If you purchase flowers at a supermarket, convenience store or warehouse club, you’re likely to be buying them as a last minute gift, or just to enjoy yourself.
If you’re like most people, it’s hard to notice the difference in flowers sold by a local florist, and those sold in other outlets anyway, except the price. And besides, it’s convenient.
Non-floral retailers always claim to sell “florist-quality flowers”, but just exactly how do you determine the difference in flower quality?
In her series “Why Shop at a Local Florist: #1“, author Amy Stewart explains the difference between “everyday” flowers sold at supermarkets and non-florist retailers, and those sold by local florists. And she does a nice job educating customers about the quality of the flowers that local florists provide.
Florists have been complaining for a long time about grocery stores and other non-floral outlets “stealing” their cut flower business. Amy’s post drives home a fundamental marketing principle, customer education. In my opinion, the failure of many florists to educate their customers is one of the reasons that local florists have seen their cut flower sales erode.
It’s not enough for florists to tell you their flower quality is better than the competition, they need to show you reasons why you should spend a little more to buy those flowers from them.
I should mention that this article was written from point-of-view of a loyal customer (and a raving fan of local florists). It’s the main reason I’ll be keeping an eye on Amy’s future articles.
