I like Mary Portas, the self styled Queen of Shops who dishes out advice and scathing put-downs in equal measure. She’s a bossy boots, and I can identify with that, she’s not afraid to state the obvious to grotty little shops that should have gone out of business years ago....

Okay I know that television only shows the bad bits and anything positive done by the owners of these unfortunate shops is left on the cutting floor, but even so Portas has the passion and vision to drive retailers into the present day arena and shake them out of their apathy.  Portas also has a regular feature in the Saturday Telegraph magazine where she rates some of the biggest retailers in the country. It makes for interesting reading, and flower shop owners would do well to read and absorb some of the comments she makes.

I wish the Queen of Shops would turn her attention to flower shops; there would certainly be some eye openers.

My guess is that most flower shops are in the doldrums at the moment, and it’s so easy when trade is poor to loose focus, become disenchanted and put inspiration on the back burner.  Perhaps it’s time to stand back and take a cool, hard look at your business and where it is going. I have recently seen the most dismal flower shops, mostly devoid of the one thing that customers crave – flowers.  Two stems of Chrysanthemum, five Carnations and a dozen empty pots do not constitute a flower shop. Dirty floors, bedraggled pot plants, dusty vases and lack lustre staff that can’t spell, this is horror story not a flower shop.

Mary Portas states that modern retailing is about story telling, ‘Clever brands understand the importance of selling not only a product or logo, but also a story that consumers can relate to.’  If ever there was a story to tell, a sensuous, fabulous story then flower shops should have it. Florists have a fairy tale of the most wonderful natural products, intoxicating scents, a palette of colours to die for and the visual impact that other retailers can only dream about.

For florists it’s all there for the taking, but who is up for the challenge?

Think back to when your shop first opened. Remember that knot of sheer enjoyment and excitement that bubbled up inside and spilled over, the hours spent creating a perfect environment for your artistic creations, the inspiration that intoxicated and the burning desire to conquer the world with your floral designs.  Have you still got that enthusiasm? If the answer is no then you have to revive it quickly, or sell up. For without that drive and passion success is just a pipe dream. Floristry is a way of life, the florists who still get a buzz every time they see a perfect bloom, or lift the lid from a box of heady Soleil d’Or or just cherish opening the door of their flower shop every day, these are successful flower shop owners. Loving the product and the customer, enjoying every day, feeling invigorated and empowered by the skills of a true florist is the greatest feeling.

There are some great floral emporiums out there, but they are hampered by the mediocrity of the majority.

There is passion out there in retailing and inspiration can come from observing other shops and how they approach merchandising.  Take a look at your local High Street, which shop has the most stunning window displays, the one that actually gets the message across. Walk into lifestyle shops; scrutinize how the merchandise is displayed, what colours are in fashion at the moment, how is everything priced?  Stop, look and listen, then go back and think how some of these observations can be applied to your shop.

Whilst travelling around collecting data watch how customers are being served, or not being served. Analyse what makes the shopping experience special and how it can be recreated in your flower shop.

Transforming a flower shop into a great flower filled experience that customers tell their friends about should be easy for any professional florist to attain. There is no need for expensive state of the art shop fittings; sometimes all it needs is a lick of paint, creative merchandising, innovative window displays and a sparkling clean environment and of course, FLOWERS.  Customers have a nostalgic image of a flower shop, live up to it.

To survive in a flower shop the story telling has to start now, and don’t forget fairy tales always have a happy ending.

Tips for stunning storybook flower shops.

• The shop front is your biggest advertisement – it should look fresh, clean and inviting.
• Use your imagination to create innovative window displays and change them every two weeks.
• Place fragrant flowers and plants near the doorway so that the smell wafts out to greet passers by.
• Don’t leave empty pots with no flowers, remove and revamp displays.
• Greet customers with a smile, give tips for looking after flowers and plants, exceed the customers expectations.
• Revamp displays of merchandise regularly to give a new look for regular customers.
• Show your passion, enthusiasm and love of flowers.

Copyright © 2009 Lynda Owen. All Rights Reserved.