CAME IN ON VALENTINE’S DAY

OF ALL FLOWER ORDERS WERE ROSES

OF ALL ROSE ORDERS WERE RED ROSE BOUQUETS

These factors for success depend primarily on clients, so it is important to continually develop a better understanding of your customer base.

Florists and wholesalers can get creative and engage with clients via social media, reminding them about the upcoming holiday and keeping in mind that special someone they’d like to surprise with a lovely bouquet. And with Valentine’s Day falling on a Wednesday next year, which has historically been the most successful day of the week for the holiday, florists and wholesalers have plenty to look forward to.

BUNDLE UP FOR MOTHER’S DAY MOTHER’S DAY CARDS & GIFTS TO GO WITH YOUR FLOWER SALES With the popularity of bundle deals to the likes of Groupon, consumers are now, more than ever, easily lured by bundle deals.

5

GIFTS under

THAT GO PERFECT WITH FLOWERS

$25

< SILVER PLATED LETTER INITIAL NECKLACE 18” $15.00 target.com

METALLIC GOLD TRIM DISH CANDLE > $12.97 nordstromrack.com

< ORGANIC CHERRY BLOSSOM ROSE $9.99 capitalteas.com

BOBBI BROWN MASK TRIO> $20.00 macys.com

< ESPRESSO CUP AND SAUCER IN GOLD $6.99 bedbathandbeyond.com

COMMUNIT Y OUTREACH

This past March 8th marked International Women’s Day, a global celebration of women’s achievements, but at Rio we decided to celebrate women on a local level. We surprised our neighbors at Renaissance Elementary Charter School by showering their mostly female staff with hundreds of our finest blooms.

No woman was left out, from the receptionist that greeted us at the door to the young after-school care volunteers, every woman received a small bouquet of roses. This was just a little something to show our appreciation to our friendly female neighbors and a wonderful opportunity to spread more awareness about International Women’s Day.

ANNIVERSARIES + BIRTHDAYS “Thank you for your years of dedication to our team.

You are terrifically tireless, exceptionally excellent, and abundantly appreciated” “Happy Birthday, may all your B-day wishes come true on your special day”

OSCAR FERNANDEZ 04/04/94 Director of Sales

23 years

JAM PAUL JARAMILLO 04/21/07 Team Leader/Warehouse

10 years

ORLANDO GARCIA NORMA EDWIN HEATHER ROGERS YONEL AUGUSTIN

Warehouse Farm Sourcing Sales Warehouse

04/02 04/03 04/09 04/22

T H A N K S

S E E

F O R

Y O U

R E A D I N G

N E X T

rioroses.com

M O N T H