Teleflora Summer Success Guide 2025 by Teleflora

SUCCESS GUIDE SUMMER

TREND REPORTS

See what’s trending this summer with merchandising tips for customer-favorite bouquets

FLORIST FEATURE

Rooted in Resilience: How a Former Nurse Blossomed into a Florist

BEST SELLERS

Teleflora's Projected Best Sellers for Summer 2025

SOCIAL MEDIA

The New Rules of Social Media

DESIGN EDUCATION

‘Reflection 2025’ in Palm Springs

SUMMER TREND REPORTS

This sleek modern planter in gray concrete hues pairs beautifully with soft greens and neutrals for a minimalist, but elegant vibe. Add it to a side table or desk to put a modern touch

AMERICANA CLASSIC

Vintage Americana colorways make this Ford Pickup bouquet perfect for those summer party vibes. Add this to a vibrant summer tablescape for a bit of flair and throwback fun.

ENDLESS SUMMER SUNSETS

MERCHANDISING TIP: Saturated sunset hues in this pink jewel-toned cylinder make the perfect vibrant piece to bring pops of color into a playful home. Add citrus elements and touches of brushed gold into the mix to create an eye-catching

STORYBOOK SUMMER

MERCHANDISING TIP: This stunning stained glass design is gorgeous with any versatile color story of bouquets. The neutral, earthy tones are perfect for weddings, garden parties, or any occasion, while the container also doubles as a lovely candle votive.

TEV72-6

ROOTED IN RESILIENCE: HOW A FORMER NURSE BLOSSOMED INTO A FLORIST

Growing up in Mexico, Alonzo Fernandez was surrounded by plants and flowers. His mother often used plants for medicinal purposes, and flowers were a daily presence. That early exposure planted the seeds for his eventual career.

Before he became a florist, Alonzo worked as a nurse and medical assistant. It wasn’t until a florist friend asked him to help design bouquets for Valentine’s Day that his floral journey truly began. After a successful holiday, he was invited to stay on part-time. For the next six months, he split his time between the hospital and the flower shop.

A change in living arrangements opened the door to something more. His new apartment included space to operate a business. During the day, he ran a flower shop; at night, he worked in the hospital. Though the schedule was grueling, his hospital job provided the cash flow to get the shop off the ground.

Eventually when the hospital changed management, Alonzo decided to fully commit to floristry. When COVID hit, demand for flowers surged, and with it came the opportunity to expand. He moved into a storefront five times larger than his original space.

While Alonzo had an eye for design, he credits his early experience at Floral Masters and mentorship from owner Roya with helping him understand the business side of floristry. Support from Teleflora also played a key role.

ALONZO FERNANDEZ OUR SECRET GARDEN

“I tried other services, but only Teleflora provided this level of personal connection,” Alonzo said. “My Territory Sales Manager, Diane Lagerstedt, put a face to the brand, and kept in regular contact, helping me with my store’s challenges.”

Now, Alonzo’s roots in the community run deep. In 2024, his shop was awarded second place from the Seattle Times for Best in the Pacific Northwest. He also donates his time and talent to nonprofits like Somos Seattle, an LGBTQ+ organization.

“For Pride, they cover the cost of the flowers, and I donate my labor,” he said. “It raises awareness for the LGBTQ+ community, and they help promote my business.”

When discussing summer events, Alonzo recommends offering personalized flower bars for birthdays and baby showers.

“We bring a cart full of flowers and help guests arrange their own bouquets,” he said. “It keeps them engaged and gives them something beautiful to take home.”

Looking back, Alonzo is grateful for the change. Working at a hospital was difficult but owning and operating a flower shop brings different challenges.

“My background comes from working 12-hour shifts at a hospital, but being a business owner is like a 24-hour shift every day. It’s stressful in new ways—but is very rewarding. I’m my own boss, and I know if I work hard that I will see the results.”

SUMMER 2025 PROJECTED BEST SELLERS

Teleflora's Sunset Serenade Bouquet TEV72-6

Teleflora's Citrus Sunset Bouquet TEV75-5

LOVE OUT LOUD: YEAR IN REVIEW

Over the past year, Teleflora’s Love Out Loud Campaign continued to highlight the uniquely special role flowers play in peoples’ lives. From inspiring America to experience the magic of giving, to highlighting beautiful stories that demonstrate all that love is, to celebrating the powerful role that a Mother’s love plays, our national advertising showcased memorable and incredible ways to Love Out Loud every holiday season.

MOTHER’S DAY 2025 NEVER WALK ALONE

We don’t always notice all the love Mom gives…until it isn’t there every single day.

This Mother’s Day through our new campaign, Never Walk Alone, Teleflora highlighted the pivotal moments shared between mothers and their children, and reminds America that when you have a mother’s love, you’re never alone.

Set to the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” recorded specially for Teleflora by Academy Award-nominated artist, Abraham Alexander, the song’s lyrics deliver the perfect sentiment as we see the uniquely special love that a mother gives through every milestone.

VALENTINE’S DAY 2025 BELIEVE IN LOVE

This past Valentine’s Day, Teleflora celebrated every big and little thing that makes love beautiful.

