CHRISTMAS
CALENDAR
OCTOBER
03
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
04 TREND REPORTS
Merchandising Ideas for Fall and Christmas
08 BEST SELLERS
Christmas 2025 Projected Best Sellers
09 ASK A FLORIST
Bitterroot Flower Shop
12 HOLIDAY PREPAREDNESS
Holiday Preparedness with Tim Farrell
14
NEW FROM EFLORIST
Leveraging Your Customers to Grow Your Business
MODERN HARVEST
Warm copper and rich wood bring retro charm to your fall table. A chic, neutral showpiece that makes every autumn arrangement shine with effortless
HEARTH & SOUL
MERCHANDISING TIP: Rich burnt sienna with a rustic texture makes this pitcher a cozy classic. Perfect for warming up fall gatherings or gifting with style!
GOLDEN GLOW
MERCHANDISING TIP: This dazzling mosaic vase shines bright with golden glamour! Ideal for fall festivities or anytime elegance, it doubles as a votive and transforms tablescapes into sparkling showpieces.
ASCENDANT AUTUMN
MERCHANDISING TIP: Sunflowers, copper beech, and vibrant blooms capture autumn’s golden glow! The orange container adds a radiant touch to October gatherings, Halloween week, or any cozy fall corner in your home.
CHRISTMAS TREND REPORTS
PICTURESQUE PINES
MERCHANDISING TIP: This Snowy Pines Centerpiece is reminiscent of family time spent around the table. Pair this stunning scarlet stonewear with Christmas crackers for the ultimate Yuletide tablescape setup.
ANGELIC MOMENTS
MERCHANDISING TIP: This shimmering angel is the picture of elegance this holiday season! Place this timeless piece with Teleflora’s Little Drummer Joy, fake snow, and icy décor for a North Pole crystal Christmas!
A CHRISTMAS CARDINAL
MERCHANDISING TIP: Like a cardinal in the snow, this FDAapproved pitcher is sure to pop! Often believed to symbolize love and hope, the cardinal makes for the perfect holiday mascot. Display this scarlet piece with greeting cards and seasonal confections.
DRUM UP CHEER
MERCHANDISING TIP: These drums are sure to bring joy! Made of sparkling crystal, this elevated drum is the perfect gift! Pair with crystal collectable ornaments, nutcrackers, and snowflake décor to create a winter wonderland in your shop.
BEARY CHRISTMAS
MERCHANDISING TIP: A cub so cute you’ll want to cuddle up with some hot cocoa! Showcase the after use of this adorable FDA-approved mug with a cocoa station complete with candy cane stir sticks, sprinkles, and a variety of artisanal hot chocolates for the whole family to enjoy.
SPARKLING FOR SANTA
MERCHANDISING TIP: This dazzling crimson container is sure to steal the show at your next holiday party! Decorate with peppermints, Christmas candles, and cookies for an indulgent
CHRISTMAS 2025 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS
T24X600
Teleflora’s Scarlet Cardinal Bouquet T25X300
ASK A FLORIST
LINDSAY IRWIN, BITTERROOT FLOWER SHOP (MISSOULA, MONTANA)
Are there any nonprofits (or businesses) that you partner with? Do these partnerships help you gain visibility in your community? What are some ways you give back to your community?
We work with countless nonprofit organizations each year. Over time, we’ve shifted our entire advertising budget to support these groups, donating over $1,000/month to a variety of causes.
We fully or partially donate centerpieces and décor to fundraising galas, support our local theater on opening night, and set up a “make your own florals” booth for our local LGBTQIA+ prom. We also provide flowers for Teacher Appreciation Week—the list goes on.
We’ve partnered with schools, the sheriff’s department, environmental groups, animal welfare organizations, food banks, artist collectives, and University of Montana departments, including alumni and culinary arts.
One of the keys to our success has been reassessing our partnerships regularly. We try to support diverse organizations to reach a broad cross section of our community. We also understand how we’ll be acknowledged for our support before we commit to a donation.
Importantly, we don’t donate to every request. That simply wouldn’t be sustainable for our business. We carefully choose which causes to support and vary our level of involvement—one year we might offer a half donation to the food bank, then the next year a full donation.
