Finding new reasons for people to buy flowers can be a challenge, but with a bit of creativity, you can find new ways to expand your shop's business. Here are some ideas you can use for inspiration as you look for ways to offer new flower services.

1. Dinner Delivery

Partner with local restaurants that offer delivery to have custom flower arrangements sent with the food orders. This provides a great opportunity for people looking to have a romantic dinner for two without cooking, giving them everything they need right down to an elegant flower arrangement. You can also offer large arrangements to go with catering orders so customers can purchase food and decorations for lunch parties, dinner parties, and birthday celebrations. Create a menu of options for people to choose from, and have the restaurants list those options on their online delivery menus.

2. Ride-Sharing Partnership

It can be difficult to fill last-minute flower delivery orders, particularly once you have each day's delivery schedule set. However, you can partner with a local ride-sharing service to arrange for same-day deliveries on short notice. You and the ride-sharing company can work out a fee structure, which is then passed on to the customer to cover the cost of delivering the flower arrangements. Another option is to allow customers to arrange for rides to dates and events but have flowers waiting in the vehicle for their dates. This option simply means that the driver needs to stop by the shop first to pick up the arrangement, and then he or she can pick up the customers as they normally would.

3. Dine-In Restaurant Deliveries

Dine-in restaurants, particularly those that offer fine dining, can be great places for you to expand your flower services. They may be in need of fresh flowers for their tables every day, or they may want to offer customers the option of providing dates with flowers when they are seated. The possibilities here are virtually endless. Restaurants can arrange with customers to set up elaborate wedding proposals with your flowers as part of the celebration, and you can have flowers available on Valentine's Day for every couple sitting down to a romantic dinner. Brainstorm ideas with local restaurants in your area, and create a plan to keep each one in fresh flowers every day.

It's a good idea to come up with cost estimates for each of these ideas, as well as any others you might be considering, to determine which ones will be most profitable for your business. Once you've decided, you can begin to take steps to implement the flower arrangements that work best for you and your customers.