Boston TV Reporter Takes on Deceptive Listings

If you live in the Boston area and were tuned into NBC-TV news affiliate WHDH Monday night, you would have seen its newscast about deceptive phone listings in the floral industry. A promo for the story intoned: "Hank digs up the dirt on some phony florists ... tricking you into paying more and getting less. Tonight at 11."

Hank is the station's award-winning investigative reporter, Hank Phillipi Ryan, who not only checked up on addresses listed by florists who pretended to be local and found them to be out-of-town order gatherers with no physical presence in the community, but also interviewed Barbara Anthony, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Northeast region. Anthony told Ryan there's nothing wrong with selling flowers by phone, but businesses can't have a fake location and charge customers an undisclosed fee.

That's what happened to a customer who paid $67 but received a $49 arrangement from Donna McGuire, a real florist who filled an order for a company in Wisconsin that listed its address in the Boston area. He "thought he was calling a local florist," McGuire, owner of Abigail's Flowers, told E-Brief editors. "But I got the order from someplace in Wisconsin." After the flowers were delivered and weren't as elaborate as the ones the customer had ordered, he contacted her to complain. "He was upset and I was upset and we both decided to call Hank," McGuire says.

"It's not just this town, it's everywhere," McGuire says. "People and florists are being taken advantage of."

Watch a video of the report.

Is this a problem in your state? SAF has guidance for getting legislation passed in your state. Contact Samm Malone at (800) 336-4743; smalone@safnow.org.

Floral Management covered several state-based efforts to get rid of deceptive listings in "Will the Real Local Florist Please Stand Up?" in September 2005.

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

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Color Trends Drive Horti Fair

The International Horti Fair, an annual floriculture show in Amsterdam, drew nearly 50,000 visitors from more than 110 countries earlier this month. The show attracted a record number of exhibitors -- more than 1,000 -- from 51 countries, exceeding organizers' expectations, according to Wim van der Loo, the show's director.  For many U.S. floral industry members in attendance, Horti Fair was a preview of upcoming design and product ideas, and top trends on display included: 

• Pinks, Purples Rule. Chad Nelson, sales manager for Eufloria Flowers in Nipomo, Calif., says rose breeders at the show set their spotlights on pink roses. "They see a surge of interest in pink in Europe," he says. A pink-lavender spray rose, 'Silver Bell,' caught the attention of Nelson and J Schwanke AAF, AIFD, PFCI of JMHS Enterprises in Comstock Park, Mich. "It's kind of in that 'tween' category between purple and pink," Schwanke says.

• Put on the Glitz. European floral designers are copying "American design styles," using mirrors and glitter in their arrangements, says Rene van Rems, AIFD, PFCI, a floral designer and consultant in Vista, Calif. "They have a lot of bling-bling going on," he says. "That is definitely an American thing. It's an interesting reversal. Even 10 years ago, it would have been kitschy. But now they're into anything goes, which is the American attitude."

• Flowers Everywhere. The House of Retail, an expanded retail area that took up 10 times more space this year and contained floriculture products for large-scale buyers, emphasized flowers throughout the home, Schwanke says. "It was very interesting to see the flowers in use in outdoor living areas, the bathroom, the dining room," he says. "One of the most important things I saw is that it was all color-driven."

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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AIFD Unveils Sponsorship Program

To better support its National Symposium and expand other educational events, the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) recently launched a sponsorship program, according to Tom Shaner, AIFD's executive director. Through the program, businesses can contribute between $2,500 and $15,000 to become a Rose Partner of Symposium, which would allow them to take advantage of marketing opportunities such as infomercials, e-mail blasts, web banners and advertisements in the group's directory and Symposium education book, says Chris Norwood, AIFD, president of the group.

The program represents a shift for AIFD, which for the past 40 years has been "gun shy about commercialization," says Shaner, who points to rising costs as a key factor in the decision. "We have seen a lot of our expenses go way up," he says. "We won't commercialize the education... (But) to keep National Symposium at a certain level of professionalism and excellence, we have to pay for it."

The program also could help AIFD, which Shaner says relies "heavily" on member dues, produce 10 to 20 additional hands-on programs around the country throughout the year at a time when other groups, including wholesalers and state associations, are cutting back on design education.

"We are really concerned that, with all of the consolidation in the industry, there are less design resources out there, and we are absolutely seeing the effect of that through our accreditation process," with many AIFD applicants producing lackluster designs, he says. "It's an assumption on our part, but we have to believe designers just don't have places to go anymore to learn about design."

