Florists’ websites serve as their online shop windows – where they present their style, capture the imagination of customers, and enable them to order flowers online 24 hours a day. Any small business that wants to thrive needs a website – but just like plants, a website must be given the right conditions in order to grow.
Here are the top 6 tips for starting a floristry business online
1. Setting Your Goals
If you’re considering starting an online flower business, it’s an exciting time. When starting any new business, it is crucial to have specific and realistic goals. Start by planting some seeds, growing some roots that will last, and creating a strategy for steady growth in the right direction.
Start your floristry business online by considering the following goals:
- Defined: the sale of flowers to clients within a 10 mile radius
- Measurable: selling X amount per month
- Achievable: Increase monthly sales by 10%
Remember to keep an eye on the big picture and not get too hung up on the little details that don’t contribute to the overall goal.
2. Pick a Name for Your Business
Choosing a name for your floristry business can be a challenge. It’s the starting point for expressing what you do and how you do it that’s in a business name. Below are some suggestions for naming your flower shop:
- How quickly does it convey what you do? You want your business name to convey your business’s offerings quickly and easily. Your industry and location are associated with key words like flowers, fleurs, blooms, stems, buds, florist, wild, floral.
- Is the business name easy to say and spell? One of the best and free ways your floristry business can advertise is by word of mouth – ask your customers to spread the word! People are more likely to remember and search for you online if you have a name that is easy to pronounce and spell.
- Is your business name unique? Is there another business with a similar name in the area? You don’t want customers to search for your business online, but not be sure which site they want because your business name is similar to another local business.
- Is the domain available? Check if the domain name (the address your website will display online) is available before settling on the business name. The best way to check is by using an online domain site like LCN – ideally the .uk and .com should be available.
3. Develop your Business Brand and Logo
Create a logo for your floristry business to create a brand that customers can easily recognize and engage with. When you have a logo professionally designed, it is easier to advertise on delivery vans, shopfront signage, and marketing materials, as well as on your website.
A floristry business logo should include the following elements:
- Choose a font that is easy to read.
- Colour combinations that look good together, but also on a computer screen, business card, or store sign.
- It is important that the style quickly reflects the core of your business, whether it is wild and rustic flowers, funeral flowers, or stylishly classic.
4. Research your Online Competitors
Market research is a good idea. Browse the websites of competing companies in your area, and add a product to your shopping basket. Do you like anything about the design? Does your company offer any floral services or products that they don’t? Here’s a chance to learn about a service or product your competitors may not be offering.
5. Florist Website Design
Sites such as Wix and Squarespace offer website building services. Templated website designs that you can create and manage yourself are available from them at a low cost. In spite of the fact that these are good starting points for a small business, they lack essential floristry features that make running your flower business online more convenient and, most importantly, help your customers order flowers online!
Among the skills our talented team offers are creating backgrounds with the right colors (some shades make it difficult to read words on screen), designing layouts that are easy to browse, storefronts with specific flower delivery options, placing call-to-action buttons that encourage customers to order online, and creating high-quality images that reflect your brand and style.
6. Promote your Business Through Flyers
You can take your popularity to the next level with a low-cost advertisement medium like flyers. Describe why customers would only buy flowers from you in your shop in a few short and meaningful lines.
Get people’s attention by standing at any corner and distributing a flower shop flyer. In essence, it’s a greeting card inviting people to buy something from your flower shop.