By actively supporting local events, we’ve seen real business growth. In fact, our community involvement has yielded far greater returns than traditional advertising—whether that’s print, radio, TV, or even online ads.
I would encourage other florists who are reevaluating their advertising budgets to consider redirecting those funds into meaningful community support. It truly pays off.
How do you stand out with merchandising your shop for the holiday season?
Holiday merchandising is always a highlight for us! We go all out with decorations—glitter, trees, and poinsettias start going up early in the season. It’s the one time of year we really transform the shop, and we have loyal customers who return annually just to soak up the festive spirit.
In recent years, we’ve also expanded into consignment items and local artist work. When artists see their pieces displayed in our shop, they often promote it to their own networks, bringing in new customers and creating a richer, more diverse shopping experience.
How
do you prepare for seasonal staffing? Do you have any recommendations for other shops that are looking to staff up?
Staffing for the holidays can definitely be challenging. We’ve learned to staff based on the shop’s regular needs, not just seasonal surges. For the holidays, we bring in a few contract drivers and temporary customer service helpers. The drivers receive a portion of the delivery fee, and those familiar with the area can do really well working just a day or two during peak times.
FLORIST FEATURE EASTERN FLORAL, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
The history of Eastern Floral is intertwined with two families—the Devos family and the Goei family—whose connection spans decades of the shop’s 75-year history.
That connection began in 1960s Grand Rapids, when 12-year-old Bing Goei immigrated to the United States with his family. Their arrival made the front page of the Grand Rapids Press, alongside the deacon who helped them settle in. Bing’s father, James—an experienced teacher from Indonesia by way of the Netherlands—couldn’t teach without a U.S. license. It was the deacon at the train station, Frank Devos, who doubled as the owner of Eastern Floral, that helped James find work until he earned his license.
In 2001, after a short-lived successor took over the shop, Bing purchased Eastern Floral. Frank came out of retirement to help, continuing to embody the values that had made the shop a Grand Rapids institution.
At the time, Bing’s daughter, Rachael Goei Vander Heide, was living in England and never pictured herself running a flower shop. But flowers had been part of her life from the start. As a teen, she swept floors and answered phones at Flowers by Maureen in East Grand Rapids. Later, in London, she trained under Judith Blacklock, a renowned British floral designer and owner of a prestigious flower school.
Rachael returned to Grand Rapids in 2021 to join the family business and became the official owner earlier this year.
“Frank set the standard for other Grand Rapids flower shops to meet,” she says. “His goal was to ‘give the customer more than what they expect,’ and my goal is to continue that mission here at Eastern Floral.”
For 12 of the past 15 years, Eastern Floral has been named “Best Florist” in Grand Rapids. The shop has served as the official florist for the Grand Rapids Economics Club, creating arrangements for events featuring A-list celebrities and athletes.
The shop also prioritizes giving back, supporting causes like Samaritas, a nonprofit that helps new Americans settle into their communities. For Rachael, Samaritas’s mission recalls her own family’s journey. “Not every family is lucky enough to have someone like Frank,” she says.
Eastern Floral is perhaps most famous for its magical holiday celebrations. Each year, the shop hosts a two-day holiday open house, transforming the showroom into a winter wonderland with festive décor, food, giveaways, and kids’ activities. On Saturday, live reindeer greet customers outside while Santa and Mrs. Claus pose for photos. “I remember as a kid coming into Eastern Floral and being amazed at how big the tree was,” Rachael recalls. “I still have ornaments I bought here as a child.”
For Rachael, the joy of ownership comes down to the people and the artistry. “I get to work with creative people and be surrounded by beauty every day,” she says. “There are so many places to buy flowers, but the flower shop still plays such an important role in the community because of the personal attention and creativity that comes from those who work here.”
With deep roots and a vision for growth, Rachael is ready to welcome the next generation of flower lovers into the Eastern Floral story—one bouquet at a time.
HOLIDAY PREPAREDNESS WITH TIM FARRELL
The holidays can get hectic, and it is easy to get swept up in the holiday rush! These tips from Teleflora’s Floral Advisor and Education Specialist, Tim Farrell, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, will not only help you prep for the season, but also help set you apart from the competition!