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

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Gift Shows Focus on New Resources, Seminars

While you're promoting and selling this year's holiday product and merchandise, guess what's waiting around the corner? That's right -- January is gift show season, when retailers scope out trends and stock up on next year's holiday items as well as year-round gifts and decorative accessories. Several of the big shows have new offerings to help retailers navigate their way through the shows in 2007: 

• Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, Jan. 12 to 15, at AmericasMart in Atlanta.  What's new: Atlanta's new digital magazine, debuting this month. For information: call (800) ATL-MART or (404) 220-3000 .

• Dallas International Gift & Home Accessories Market, Jan. 17 to 23 at the Dallas Market Center. What's new: DMC's new InStore magazine, to guide buyers on the latest trends. For information: Call (214) 655-6100 or (800) DAL-MKTS. 

• California Gift Show, Jan. 19 to 22 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. What's New: The educational sessions "Trends in Tabletop" and "Party Like the Stars With Themed Decor," by Kevin Lee, owner of L.A. Premier Floral Event Productions in Beverly Hills, are worth checking out. Get news on new products by signing up for the "aList" -- for more information, call (800) 272-SHOW (7469). 

• New York International Gift Fair, Jan. 28 to 31 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. What's new: "New York's Newest," the "launching pad" for companies new to the gift mart, will be held alongside EXTRACTS, a beauty and wellness pavilion and the New York Homes Textiles Show. For more information, call (800) 272-7469.

Are you a gift show shopper? Take part in this week's e-poll.

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

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Delaware Valley Names Schroeder Marketing Director

W. Kurt Schroeder, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, began his new job on Monday at Delaware Valley Floral Group where he'll take on a newly created position: director of marketing.

"I'm so excited to be part of such an energetic and dynamic organization," said Schroeder. "They have done so much to raise the professionalism of floral distribution and wholesaling."

Schroeder was previously director of marketing services for Floralife, Inc., where he worked for the past 11 years. "I was also involved in sales there," he said "I'll be 100 percent in the marketing arena at Delaware Valley Floral Group."

Schroeder will be involved in marketing efforts for three divisions: Delaware Valley Wholesale Florist (DVWF); Fresh Blends, the mass-market sector of the business, and Flower Transfer, the company's transportation division.

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

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Caring Rose Week

When Amelia Pate, of Amelia's Buds and Blooms in Martinez, Ga., sold out of rose bouquets last week it helped more than her bottom line. The sales also helped put food on the table of low-income and homeless residents.

Pate is one of hundreds of florists who participated in the annual Caring Rose Week Nov. 13 to 18, which benefited charitable organizations across the country. The event was created by Harry Whelden of North American Wholesale Florist, in Sioux Falls, S.D., who conceived the idea of Caring Rose Week about seven years ago as a way to drum up business at a time when "flower sales weren't the briskest," he says. The event coincides with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week.

Participating florists pay a flat fee of $25 to the wholesalers to cover the costs of printing marketing materials, such as flyers and posters, which are placed in high-traffic areas to promote the event. This year, Whelden rallied about 340 florists in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wyoming to participate. Len Collins of the Georgia State Floral Distributors in Augusta, Ga., recruited 17 Georgia and South Carolina florists.

During the week consumers can purchase a bouquet of roses from their local florists, containing two stems of six different varieties, for $10, if they make a donation of either $2 or two cans of food. The florists who are part of the Georgia State Floral Distributors program are donating to The Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta; the florists in North American Wholesale's program can choose where they want to donate to, and so far have collected almost 30 tons of food.

While Whelden says he moves more roses this week in his market area than during Valentine's Day, he isn't exactly making a profit. Generally the wholesalers and retailers make enough from the promotion to break even.

The point of the promotion, however, is not really to sell roses, but to get customers into retail florists' shops, and potentially, buying more flowers or participating in other holiday promotions the florists might be running. Kristi Yaughn of Cannon House Florist in Aiken, S.C. agrees: "Its always good to get people in the week before Thanksgiving," she says.
 

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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AFE Establishes Memorial for Megan Gaul

Megan Gaul

The American Floral Endowment has established a memorial tribute to honor Megan Gaul, daughter of David and Laura Gaul. David Gaul, AAF, is vice president of sales and marketing for the Denver Wholesale Florist Company in Denver.

Floral industry associates were saddened to hear of Megan's death Nov. 8 in a car accident. After Megan, 25, earned a degree in accounting last year from the University of Colorado, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked as a public accountant. Her interests included photography, gourmet cooking, music and college football.

To contribute to the memorial, send a check designated to the Megan Gaul Memorial Tribute to the American Floral Endowment. The family will be notified of your contribution, which is tax-deductible.

AFE is the leading non-profit funding source for floriculture research, educational programs and market research in the United States.

