8 Considerations When Starting a Flower Shop Business in the Philippines
Who wouldn't want fresh flower arrangements as gifts? Anyone’s affirmative answer if you ask around underscores the lucrative potential of a flower shop business. In the Philippines, flower shops face an existent local demand with a growing sophistication which shaped the ornamental horticulture industry. It was from one in the '80s that was characterized by few cut flower varieties limited to mums, daisies and roses, and with narrow focus on price instead of quality to one of the '90s’ growth markets which was geared towards better quality, wider variety, and enhanced flower arrangements with foliage and fillers.
 |
| Flower arrangement with foliage and fillers Photo courtesy of Pixabay |
Ever
Present Demand
The
steady demand for flower arrangements
come from all-year round occasions such as Philippine weddings, birthdays, parties,
funerals, and also from regular purchases of consumer and institutional buyers,
such as churches, hotels, and restaurants.
But apart from stable demand, flower
shop business in the Philippines also enjoys seasonal demand upticks during Valentine’s day,
Mothers’ day, graduation season (March-April), wedding months (December &
June) and All Saints’ Day (November). As
flowers remain virtually a luxury product, flower shops can expect
a strong demand with an equally buoyant economy.
Three-tiered
Supply Chain
Unsurprisingly,
entrepreneurs don’t stop on their tracks to meet the ever present demand for
flowers. Supply chain of the cut flower
industry offers several options for business owners to cash in. You may decide
to become a wholesaler supplier/grower that delivers cut flowers and ornamental
plants in bulk to flower shops and markets, a retailer florist catering to
flower arrangement needs of end-consumers, or a florist supplier providing the
flower arrangement tools, accessories, and materials.
In
Metro Manila, the best buys for flowers are found at big flower markets such as
Dangwa in Sampaloc and Farmers Market in Cubao, where customers can buy in
bulk, in cheap price, and 24/7. Aside
from downtown flower markets and standard flower shops, consumers may also opt
to purchase now from online flower shops via the internet. Online flower shops offer
outmost shopping convenience without worrying about time and traffic involved when
going to physical flower markets. With just a click of the preferred item and
completion of online payment, orders for flower arrangements can be delivered by
online flower shops.
Get
Set Before Rosy Fields
While
strong domestic demand comes as an attractive lure to any enterprising business
enthusiast or experienced florist ready to venture on his own, the floral
arrangement industry requires a keener look beyond the sweet icing on the
cake. Below are some factors you may
want to look into to get yourself more prepared before making your way to the
rosy fields of the flower shop business.
1. Where to Set Shop?
Location
is one of the most critical decisions you have to make in any business, and
this applies as well to a flower shop.
Firstly, your location must have easy accessibility and high
visibility to your target market. Hence,
proximity to churches, hospitals, funeral parlors, and commercial centers with
higher purchasing behavior can offer assured demand. Secondly, the presence of competition can determine your share of the
overall business in the area. If there
are several competitors around, you need to think further how you may
differentiate your product offering from the rest. Also, your consideration of location choice
should factor in the rental costs if you decide to hold business away from home.
2. Store Planning
Since your flower shop should ideally consist of
several sections like the work area, sales counter, clients’ area, and display
area, store planning must consider appropriate design elements and efficient
space utilization at the same time.
Providing for a display window through which
your customers can view anytime
from the outside can definitely
save on store space. Also, make sure to offset a minimal store space with highly creative displays of your other services or gift inclusions like balloons, stuffed toys,
and goodies.
3. Flower Arrangement Training
It's necessary that you learn the art and craft of flower arranging whether you plan to do the floral arrangements yourself or get employees later for additional help. Even if you may have a natural flair for visual arts, the knowledge and understanding of the principles, techniques, styles, and materials that you'll acquire from formal training can be handy when you decide to go free styling in the future. Your formal training must be supplemented with practice and may be enhanced further with DIY instructional videos from the internet and other readily available reading materials.
 |
| Glass display window can save on showroom space. Photo courtesy of Pixabay |
It's necessary that you learn the art and craft of flower arranging whether you plan to do the floral arrangements yourself or get employees later for additional help. Even if you may have a natural flair for visual arts, the knowledge and understanding of the principles, techniques, styles, and materials that you'll acquire from formal training can be handy when you decide to go free styling in the future. Your formal training must be supplemented with practice and may be enhanced further with DIY instructional videos from the internet and other readily available reading materials.
4. Big Item
Investments
There
are several big-ticket items which you must invest on. At the outset, you need
pieces of furniture to sit and work on, and to accommodate your clients and
suppliers with. Additional inclusions in
the purchase list also include office equipment for carrying out daily
paper works, such as computer, printer, and scanner. A hardworking camera is most necessary to
produce your portfolio of flower arrangements.
Essential also to flower shop operations are refrigeration containers to
keep freshness of flowers for several few days. And later, multiple deliveries
may also require you to invest in a delivery vehicle.
5. Inventory
for Fresh Flowers and Flower Arranging Materials
Flower
shop operations will eventually entail you to keep inventory for several
items. Aside from office stationery and
supplies, you also need to stock on materials for flower arranging such as
floral foam, vases, pots, baskets, wire, floral tape, wrapping papers, gift
tags, ribbons, balloons, toys, etc.
Though
perishable, keeping inventory for fresh flowers is also needed to legitimize
your flower shop display area. Hence, determining the right inventory level is
the key by knowing what’s in demand and in season. It's advisable to keep
a reasonable low inventory at first so no much wastage is incurred. You can adjust this later once you get more familiar with the demand behavior.
Sustainable
life of your flower shop business rests, among others, upon the reliability of
your suppliers for fresh flowers. At best, it's advisable to
transact directly with wholesaler flower farm growers or flower markets to get
the best prices. Try to search for a wholesaler supplier that can accommodate
small quantities even for the first few orders, which you can increase later to
conserve delivery charges. Strive to
team up with reputable suppliers with established track record in quality and
servicing. Finally, never tie yourself at the mercy of a single supplier but
back up with two to three more.
7. Employees
Flower
arranging is one which needs much care and attention. Other than the main task of assembling the
elements together to compose a beautiful flower arrangement, the cut flowers
and other ornamental plants call for trimming, cleaning, preserving, protecting
from pests, and display maintenance.
Definitely, you can’t do all those by yourself as the business
grows. Thus, consider as well the costs
of hiring employees to lend additional hands for all tasks.
8. Marketing
You
can explore and come up with a full list of marketing activities to promote
your flower shop business depending on how far you can unleash your creativity and budget. There are the traditional promotions ranging from flyer distribution, wedding fair attendance, specialized magazines print
advertising, inclusion in trade directories, etc. You can also transform to become a full-blown online flower shop and do e-commerce and internet marketing. Truly, your
imagination can be the only limit! But
with all these, always keep focused on your target market to take on the most
effective marketing strategies.About the Author
1 comments
thanks for the ideas, very informative :-)
ReplyDeletePlease leave your comments here.