How to guarantee serious prom sales this summer

School prom sales are a secret weapon for many local florists. Buttonholes and corsages for teens to wear to their end-of-year ball might seem a lot of effort for little reward, but by selling to youngsters you’re in fact inspiring your own future customers to come back for many years to come. Think Mother’s Day, their next party, their own wedding day and much, much more. Catering to teens also means you can really get creative, so you might find you enjoy every minute of making them, too! We offer everything you need to tempt local teens with beautiful corsages and buttonholes – check out our huge range of wristlets, accessories and boutonnieres. Take action - right now! Now is the time to jump on the summer ball bandwagon as school proms are taking place throughout June and July. Most UK and Ireland school terms end in July this year, so you’ve a few weeks to put plans and promotions in place to maximise sales. Take our poll below, read on for 9 top tips to prom success, then check out our bumper prom and wedding marketing pack for tons of seriously helpful reading material on how to sell more this season - including template letters for schools, flyers and more.

Top tips to boost summer ball sales

1. Write to prom organisers Check the dates for your local school proms and find out who is in charge of prom decision making at your local schools; there may be a prom committee, or it might just be the heads of year 11 and year 13. Write a polite email and offer to donate a small percentage of your corsage sales to the school and you could become the official supplier for years to come. 2. Set up a pick n mix prom bar Set up an in-store prom display and have all your wristlets and accessories on display plus a few made-up designs with flowers with prices for everything clearly marked. We sell a range of wristlet display stands, and even a display hand for modelling corsages. A pick n mix prom bar can work wonders as teens who visit the shop are excited to pick their items and add-ons. 3. Visit local schools If you visit a school at the start of the day, try offering a few freebies for them to wear during the day (and hopefully they’ll get attached!) Or bring a number of corsages for teachers, secretaries etc. They’ll appreciate the extra effort and as they wear the flowers around school, they can tell everyone about your event and your store. Remember, the staff could be your customers too. Have your offerings mentioned in the morning announcements at the school or college. 4. Perfect your prom portfolio Sort through your wedding and prom photo libraries; pick your best shots from previous years, create catalogues and online albums and make sure you’ve a strong pricing structure to match. Remember, teens have their own tastes so make sure you have lines that the younger generation likes, not just things that you like. The Zoey corsage cuff is perfect for a large design for an individual teen (pictured top). 5. Collaborate with likeminded local businesses Contact local prom and wedding related businesses and see if you can collaborate. Offering packages or simply displaying one-another’s leaflets and sharing social media posts all helps. 6. Plan ahead with an event Something to schedule and start thinking about now for next year: plan ahead with promotional events like an open house, design show, prom party or another event to promote your business as the number one place for prom accessories. Make sure you plan the date to give your customers enough time to order what they will need. 7. Offer add-ons Suggest affordable add-on gifts for their prom date or even for mum and dad, to gain their custom too. Try offerings a single short-stemmed rose as an add-on at a discounted price and - especially if the corsage is a gift for a date - they’ll be hard-pressed to turn it down. 8. Set up a referral programme Have students hand out cards with their name on it and for every (xx) cards returned with an order, they receive a free corsage. 9. Sell the sparkle first You might find it’s easier to attract teens with pretty jewellery before getting to the fresh flowers, so really promote the wide range of bracelets available that can all be kept as a keepsake afterwards. The Your Time wristlet – complete with a watch – is great for this.