The Future of Florists

Collection
Design Strategy (MBA) | Design Division

Course
Fall 2017Experiences StudioElizabeth GlenewinkelDSMBA-606-01
Final project
Student(s)
Diego De la Peza, Änna Ibrahim, Suzanna Okie, Sarah Gilbert, Christin Nolasco
Description
Our team explored the future of florists through a micro-pilot pop-up experience.

U.S. employment in the floral sector dropped by more than 50% between 2001-2014 and nearly 40% of U.S. floral businesses have closed since 2000. The floral industry is dying. Where is the opportunity to revitalize this wilting industry? We did primary and secondary research to identify jobs to be done and develop storyboards. Our challenge statement was: “Locally-invested, urban professionals struggle to find unique flowers from a source they’re connected to and get frustrated by how briefly they last.”

We developed a concept called Local Flora. Local Flora is a pop-up that provides locally-invested, urban professions with the opportunity to build a relationship with their community through locally-sourced, seasonal flowers, and complementary artisanal products. Our pop-up aimed to test whether: (1) the CSA subscription model was more compelling than a one-off purchase; (2) the complementary products add value/interest/draw. 72% of our pop-up's purchasing customers purchased the CSA option, confirming the value of both the CSA subscription model and the complementary products.

Future testing opportunities for Local Flora could look at: (1) leading with the artisanal complementary products and offering the CSA as a meaningful upsell; (2) emphasizing local elements more explicitly in merchandising and signage, such as a supplier sourcing map; (3) clarifying the distinct purchasing options with visuals.

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