Florists Commemorate Sept. 11

Florists around the country recognized the fifth anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks that took the lives of about 3,000 Americans. Everyday Flowers in Tustin, Calif., added a banner to its Web site, www.everydayflowers.net, stating: "We will always remember Sept. 11, 2001" with a photo of the intact World Trade Center's twin towers before the attacks.

Richardson's Flowers in Medford, N.J. presented walk-in customers with a white rose wrapped and tied in red, white and blue ribbon. A card attached read: "We will never forget." The customers were "very grateful and a little bit surprised," says Robyn Carter, the store's bookkeeper. "It worked out well. We just wanted to do something to commemorate the day." The shop is about two hours from New York City.

Flowers for You Inc. in Hollywood, Fla., handed out 75 bud vases to the city's firefighters and policemen on duty Monday with a note: "To our heroes, our first-responders, thank you for all you do. Proud to be an American."

"We had a friend who lost his son in Sept. 11," says owner Lorrie Rivera, who set up the delivery with the city's public affairs department. Children in a flower class she teaches helped her assemble the bud vases (two red roses, greenery, baby's breath and blue ribbons) and write the notes. One of the mothers who helped deliver them told her one of the firemen broke into tears. "He was really touched by it," Rivera says. "They don't get enough recognition for what they do."

-- Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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Florists Go All Out for Good Neighbor Day

FTD reports increased involvement for this year's Good Neighbor Day, Sept. 6, with "hundreds of FTD florists participating," says Bill Van Cleave, FTD's executive vice president of member services. "Members are putting new spins on their events by partnering with charitable organizations and local businesses."

Those partnerships are bringing extra attention to florists, who received "extensive media coverage from newspaper articles to radio mentions to live television broadcasts in their shops," says Van Cleave. Two local newspapers covered Shawnee Floral & Gifts in Shawnee, Okla., which celebrated the event for the first time. The day also happened to fall on the day the shop celebrated its 24th year in business. As a combined celebration, they teamed up with their local chamber of commerce to serve barbeque, baked potatoes and rolls outside the newly opened second store, along with fresh fruit and other snacks inside, says Jill Ramseyer of Shawnee Floral. The florist gave away about 5,000 roses.

Read how the founder of the event, Brook Jacobs of Greenbrook Flowers in Jackson, Miss., planned to celebrate the day in last week's issue of E-Brief, http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/safwed/issues/2006-09-06.html#2.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Hispanics' Spending Power Increases

Hispanic consumers are set to become the nation's most powerful minority consumers, outpacing black consumers for the first time, according to a new study from the University of Georgia, as reported by the Associated Press.

The study, conducted annually by the university's Terry College of Business and the Selig Center, found that since 1990, Hispanic consumers' economic power has grown from $212 billion to $798 billion. During the same time period, black consumers' buying power has increased from $318 billion to $799 billion. The study defines "buying power" as the amount of after-tax income a person has to spend on goods and services.

Researchers found that Hispanics were most likely to spend their disposable income on phone services, major appliances, vehicles, children's clothing and footwear. Hispanics make up about 14.5 percent of the U.S. population, according to the story.

-- Mary Westbrook
mary.westbrook@gmail.com

 
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Video Reviews: The Next Big Thing?

Next time a consumer thinks he or she got sub-par flowers, beware: They could post a video of them on the Internet for all to see. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Internet retailer Buy.com is trying to merge two powerful online sales tools -- consumer-written reviews and homemade videos. And it's all for the sake of tapping into a younger demographic and increasing sales. The campaign will let buyers take videos of themselves with the product, demonstrating its strengths or, unfortunately for some retailers, weaknesses.

According to the Chronicle, this is the first time an e-retailer has tried to marry the two tools, which means analysts are busy weighing in: Will this work? Should other retailers try it? It's a mixed bag, according to the article. Consumer-driven content on the Web is huge (think of MySpace and GoogleVideo), but making a video -- more troublesome than typing a few sentence -- is a time-consuming prospect for buyers.

The range of reviews that it attracts may also limit its value. Greg Buzek, president of the retail technology analysis firm IHL, says that, while the concept of a visual review may be a good thing, "I think you're going to run into two different groups that will bother to do this. Somebody that is deliriously happy with the product and somebody who absolutely hates it."