Love Is followed five couples as they shared all the little things they love about their partners that make their relationships uniquely special. Supported by a national campaign featuring some of Teleflora’s new Valentine’s Day codified bouquets, the ad concluded the story by demonstrating how celebrating love can mean so many beautiful things, both big and small.

CHRISTMAS 2024 A HOLIDAY WISH

This past holiday season, Teleflora launched a national partnership with Make-A-Wish for the second consecutive year and empowered America to experience the magic of giving. Our national advertising showcased flowers at the heart of the ad, reminding us of the profound hope and healing held within a wish—and the possibility that it might just come true.

Our heartfelt ad was supported by a national campaign and custom activation at Rockefeller Center in New York City where we were able to not only invite children and adults to build snowmen to join the cause, but also grant the wish of a very special Make-A-Wish kid.

THE NEW RULES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is an ever-changing landscape that can be hard to navigate, but Teleflora is here to help! Here are some updated social media best practices to help you get the strongest results possible for your business.

INSTAGRAM

You may have noticed that Instagram recently made some changes to its grid appearance. For the most ideal posting, reference the dimensions below!

POSTS, REELS, AND STORIES

Image size (4:5)

x 1350 px

Grid view (3:4)

x 1350 px Only the center area is visible in the grid view.

view (3:4)

x 1440 px

important footage and text in the center area.

size (9:16)

x 1920 px

x 1610 px

important footage and text in the center area.

3 EASY STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY

Prioritize quality over quantity and focus on making content that your audience finds valuable and engaging.

fostering conversations and creating a sense of community with interactive posts.

Ask questions in your caption for your audience to respond to in the comments.

Use polls, quizzes, and question-and-answer sessions to increase engagement and get insight from your followers!

Lean into relatable content; think less about curation and more about storytelling!

Show your brand voice and values through behind-the-scenes glimpses— people crave authentic content.

Transparency goes a long way with consumers.

Be upfront with your audience and acknowledge mistakes to help build trust.

WHAT’S TRENDING 03

Short-form video content has taken over the social media landscape, and it will continue to grow.

Try your hand at a quick Reel or TikTok showcasing your arrangements or flower tips!

Social commerce continues to grow (TikTok Shop and shoppable posts on Instagram).

Consider utilizing your social media as a commerce platform to reach your consumers where they are!

THE ABCs OF DISCOUNTING

Discounts seem to be an effective way to sell more products. But is it wise to cut prices?

There is one main goal behind discounting: to increase sales. You make less on each item sold, but you hope to make up for it with volume.

THE DANGERS OF DISCOUNTING

Cutting prices has its downside. You must be careful how much you discount. It wouldn’t make sense to sell something at a lower price to a customer who already was going to buy at the regular price. There are three things to remember:

It is the least creative way to compete in the marketplace. After all, anyone can cut prices. You are far better off emphasizing your superior service, freshness, or design style…and charge full price.

Discounting can lead to price wars. It can do permanent damage to your ability to charge properly for your products and services. Once you start, it is difficult to stop.

Many customers only buy based on price. Be careful before you decide to target them. You’ll never have their loyalty.

IS THERE PROFIT IN DISCOUNTING?

How can you make any money offering a 20 percent discount? Especially if you make less than 20 percent on the bottom line!

The reason is because of a concept called “incremental contribution.”

Think about hotels and vacant guestrooms. How much additional cost would the hotel incur if someone used one of those rooms? The answer is “almost nothing.”

In other words, whatever they could get the customer to pay for the extra room would increase revenue and profit. Some contribution is better than no contribution at all.

LIMITING DISCOUNTS

To offer discounts effectively, you should limit who gets them. Otherwise, your regular customers will get products and services on the cheap—and you will end up losing money.

Think about restricting your offer to certain groups:

Orders from new customers

Orders in large quantities

Orders on a less busy day

The goal is to help you increase profit and incremental contribution.

However, remember that discounting is the least creative way to compete. If you can think of a way to increase sales without cutting prices, then go for it.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH EFFECTIVE MARKETING TOOLS

Summer is a great time to evaluate your shop’s marketing strategies. From reminders and customized campaigns to promoting customer service, Teleflora POS systems provide powerful marketing features that will help your business bloom!

EMAILS

Customer emails are more than just convenient billing tools! Collecting email addresses allows you to create custom marketing campaigns or remind customers of special occasions and important holidays. These reminders have a proven history of increasing order volume!

Teleflora offers numerous ways for you to showcase your designers’ beautifully crafted arrangements. Include images of arrangements for marketing campaigns to highlight your work, or include images of completed deliveries with delivery confirmations that promote quality and on-time delivery!

DRIVE MORE SALES THIS SUMMER WITH PROMOTIONS

Whether targeted to returning customers or new ones, promotions are an effective tool for encouraging more purchases for your flower shop . If you’re nervous about how a promotion will perform, it could be a great idea to test a few promotions in the summer to figure out what works best for your shop and then use the best promotion throughout the year.

HERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOU CAN STRUCTURE A PROMOTION TO DRIVE MORE WEB ORDERS

Create a promotion for repeat customers: Your email list should primarily consist of past customers. Attach an exclusive coupon to your summer email campaigns to encourage customers to come back and purchase for a new occasion.

