Florist Tip - Sororities New Market for Florist
Sororities New Market for Florist
Florists in college and university towns can cash in on the one-up(woman)ship of the Greek rush season, by being the go-to source for swooning prospective pledges. “Most of the time, sorority girls have money or their parents have money. They also have a lot of events,” said Amber Moore, a designer at Boulder Blooms in Boulder, Colo.
And they’re competitive—especially during their recruitment period.
“They all want to out-do the other houses,” Moore said. “So if one sorority decorates with flowers during
rush, they all have to do it, or risk looking cheap.”
Boulder Blooms decorates the nine sorority houses each of the five days of rush at the University of
Colorado. Then, almost every new pledge receives floral arrangements from her new sisters and—usually—
her parents.
“There’s a lot of precedents set in this community,” Moore said, adding that word of mouth travels swiftly and
broadly on college campuses. “It’s self-propelling. If you do flowers for one sorority’s new members, the
other eight are going to want that, too.”
By introducing the shop to the sorority group, Boulder Blooms receives about 700 extra orders every
September.
More importantly, though, each fall, the shop gains 700 new customers who will be in the area for at least
four years. Boulder Blooms retains these girls’ loyalty by stocking the flower shop with sorority
merchandise (e.g.: mugs and notepads with Greek letters, stuffed animal mascots, jewelry), which the
sororities custom-order, and including links to each sorority on the shop’s website, complete with photos of
arrangements featuring the sorority’s flower and color schemes.
Ready to go Greek in your marketing? Contact your local university’s panhellenic council to get in touch with
individual houses. All sororities hold weekly chapter meetings, which Moore suggests visiting with a few
blooms.
“If you show up at their door with a flower arrangement, they will love you,” Moore said.
From SAF
And they’re competitive—especially during their recruitment period. “They all want to out-do the other houses,” Moore said. “So if one sorority decorates with flowers during rush, they all have to do it, or risk looking cheap.”
Boulder Blooms decorates the nine sorority houses each of the five days of rush at the University of Colorado. Then, almost every new pledge receives floral arrangements from her new sisters and—usually— her parents.
“There’s a lot of precedents set in this community,” Moore said, adding that word of mouth travels swiftly and broadly on college campuses. “It’s self-propelling. If you do flowers for one sorority’s new members, the other eight are going to want that, too.”
By introducing the shop to the sorority group, Boulder Blooms receives about 700 extra orders every September. More importantly, though, each fall, the shop gains 700 new customers who will be in the area for at least four years. Boulder Blooms retains these girls’ loyalty by stocking the flower shop with sorority merchandise (e.g.: mugs and notepads with Greek letters, stuffed animal mascots, jewelry), which the sororities custom-order, and including links to each sorority on the shop’s website, complete with photos of arrangements featuring the sorority’s flower and color schemes.
Ready to go Greek in your marketing? Contact your local university’s panhellenic council to get in touch with individual houses. All sororities hold weekly chapter meetings, which Moore suggests visiting with a few blooms. “If you show up at their door with a flower arrangement, they will love you,” Moore said.
From SAF
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