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

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AFE Inducts New Trustees

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) recently welcomed three new members to its board of trustees: Tom Butler, AAF, of Teleflora in Oklahoma City, Gabriel Becerra, of Golden Flowers in Miami, Fla., and Chuck Gainan, AAF, of Gainan's Florist in Billings, Mont.

Chuck Gainan, AAF	Gabriel Becerra	Tom Butler, AAF

The AFE board of trustees is comprised of leaders from all segments of the industry who serve on a volunteer basis. "I know Tom, Gabriel, and Chuck to be committed individuals," says Sten Crissey, AAF, chairman of the Endowment Board, "Their involvement will help AFE in its effort to strengthen the industry and ultimately enhance the public's experience with floral industry products."

Founded in 1961, the AFE has provided $12 million in grants for solutions to critical needs.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Trend: Online Learning

Managers at places from IBM to the state of Oregon have turned to online learning, or "e-learning" to help train employees. Online learning also is happening in the floral industry.

FTD launched its Web-based FTD University for its members in October. It offers short courses on customer service, general knowledge and care and handling of cut flowers, and order and delivery handling. The program also includes quizzes at the end of each course, so participants can track their own progress.

User Jim Clifford of Clifford's Flowers in Quincy, Mass., says the program, especially the customer service course, was "helpful, not only for florists who are new to the industry, but also for those of us who think we already know everything."

SAF also provides online training, in conjunction with TrainNow.net, through its Online Learning Center. Employees can take self-paced courses, such as "The Perfect Sale" and "Plant and Flower Care in the 21st Century," through the Internet or via a CD-ROM. Chuck Gainan, AAF, of Gainan's Flowers in Billings, Mont., creator of "The Perfect Sale," says of his course, "I think people learn more from the fact that it is interactive." Training activity records also can be saved letting employers track and manage training.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Magazine Seeks Young Readers' Approval

In the days of makeovers, re-dos and re-branding, even Good Housekeeping needs a nip and tuck. To try and appeal to younger women -- the same customer base many florists are courting -- the magazine recently unveiled a new product test lab, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, and is updating its famous Good Housekeeping Seal, according to a Nov. 20 story in The New York Times.

"If you're not a Baby Boomer or older, you don't really know what the seal is because they haven't done anything to re-energize its importance," Marshal Cohen, chief analyst of the NPD Group, which specializes in consumer behavior, said to the newspaper.

Re-energizing the magazine's brand, and its relevance to consumers, is exactly what the magazine is hoping to do through its new 17,000-square-foot institute, which opened last month in New York.

"The new institute allows us to be more visible as to what is behind that trust," Patricia Haegele, Good Housekeeping's publisher, said to the Times.

The magazine itself also is trying to appeal directly to younger women, who are more likely to work outside of the home, by featuring celebrities such as Katie Couric and Kelly Ripa on its cover.

"The right celebrity at the right time can help sell magazines," Rosemary Ellis, the magazine's new editor, said to the Times.

The Good Housekeeping Seal was introduced in 1909. Products that earn the seal are backed by a guarantee at the magazine, and Good Housekeeping has a long history of rejecting advertisers who make false claims: The magazine began rejecting ads for cigarettes in 1952, 12 years before the Surgeon General's report on the dangers of smoking created national awareness.

Read the full New York Times story

Within the floral industry, the Flower Council of Holland has successfully reached out to young women with its "Why Wait?" campaign, which encourages women to buy everyday flowers for themselves. E-Brief covered the campaign in its March 15, 2006 issue.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Wholesale Event Attendance

Fifty-eight percent of readers who responded to last week's e-poll said they sometimes attend shows and/or educational events held by their local wholesalers. About 27 percent say they always attend, and about five percent say they never attend. Ten percent report that their wholesalers don't hold such events.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Product Spotlight: FedEx

Looking for fast, reliable shipping for the holiday season and beyond? You can count on FedEx. SAF members can also save up to 21 percent on packages sent via FedEx. Click here and enter passcode CY9FU713 or for more information, call the FedEx Association Advantage Hotline at 800-475-6708.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk on The Forums

In response to last week's question on SAF's online forum about good Point of Sale (POS) systems, one member suggests starting with a basic system that can be upgraded.  SAF's chief technology officer, Renato Sogueco, chimed in and provided some helpful links regarding POS systems. Check out the full discussion.

See the Plugged In column in the December 2006 issue of Floral Management Magazine. It details the delivery management applications of the various floral industry POS systems.

Also on the forums:
Gift card programs
Cold weather deliveries

Start your own discussion

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Halloween Sales

Source: Online Zoomerang survey sent to SAF members with e-mail addresses, based on 322 responses (8.4% response rate -- preliminary results)

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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