Struggling to figure out the right way to set up the online catalogue template for flower business? I've gotcha covered.

Navigating through all the details of your online catalogue is definitely a 'thing'. And yes, there is a specific strategy to follow. It's kinda like Goldilocks and the Three Bears: you don't want to offer too many options and you don't want to be too skimpy.

How Many Products Should You Include in Your Online Catalogue Template for Flower Business?

A few years ago I read about this study that a few psychologists did about selling jam. The general premise is that customers are MORE likely to buy when you limit their options. (You can read about it here.)

It sounds kinda counterintuitive, doesn't it? We as humans think we want to have an unlimited number of options. And as business owners, we fear missing out on sales if we aren't offering enough, right?

But at the end of the day, customers so want choice, but actually only from a limited number of choices. In the world of psychology, this concept is referred to as the Paradox of Choice.

In the case of the jam study, the psychologists found that more jam was sold when customers only had 6 options versus the initial 24 choices.

When I learned about this study, I immediately put it into action and put together a new framework for setting up the online catalogue template for flower business.

When it comes to setting up your daily deliveries, start with 12 products in your core offering. Set up your catalogue so that 50% of your products are presented in some sort of vase or container. And 50% is a hand-tied bouquet.

Why Not Just Add a Vase For An Add-On?

In our flower business, I found our customers came to us having decided ahead of time if they wanted something in a container or not. It's kinda like they came to our website with the format question already answered. They then looked through the photos and immediately eliminated the options that weren't the format they were looking for.

My experience is based on catering to a broad away of customers and living in a small town. So, if you operate in a big city and have a bigger population to work with and/or cater to a sophisticated audience, things might be different for you.

It's possible you're missing out on incremental revenue because your online catalogue isn't aligning to how your customers shop for flowers. Of course, every business is different and I reckon it's worth experimenting with both options. Track the data and then make a decision from there.

The most important thing to remember is to put yourself in your customer's shoes. Really think about how much expertise, experience and familiarity your clients have with ordering flowers and test out new hypotheses to really push the limits of what is possible.

Offer Three Size Options for Each Product

With each of the 12 products in your online catalogue template for flower business, set up three different sizes for each product. And make sure there is at least a 30% increase between each size.

For example, if your cheapest bouquet is $85 + delivery, then the next size up needs to be at least $110.50 and then the third is $143.65 (yes, they can be even more than this, just make sure the differences are noticeable).

Most customers aren't going to be able to tell the difference between an $85 bouquet and a $100 so make the price points and difference between the sizes you offer quite chunky. You can use your written descriptions to outline the basic sizes and educate your customers on what to expect (i.e. What's the difference between each size?).

Which Size Should I Show in the Pictures?

I'm lazy and kinda cheap. So when I set up our first online catalogue I just showed photos of only one size of bouquets. I didn't bother trying to take photos of each size. It was all too fussy for me.

Instead, I like to use the product description to give more detail, outline more specifics and give guidance on size. Want an example of what to write in the product description? Check out this YouTube video from the archives – 4 Details to Include in Your Online Catalogue

It's All a Work in Progress

One of the best lessons I've learned in my business is that nothing is permanent. This is particularly true with your website.

The nature of floristry is that every day there is a new set of customers coming into your little bubble. New babies are being born. More birthdays are being had. More get well soon gifts to be given.

This means that the customers who come to your website today aren't the same customers that visited last week (or even yesterday). So you can go in and update your website any day of the week.

For us, we found that more than 80% of our customers hadn't been to our website in the last 365 days.

Yes, you read that right.

More than 80% of our paying clients hadn't ordered in the past year. So they have no idea what was on there five weeks ago, let alone five days ago.

Don't delay! Stop telling yourself you'll do at the beginning of next quarter to the beginning of next financial year. Give yourself the go-ahead to go in today and make updates.

Your future self will love you so much because of it.

NEXT STEP: Wondering how to increase online orders? Google Ads is our go-to solution. Check out this super helpful blog post: 4 Google Ads Tips for Florists

Want more tips to help you get y our online catalogue sorted?

There is a lot of strategy that goes into getting an online catalogue sorted. Having the right mix of offers, but without too many options can be one of the best improvements you can make for your flower business. The first time I set up our online catalogue, I totally underestimated the task and I missed the mark with some of our solutions.

It's easy to overlook some of the finer details with an online catalogue. And it's really easy to do it wrong. If you need help sorting through your online catalogue, be sure to check out this podcast episode: What to Include in Your Online Catalogue as a Floral Designer

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