5 Questions to Ask Your Wholesale Flower Supplier

The success of a flower shop depends on many variables, including marketing and customer service. But the basic component is finding the best supplier of wholesale flowers. After all, you can spend so much money on advertising, but if the flowers in your store don’t look good, it will be hard to get many customers. If the flowers you offer to your customers have spots or spotted petals, you will find that your flowers will die on your store shelves. Finding the best wholesale flower supplier is simply the most important business decision you will ever make.

Does the wholesaler grow their own flowers?

Try to find a wholesaler who owns their own farm or has a partnership with flower farms. If they do, the flowers he receives will likely be much fresher. This means better looking flowers and flowers with a longer shelf life than he would get from a cut flower wholesaler. Selecting a supplier that grows its own flowers eliminates some of the costs associated with a longer supply chain.

Does the wholesaler offer a variety of flowers?

Your customers’ particular flower selections change with seasons, occasions, budgets, to name a few variables. Keeping a variety of flowers available in your store at all times broadens your customer base and increases your chances of repeat buyers. However, dealing with multiple vendors to maintain a diverse inventory of cut flowers can be time consuming and confusing. Simplify your business operations by choosing a wholesale flower supplier that offers not only a wide variety of cut flowers, but also a variety of colors.

Wedding planners know that many brides don’t always want to settle for roses, even if they are available in colors other than white or red. Instead, they often like to add a unique touch to their event by using unusual flowers, such as Birds of Paradise and heliconias, or use more subtle snowdrops or even wildflowers. Finding a wholesale flower supplier who can send you such flowers will put your store at the top of the list of brides and event planners.

How fast will you receive your order?

Many large wholesale flower suppliers work with a network of farms to offer the widest selection of cut flowers. This is great as the vendor will be able to meet your business needs for a variety of flowers. At the same time, it lengthens the supply chain and can present a logistical problem of getting the flowers to you in the shortest possible time.

When looking for a wholesale flower supplier, be sure to ask about their delivery guarantee – how many days it takes for cut flowers to be delivered to your store. Also, make sure the delivery time refers to the number of days from the day the flowers are cut, not from the day they arrive at your wholesaler’s packing facility.

Does a supplier have adequate facilities for flower processing?

Once the flowers arrive from the farms to the supplier’s facility, the flowers must be processed quickly while being kept in a climate controlled environment that prolongs their life and preserves their freshness. This means you need a supplier that operates state-of-the-art refrigerated warehouses with specialized wet-packing and bouquet-assembly facilities.

Is it easy to reach your potential supplier?

What are the hours of operation of your wholesale flower supplier? As a business owner, you know that your hours are quite long and work can be hectic. You may find it difficult to place an order on time with a supplier if their office hours are limited. In how many different ways can you contact the supplier to place an order or resolve your query? It’s an advantage if your wholesale flower supplier has an online ordering option and 24-hour customer support.

A multitude of factors must be considered when selecting a wholesale flower supplier. Vital to the success of your florist shop, the vendor you end up choosing must combine high quality, wide selection, fast processing, and superior customer service with a low price.