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Why You Need a Tracking System to Keep Your Floral Business Fresh

Written by FreshByte Software | May 21, 2021 3:36:00 PM

The floral business is tough enough without having integrated tools at your fingertips to manage essential tasks such as inventory control, purchasing, receiving, slotting and pricing.

“Whether you’re in your first month or your fifth year of business, I’d encourage you to start keeping track of different areas in your biz,” writes florist Sarah Luthy.

Utilizing a floral distribution software such as FreshByte Software can not only make sure your flowers stay fresh but can help you maximize profits by preventing spoiled product in the fast-paced business.

Tracking Cut Flower Shipping Costs and Freshness

Most Americans might be surprised that the beautiful flowers they receive are not grown in their community, or even on American soil, as Superfloral reports that “a majority of cut flowers enter the U.S. via air from top flower-producing countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica”.

The importation of the flowers makes shipping costs and freshness, or vase-life considerations, of utmost importance to wholesale floral companies.

Not only are cut flowers coming from South America but the entry point for 80 percent of flowers imported to the U.S. through Miami, according to U.S. Census Bureau trade data.

“If you’re going through a place like Miami, the chances are that the flowers are going to heat up on the tarmac,” Michael Reid, professor emeritus and leader for innovation and technology of the Horticulture Innovation at the University of California, Davis, told Superfloral. “That’s devastating for their eventual quality and vase life.”

Reid went on to say that the transportation costs associated with the importation of flowers is only part of the concern for floral wholesalers as shortened shelf life of the cut flowers can lead to quality issues and lack of customer satisfaction.

“The quality of flowers is terrible, mostly because of temperature and time. Why do people not buy flowers? Because they have very poor experiences when they do. That’s a huge issue for the industry,” Reid told Superfloral.

Keeping up with Inventory Key to Floral Business

A good tracking software can help your floral business keep with inventory which is crucial to success.

“(Floral business) means constantly having the expense of ordering fresh flowers,” writes Peyton Sawyer for NextWave Funding. “You will definitely experience higher operational costs than a business owner that sells a product with no expiration date; there is no way around this.”

While Sawyer says that trial and error may be necessary to prevent overspending on inventory while making sure you have on hand what is needed to operate, adding a tracking software system to your arsenal is sure to take the “error” out of the equation.

Cracking the (Software) Code for Wholesale Floral Distribution

FreshByte Software understands that many unique factors are needed to succeed in the floral industry, so their programmers have designed and coded specifically with wholesale floral distributors in mind.

Among the advantages of using FreshByte Software for your floral business tracking system is:

  • Accounting programs with the highest level of efficiency and usability.
  • Sophisticated software that is also user-friendly.
  • Personalized training for your staff with the software package.
  • Live human support available around the clock.

Contact FreshByte Software today to find out how our floral distribution software can help you manage your business.