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Home Depot Considers 'Mega' Store

Residents of East Palo Alto, Calif., could become neighbors to the country's largest Home Depot store. Greg George, the company's real estate manager, recently told Media News that, while the plan still is in its "infancy," city planners are expected to meet sometime in the next few weeks to discuss details.

The new store would be located in a now-vacant building, which previously housed a 93,000-square-foot Expo Design Center that Home Depot also owned. The company runs 34 design centers in the United States but closed the East Palo Alto store last year because it "changed its business focus," George said. The merchandise from the design center, generally more expensive than products found in Home Depots, would likely be folded into the new store.

If the plan is approved, the space would allow Home Depot to build a 220,000-square-foot "megastore." Currently, the average Home Depot store in the area is about 100,000 to 120,000 square feet, George said.

-- Mary Westbrook
mary.westbrook@gmail.com

 
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'Wal-Mart' Bill Heads to Schwarzenegger

The California Senate recently approved a bill that would require local governments to consider an "economic impact report" before approving plans for stores of 100,000 square feet or more, such as Wal-Marts. The bill is now with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Clearly Wal-Mart in particular has been using its money and influence to try to influence local government decisions," said the bill's author, Sen. Richard Alarcon, according to the Associated Press (AP). "Wal-Mart is the most egregious offender when it comes to having employees use public assistance -- in fact, training them to apply."

The bill would require "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart to pay for environmental studies before opening new stores. Those reports would detail how the stores would affect community resources and infrastructure.

Opponents of the law, including Wal-Mart, business groups and Republican lawmakers, say it unfairly singles out Wal-Mart and would hurt low-wage workers in California who are searching for jobs and affordable merchandise. "If local governments want to stop projects, they can. They don't need state legislation," Trudi Hughes, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said to the AP. "This is legislation that will hurt consumer choice. We're hopeful Governor Schwarzenegger will veto the bill."

-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@gmail.com

 
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Florists Popular with Elected Leaders

About 79 percent of florists responding to last week's E-Poll say an elected official or candidate has visited their business. Twenty-one percent say an official or candidate has not visited.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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'Tech Zone' to Demo SAF's New E-Tools

SAF is making it "e"-sier than ever to reach customers, find suppliers, market your business and more. SAF will launch four new e-tools at SAF Naples 2006:

• Custom Print Marketing Center -- where you can customize, print and mail SAF's colorful floral postcards in minutes
• MagnetMail -- e-mail marketing tools that make creating and sending professional, branded e-mail newsletters and promotions a snap
• The Ultimate Floral Industry Supply Guide -- a one-stop, searchable source for wholesalers and distributors of hardgoods, gift items, fresh product and business supplies.
• FloraTrac -- a powerful new way for retail florists to gather vital market share information about their business.

See all this and more at the Tech Zone during SAF Convention 122nd Annual Convention, Sept. 27 to 30 in Naples, Fla.

Not registered for SAF Naples 2006, yet? There's still time. Click here or call Laura Weaver, CMP, at (800) 336-4743. 

Want more info about SAF's e-tools? Contact SAF Member Services at memberinfo@safnow.org, or look out for the October issue of SAF's Floral Management magazine.

-- Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org

 
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SAF Product Spotlight: Business-to-Business Materials

Snag (and keep) corporate accounts with SAF's Business-to-Business (B2B) kit. The kit is based on findings from SAF's Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study -- university research that proves flowers and plants in the workplace improve problem-solving skills, idea generation and creative performance.

The kit includes a sample presentation portfolio, sample follow-up letters and postcards, Rolodex card artwork, a customer satisfaction survey and more.

Members: Get the B2B kit for $34.95. Non-members: Purchase the kit for $69.95. B2B sales presentation portfolios are available in sets of 25 for $29.95 ($59.95 for non-members). B2B postcards also are available in sets of 25 for $4.95 ($12.95 for non-members).

To order, visit the SAF Market at www.safnow.org or contact SAF Member Services at (800) 336-4743; memberinfo@safnow.org.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Consumers Go Online for Mom

Consumers buy more arrangements online at Mother's Day, compared to Christmas or Valentine's Day. More than 15 percent of floral transactions and 22 percent of dollar spending is done over the Internet when consumers purchase cut flower arrangements for Mother's Day. 

Source: Ipsos FloralTrends Consumer Tracking Study, 2003 to 2005 combined data.

-- Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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