Most florists go all-in when planning for major holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Product selection is carefully calculated, designs are crafted in advance, and inventory levels are closely monitored. But when it comes to everyday sales, many shops fall back on habit—ordering the same items, in the same quantities, week after week. What if you could bring that same level of planning and intention to your regular buying—and boost your profits in the process?
With just a few adjustments to how you manage your fresh inventory, you can reduce waste, increase margins, and bring more creativity into your daily operations. Here’s how to make smarter buying decisions a regular habit in your flower shop.
Most florists are used to “going with their gut” when it comes to ordering flowers. But intuition alone can cost you. Start treating your weekly inventory the same way you handle large holiday events: with data, structure, and a clear plan.
Use your POS system to pull the previous year’s weekly sales reports. Subtract sympathy and event sales. Total up your remaining flower sales and multiply that number by 25%—that’s your ideal fresh flower budget for the coming week. Compare it to what you actually spent and analyze the difference. If you’re over budget, take stock of what’s left in your cooler. If the leftovers explain the overage, you’ll know exactly what adjustments to make.
This one habit—reviewing your weekly flower sales against your purchases—can uncover patterns you didn’t know existed and give you immediate insight into how to buy more efficiently.
One of the biggest culprits in over-budgeting isn’t spoilage—it’s “stuffing.” That’s when designers add extra stems or greens to an arrangement without charging for them. It’s an easy habit to fall into, especially when you’re trying to make a design look fuller, more beautiful or more balanced. But over time, it cuts directly into your profit and sets a false expectation for customer value.
To prevent this, create clear design recipes and train your staff to follow them. Make it easy for your designers to know what goes into each arrangement based on price point. Reinforce the idea that less can still be beautiful—and profitable.
Standing orders are a great tool for stability and pricing. But if your business levels have changed or you haven’t reviewed them in a while, it’s time for an audit.
Ask yourself: Are your standing orders still aligned with what’s selling? Have any flower types become stagnant, overused or too expensive? Could you replace predictable ingredients with seasonal alternatives or trending blooms that customers might be excited to try?
A fresh standing order should reflect both quality, reliability and inspiration. It’s okay to have staples—but don’t let those choices become stale.
Don’t just ask your suppliers for the usual stock—ask what’s in surplus. Growers often have excess blooms available at discounts, and these can become the base for weekly “shop specials” that are beautiful, unique, and profitable.
For example, if your supplier has a great deal on stock, roses or hydrangea this week, build a featured design around those flowers and promote it through email, social media, and signage. Offer them over the phone. Featuring designs that align with your inventory ensures better turnover and better margins.
Even better, with pre-planning, you can photograph those designs for your website or print materials, giving you marketing content that supports your fresh inventory strategy and is unique to your shop.
The more your staff understands what you need to sell—and why—the more effectively they can guide customers toward those purchases. Give your team talking points for featured arrangements and offer incentives for selling them.
Instead of asking open-ended questions like, “What are you looking for?” train your team to lead with suggestions that match your current inventory: “One of our favorites this week is a vibrant summer mix with hydrangeas, gerbera daisies, and lilies. It’s only $95—would you like to take a look or would this work for your floral gift?”
With a clear focus and the right tools, your team can help move the product you need to sell most.
You don’t have to wait for the next big holiday to maximize your profits. By treating your weekly buying process as an opportunity to plan, evaluate, and promote, you’ll bring more control and confidence to your fresh inventory—and more dollars to your bottom line.