Over the past month we invited floral designers everywhere to participate in a survey asking questions about the industry and their role in it. If you participated - thank you!
We asked our participants what their businesses specialized in and we found that most of our participants, (95.3% to be exact) specialize in weddings. But what about other specialties? Is there a need that is not being met for other types of events?
Corporate events are a great way to showcase your floral skills. Only 32% of our participants stated that they specialize in corporate events making this an untapped floral market. These events can vary in size depending on the type of corporate event they are hosting. These events include team building, conferences, company parties, client entertainment or launches.
The average cost of a corporate event will also vary depending on the size and type of corporate event. These events can consist of multiple table arrangements, entrance way flowers, stage arrangements, etcetera. We recommend creating relationships with your areas top catering executives at area venues. Sending them flowers, or going above and beyond to introduce your business will make them think of YOU when a new client asks "Where can we get really great flowers?". Be the first person they think of when it comes to sending corporate business your way. Details is great for creating venue specific templates offering a variety of package options for the client to choose from!
Freelancing gives you the ability to change scenery often by working with other florists and we found that 8% of survey participants said they freelance.
Most florists start out their career by freelancing for more established designers. This creates a chance to learn and create without owning your own business. Freelancing will help you network within the floral industry and help you create lasting relationships with various other vendors. Details gives you all the tools you need to be successful as a freelancer. Use our 'Recipe Gallery' as a portfolio to book future jobs and our worksheet and templates to build out packages you can offer!
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Freelancing can be very lucrative, but it is also very competitive as freelancers are trying to break into new markets. In our recent survey we asked 'how much do you pay your designers per hour?' 30% of our participants said they pay between $15-$18 and 20% said they pay between $22-$25 making up half of our participant's responses. Freelance designers tend to be paid more per hour, but hours are typically limited. Check out this spectacular article by Mary Schaefbauer in Florists' Review to see just how beneficial freelancing can be!
Styled shoots allow you to be as creative as you want while building your portfolio and creating relationships with other vendors such as photographers, wedding dress boutiques and cake bakers in your area to collaborate and network! In our recent industry survey, 20% of our participants said that they participate in styled shoots. Though styled shoots are not financially lucrative, the return in experience and potential clients makes this a worthwhile venture. Check out this article from our very own Parie Donaldson about how to plan a styled shoot!
Though funerals are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a floral specialty, flowers bring joy and comfort to people making them almost a necessity at a funeral. Out of the hundreds of people who filled out our industry survey, only 25% of participants stated that they specialize in funerals.
Average cost for funeral flowers is $800 not including the sympathy flowers that family and friends will also send to the funeral home. With COVID-19 being a big part of our lives and many funerals being hosted on Zoom and other similar platforms, the demand for uplifting floral arrangements has increased dramatically. By partnering with a local funeral home, you can offer flower packages as part of their funeral bill. You can easily create templates in Details to re-use containing these pre-made arrangements!
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Though 95% of our survey participants stated that they specialize in weddings, 33% said they also participate in retail sales and 13% said they also participate in gift sales. These specialties can be added to your current wedding and event business increasing your revenue exponentially!
We've heard many florists come up with with new and inventive ways to continue to do business through the pandemic situation, and Retail floristry seems to be a real key to their success. From creating pop-up shops to delivering micro-wedding arrangements and packages, florists are getting it done by selling directly to consumers.
The floral event industry has so many niches and, as our survey results show, there are many opportunities to diversify your portfolio. With so many additional areas of interest within the industry, the possibilities are nearly endless and Details is here to help along the way!
Create templates to streamline your packages, populate a recipe gallery to generate a portfolio, and use all of our available items to take stock of your inventory. Details works for florists big and small and whether your just getting started or you're well-established in the business, there are always new avenues to explore!