‘Consumers instinctively choose seasonal flowers’

During each season we talk with inspiring business owners who stand out by offering seasonal flowers. Meet Marie-Louise de Bruin from Afscheid met Bloemen (Parting with flowers)

'As a florist, you can create a distinct profile with seasonal flowers in funeral arrangements. We have so many beautiful flowers at our disposal,' according to Marie-Louise de Bruin from Afscheid met Bloemen.

'Consumers are more sentimental about the seasons that you think', says Ms de Bruin, florist and originator of Afscheid met Bloemen, a national collaboration of 30 florists, for the purpose of promoting the sale of floral funeral arrangements at the high end of the market. 'The customers may not realise it themselves, but we see quite clearly that different arrangements are favoured in the summer than in the winter. For example, the flowery theme, "garden", does well during the summer. The theme "courage" with large roses in warm tints, rose hips, Chinese lanterns and berries, such as Callicarpa and Celastrus, sell better in autumn. You really notice that customers are looking for a different floral atmosphere.

Sturdy

'Of course, we can adapt almost any arrangement to fit the season. Magnolia branches, for example, can be replaced in the winter with Hamamelis. In the end, every arrangement is made to measure. The florists that work with us take this approach a step further than people are used to. They focus on the personality of the deceased, but also - for example - look at the coffin on which the flowers will be placed. On a sturdy brown coffin you don't want to place a heart-shaped wreath of fine flowers, but rather a rough, sturdy arrangement in which grape stumps have been used, for example.’

Colourful

The florists who participate in Afscheid met Bloemen have their own personal pages on the joint website, which also serves as a web shop. In addition, they also have access to a luxurioustphoto album, the starting point of which is used for the sale of funeral arrangements in the shops. 'The funeral world has changed dramatically, Marie-Louise notes. 'People have become more articulate and, increasingly, more oriented towards the Internet. Later, the immediate family members visit the shops because they want to talk about made-to-measure arrangements face to face. As a florist, in your shop you have an opportunity to show the many different options to standard funeral flower arrangements, which are made especially from flowers available all year long. There are so many beautiful flowers in each season. As a florist, this helps raise your profile. Noticeable also is that the budgets are far larger than most florists realise. Show your customers the range of possibilities; then they have something to choose from. Customers are not likely to ask questions about coffin decorations that create the atmosphere of a garden. Show them a photo of such a colourful arrangement with magnificent seasonal flowers and your customers may love the idea.’