Pricing can feel like a guessing game — especially when two shops on the same block can charge $79.99 and $129.99 for the same dozen roses and both make sales. What gives?
The truth is, customers don’t evaluate price in a vacuum. What they’re really measuring is perceived value — the emotional and visual experience of the product, how it’s presented, and what they expect it to cost.
As a florist, your pricing decisions aren’t just about markups. They’re about guiding perception, protecting your margins, managing expectations, and presenting value with confidence.
Some purchases — like gas or groceries — are pure commodities. Customers chase the lowest price, and brand loyalty is minimal.
Flowers, on the other hand, don’t always fall in the “commodity” category. When someone is picking up tulips from the grocery store, yes, price may be the top factor. But when they call your shop or walk through your door, they’ve already made a subtle shift. They’re looking for something more.
That moment — when they choose a florist over a mass-market option — is your opportunity to guide their expectations and reinforce why your design, service, and experience justify the price.
It’s easy to second-guess yourself:
“I only paid $25 for the flowers — should I really charge $100?”
“Maybe I should add more greens or an extra stem to make it feel worth it…”
But here’s the problem with that thinking: when you overstuff an arrangement or try to “justify” the price to yourself by adding more, you’re training the customer to expect more every time — without paying for it. You're digging a hole that is hard to climb out of.
The customer didn’t calculate your wholesale price. They saw the arrangement, liked it, and bought it based on how it looked and how it made them feel. That’s what matters.
Many florists use cost-plus pricing (e.g., 3x cost + labor), and that’s a solid baseline — but it shouldn’t be the only method in your toolbox.
Your price should reflect perceived value, not just a strict cost formula.
In most shops, customers are willing to spend $99–$129 — especially when they’re guided toward that range by confident language, a friendly attitude, and strong visuals. But they won’t go there on their own if you lead with phrases like:
Instead, present options that match your most profitable products first, as well as satisfy the client’s needs, and offer lower-priced alternatives only when asked.
Restaurants have mastered this through menu engineering — and florists can learn from it. Draw attention to your best designs by visually highlighting them on your website and in-store. Using names like “Customer Favorite,” “Designer’s Pick,” or “Most Loved” creates social proof and solidifies their buying decisions. And list your most profitable items first — online and over the phone. If the first thing a customer sees is a standout $150 design, everything else feels like a variation — not a sticker shock.
Take time to calculate which arrangements and designs give you the best margins. It might not be the most expensive ones — often, it’s your shop specials or seasonal features where you’ve bought flowers at a great price. Consider which ones are also quick to design.
Once you know which designs earn you the most, make those your heroes. Feature them more. Recommend them more. And watch your profits rise — without raising your workload.
A fun and useful exercise: print out a few Teleflora arrangements (or designs from your own site) with no prices. Ask your team to guess what each should cost. You’ll be amazed at how differently everyone values the same design — and it’s a great reminder that customer perception is even more varied.
You can’t control the wholesale price of lilies or the cost of glass vases. But you can control how your designs are presented, priced, and perceived.
When you understand the psychology behind pricing — and stop feeling guilty for charging what your work is worth — you’ll find that customers respond more to your confidence than to your price.