Incentivize larger cart sizes: Encourage your customers to upsize their shopping cart by creating a promotion for a higher order value (i.e., 15% off orders over $150).

Integrate into an event: Offering digital classes like “how to arrange a bouquet for beginners” or “how to make your cut flowers last” can be a great way to capture the attention of both new and returning customers. Consider offering an exclusive promotion at the end of the class to encourage customers to try out your shop!

If you have an eFlorist website, you can create a variety of promotion codes ranging from free delivery to a set dollar discount (e.g., $20 off) in the eFlorist Self Administration Tool (eSAT).

Codes made in eSAT can be shared broadly, whether that be in an email, on social platforms, or even in a paid search ad. Just be sure to choose the best place for your intended audience.

SAVE ON FLOWERS THIS SUMMER

Summer weddings and events are back in full swing, and finding reliable, cost-effective sourcing solutions can make all the difference in having a successful summer season.

BUY THE BUNCH

Flowerbuyer’s Buy the Bunch is an innovative flower sourcing option where you can order the exact varieties and quantities you need and arrange quick and convenient delivery right to your door. Fill a custom box online in just a few clicks and rest assured you will receive high-quality flowers your clients will love, without overbuying.

FARM DIRECT

You can also consider ordering pre-made bouquets from Flowerbuyer’s Farm Direct program . Sourced from high-end flower farms, these bouquets are a great way to save time and know you are receiving high-quality, fresh flowers to WOW those brides!

REFLECTION 2025

Teleflora is proud to be a Premiere Sponsor of the American Institute of Floral Designers National Symposium, Reflection 2025 from July 12-15 in Palm Springs!

This event is always a highlight of the year. It brings florists together from all over the world to share ideas, learn new techniques, get inspired by the latest trends, and reconnect with what makes this industry so special. We’re honored to play a big role in supporting the energy and creativity.

WHY WE SUPPORT FLORAL EDUCATION

Education has always been important to us. We truly believe that when florists keep learning, they keep growing—and that helps everyone in the industry. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to support classes, workshops, stage shows, and hands-on programs that help designers level up their skills and stay ahead of the curve.

With a dedicated learning platform, a world-class team of educators, and a robust curriculum of classes and programs throughout the country, Teleflora’s commitment to education has never been stronger.

COME SAY HI!

If you're heading to the convention, be sure to stop by our booth at the Partner’s Showcase, our Sponsor Suites for education sessions, AND don’t miss our main stage speakers—we’d love to see you there. Whether you’re coming to learn a new design trick, pick up some business tips, or just get inspired, we’re happy to be a part of the experience.

Thanks for letting us be part of your journey. We’re here to help you grow, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for all of us.

Proudly supporting florists—on and off the design bench.

BUILDING A PROFITABLE SUMMER

Summer can lead to a sales slowdown, but all this means is that you should put your creativity to work! With some ingenuity and the help of your employees, this could be a sensational summer.

RED HOT TRAINING

Combat the summer slowdown by tailoring some training for your staff. Concentrate on one aspect of sales (e.g., add-ons). When you have fewer customers, it’s imperative that you sell more products to increase your profit margin. Once a customer commits to a purchase, it should be second nature for your employees to suggest an add-on.

Next, discuss with your staff how to select the right add-ons for products. Ask your employees to make a list of the primary items that customers come in to buy. For each item, have everyone brainstorm two to three add-ons that would complement the purchase. This will help everyone to come up with their own add-on sales strategies.

SUMMER SPECIALS

It’s sunny outside, so think light. Plan some fun specials this summer. Here are some ideas to try or try again:

Frequent Buyers Program: Summer is a great time to start a customer reward program. Surveys show that sales grow when businesses begin frequent buyer programs, but it’s important to make your program simple. One of the easiest methods is using a punch card every time a customer makes a purchase. After a certain number of purchases, the customer earns a free bouquet or plant.

Service with a Smile: How about a bit of whimsy? Sales that make people smile get attention. A flier or advertisement headline such as “We Take Tradeins!” will get attention and should entice people to read on. Offer to take in any potted plant—dead or barely alive—as a trade-in on the purchase of a plant for 25% of the tagged price. Have fun with the program by displaying the “trade-ins” on a shelf. This is a fun event to break through the summer monotony.

REIGNITE SLOW SELLERS

Before you start slashing prices, stop to consider if you can barter it, trade it for advertising on a local radio station, or donate it as a prize in a contest. Your first impulse is to cut the price but hold off on that for the moment. Slashing prices might slash your chances of moving it out.

Move the merchandise closer to the front door. Display it attractively. Once you’ve improved the display, you might even decide to raise the price. Make sure that you and your employees are well versed on the product’s benefits so that you can relay these interests to the customers. If you know the product well, you can sell the product better.

SIZZLE THROUGH THE SEASON

With staff engagement, creative promotions, and a sunny outlook, summer can become a surprising success. A little effort now means a stronger finish to the year—and a happier, healthier bottom line when autumn rolls in. So don’t sweat the slump. Get inspired, get selling, and let this summer shine!