For me, one of the most exciting parts of being in business in our fabulous industry, is to source, select and order beautiful products. The feeling of excitement when product orders arrive, and the eagerness to unpack them, price them and display them ready to sell and make profit.
This could be fresh flowers, foliage, plants, vases, ceramics, packaging gifts and sundries, in fact, any product that enhances my business. With my consultancy hat on, this is how I can enhance other florists and floral gifting companies by selecting strong commercial products.
There are so many different avenues to source products and many factors can influence where you want, choose or are able to source from.
Fresh materials are a given, in terms of knowing who you prefer to order and buy from as they are the everyday product essentials that you stock. Having new varieties, new colours, new stem and plant types can give your product range a lift, so never be complacent or hesitant when it comes to purchasing new stems and plants. This will give your team and your customers a buzz and can be a talking point.
When it comes to hard goods and sundries, where you source them can depend on:
The type of business you are.
The type of business you want to be.
The type of clients/customers you have.
The type of future clients/customers you would like to have.
The size of your working / retail space.
The spend available.
Who the final decision maker is.
Order delivery time scales.
Minimum order quantities (MOQ).
And of course, quality.
All of the above will influence you when it comes to product sourcing.
If you have carte blanche, if you are the final decision maker or if you are the buyer for your company, then the world is literally your oyster. Larger companies travel to different product shows around the world to see what is on offer, smaller companies may choose to buy local, artisan products, whilst others will source from the companies they feel they have most trust in.
Some of the shows I travel to are:
Internationally:
Canton Gift Fair, China
Maison & Objet, France
Christmas World, Germany
Ambiante, Germany
IFTF, Holland