INVENTORY & SUPPLIES
Attaching a list of the contents of your inventory to the outside of the box in large and clear print will help cut down time and frustration when looking for necessary items for the season. You can even take it one step further and print photos of the contents for even more ease!
ORDERING & STOCK MANAGEMENT
Utilize your POS system to the fullest! Not only can you project this year's sales, but you can also keep track of daily sales to monitor reorders before they are needed. This will allow you to get ahead and alleviate downtime between receiving product.
MARKETING & PROMOTIONS
Once you have decided the items you want to target, be consistent! Once you have decided on the items you want to target, be consistent—from your website and email promotions, to phone scripts, to the arrangements in your refrigerator
STAFFING & SCHEDULING
When it comes to staffing for the holidays, it can be helpful to review peak times for phones and the sales floor from previous years so you can staff accordingly. Hiring qualified and productive design and sales staff to produce as efficiently as possible during peak days can make a world of difference!
DELIVERY LOGISTICS
Having a few extra drivers on call for peak holiday times can prevent you from turning down orders. If you can deliver what your competition cannot, you will likely gain a new customer!
IN-STORE ATMOSPHERE
It’s important to think about the entire experience of someone walking into your store. Friendly staff who greet and treat customers with enthusiasm and a smile can make all the difference! The ambiance from the visuals, the smells, and even the sounds should all be planned to make buying flowers a wonderful and human experience!
COMMUNITY & COLLABORATIONS
Find key players in your community who can connect you to events attended by the people YOU want as customers. Supporting and attending these events as much as possible will allow you to network and expose more people to your business.
LEVERAGING YOUR CUSTOMERS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
Most, if not all, floral shops are looking to grow. Florists seek to reach new customers, and while that is a great strategy, existing customers are an equally valuable source of growth. Here are three ways to engage your existing customers:
ASK FOR REVIEWS
Reviews speak for you and reach customers you have never personally interacted with. Attract new customers by consistently asking for reviews from your current customers. Having a lot of recent reviews on multiple platforms (Google, Facebook, Yelp, your website) reinforce how great of a choice you are.
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
After your customers experience your top-notch service, keep reaching out to get them to come back. Emails, texts, and even direct mail are all great options. Create engaging messages about new products, store events, and other news to keep you as their go-to florist.
GIVE THEM INCENTIVES TO BUY MORE
Create a promotion code to encourage more purchases and get creative with it! You can include a simple discount code in upcoming promotional emails, incentivize larger cart sizes for future purchases on your social media accounts (i.e., 15% off orders over $150), or even offer an exclusive promotion at the end of an in-person event!
It is estimated to be 5 – 7x more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer. So, make the most of it! As a part of your eFlorist membership, you have access to website features and services to help you grow reviews, promote your shop to your customers, and manage promotions. To learn more about marketing broadly, visit myTeleflora.com or eFlorist.com, or call our eMarketing team at 866.983.3932 (option 3).
TELEFLORA’S EDELIVERY MOBILE MANAGEMENT HAS A NEW LOOK!!
Teleflora’s eDelivery Mobile Management has a new look and feel that provides access to all the same order and delivery management features with a new, modern design.
Save time updating order statuses, completing deliveries, and uploading delivery photos with fewer clicks!
ACCESS IMPORTANT DETAILS QUICKLY
The redesigned orders menu provides a quick overview of scheduled deliveries. From here you can easily receive turn-by-turn route directions using your device’s mapping app, call recipients, upload photos, and update order and delivery statuses. All with an easyto-use and streamlined interface.
UPLOAD PHOTOS AND COLLECT SIGNATURES
Uploading photos of completed deliveries is not only a great way to protect your business from unwanted fees and charges, but it also promotes your business’s attention to quality and service. The Photo Manager stores uploaded photos for 14 months and can be viewed at any time using your Teleflora POS (and soon DovePlus).
VIEW REPORTS AND PAYROLL
Summarized sales reports are also available through eDelivery for managers and owners. These reports provide a quick look at how your business is doing for the day, broken down by details such as order payment types and employee entry. Additionally, employees may record time punches using the Time Clock feature, allowing them to quickly start their day right from their mobile device!
HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS
