By Nita Robertson, AIFD
Sponsored by Fitz Design
Tips to Grow Your Prom Business
For high school students, prom represents a magical night filled with excitement, style and self-expression. Prom season is about more than just a dance. It celebrates youth and individuality, while creating unforgettable memories that last a lifetime. For florists, it’s a golden opportunity to grow sales and connect with a younger, trend-savvy generation.
Prom is also a prime season for building lifelong customer relationships. By delivering memorable experiences to students and their families, you’re not just meeting a seasonal demand, you’re establishing your shop as the trusted florist for life’s future milestones.
Flowers are no longer just traditional accessories for prom; they’ve become fashion-forward statements. Corsages and boutonnieres are evolving into trendy, customizable designs, while new floral accessories, like wearable flowers for hair, handbags, rings—and even shoes—are growing in popularity. Students want designs that complement their look and express their individuality. This presents a chance to showcase your creativity and offer unique products that stand out in the market.
With the right planning and innovative marketing, you can transform prom season into a blockbuster floral holiday for your business. Position yourself as the go-to florist for every prom goer in your town.
Plan Ahead
Prom dates vary by school, so it’s crucial to start your preparations early. Research the local high schools’ prom schedules and mark them on your calendar. This ensures you’ll have ample time to plan campaigns, stock up on supplies and prepare marketing materials.
Reach out to local high schools and inquire about advertising opportunities. Many schools offer the chance to promote your services in prom programs, newsletters or through their social media channels. Consider sponsoring a prom-related event or donating a floral arrangement to get your name in front of students and parents.
Also, consider partnering with other prom-focused businesses, which can help expand your reach. Dress boutiques, hair salons and photographers are all natural allies. Consider offering mutual discounts or collaborating on social media giveaways to increase exposure.
Price it Right
Pricing your prom flowers correctly is essential to reflect the value of your artistry, materials and time. Consider the time and skill required to design and create each piece. The craftsmanship you bring to each prom design is an art that deserves compensation, so don’t be afraid to charge for it.
Offer three pricing tiers—such as “standard,” “premium” and “luxury”—to cater to different budgets and preferences, while encouraging customers to upgrade for a more personalized experience. This allows customers to select designs based on their budget, but still gives you the chance to upsell.
Bundle popular items like corsages and boutonnieres into packages. Bundling is a smart way to increase sales while offering added value to your customers. By creating well thought out packages, you not only make the buying process easier for prom-goers but also encourage them to spend more on additional products and services. Name your packages to add a touch of personalization and appeal, such as: The Classic Couple: Simple, elegant corsage and boutonniere set; The Luxe Duo: Premium flowers with intricate designs and high-quality accents; and The Trendsetter Pair: Modern designs featuring bold colors and stylish accessories.
Train Your Team
One of the most impactful steps you can take to boost sales is to train your staff on effective upselling techniques. Equip employees with the skills to confidently present all options and add-ons.
Start by teaching employees how to present all options and add-ons clearly and effectively to every customer, whether they’re shopping in-store, over the phone or online. Guide them to approach upselling as a way of enhancing the customer’s experience, not just increasing the order total. Train your team to listen to the customer’s needs, make thoughtful recommendations and highlight the added value of these options.
Daniel Fisher, owner of Fitz Design in Port Charlotte, Fla., a leading supplier in the prom accessories industry, emphasizes the immense potential prom season offers florists. Fisher advises offering a third item in every order to increase sales and create a cohesive look for the customer. For instance, you might ask: Would you like a matching floral hairpiece to complement your corsage and dress?
Update Your Website
Maximize your prom sales by creating a dedicated section on your website exclusively for prom designs. This section should showcase your offerings while making the shopping experience seamless for your customers. Include high-quality photos, pricing and customization details. Streamline the ordering process with easy online booking. Include clear details on colors, styles and pick-up times to minimize confusion.
Be sure to showcase pictures of your prom designs as well as the accessories, ribbons and wristlets you offer. Really talk up the quality of your accessories and the ability to customize a corsage with any accessory the customer might want.
Create In-Store Promotions
Set up a “prom bar” in your shop to provide an engaging and interactive experience for Gen Z customers. Showcase an array of ribbons, bracelets, gems, decorative wires and other accessories to let each prom-goer design a one-of-a-kind look. Today’s prom-goers want flowers that match their unique style and outfits. Highlight your ability to customize designs to complement dresses, tuxedos and accessories. Prominently displaying all your add-on options in a prom bar often leads to higher sales. To streamline the process and track inventory, bag the chosen items as they’re selected and pair them with the corresponding orders.
Enhance your prom bar with sample designs, including corsages, boutonnières, hairpieces, flower jewelry and other creative pieces. Showcase all the possibilities. These samples not only demonstrate trendy flower and color combinations, but they also highlight your artistry and give customers a clear vision of how accessories can elevate the final designs.
Flower jewelry—such as necklaces, bracelets, rings and anklets—is increasingly popular. Promote this trend by showcasing these types of designs in your prom bar and on your website and social media. It’s important to show consumers what is possible because most of them probably don’t even know these types of wearable flower designs exist.
Host in-store events to promote your prom offerings and drive excitement.For example, set up a “Prom Preview Night” where students can see and try on sample designs. Offer free consultations for custom flower orders. Make it a lively event that is appealing to your target audience. Think about playing music they may like and offering teenager friendly snacks. Make it fun!
Plan for Last-Minute Orders
Prom season can require a lot of skilled and labor-intensive design work in a short period of time, so organization, efficiency and speed are critically important. To maximize your sales and profits, ensure that you are prepared to take and fill as many orders as possible. Keep extra supplies on hand for students who are ordering at the last minute; you know there will be many.
For shops dealing with labor shortages, consider Fitz Delightzz bracelets by Fitz Design. These bracelets come prepped with bows and are offered with or without rhinestone sprays. You just glue in fresh botanicals and whatever other accessories a customer might want. Fitz Delightzz are a great option if you’re looking to speed up design time, increase efficiency, reduce labor—or fulfill last-minute orders.
Leverage Social Media
Prom season is the perfect time to boost your online presence and connect with your target audience. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat allow you to engage directly with students. Meanwhile, Facebook provides the perfect avenue to reach parents who are often involved in the decision-making process.
Your social media strategy should go beyond just posting; it’s about creating an interactive, inspiring and shareable experience that captures the magic of prom season. By showcasing stunning designs, engaging with your audience and encouraging user-generated content, you can transform your online presence into a powerful marketing tool that drives sales and builds lasting connections.
Encouraging customers to share their prom flowers on social media can dramatically boost your brand’s visibility and engagement. Here are a few simple ways to make it happen.
Send a Personalized Thank-You Note: After the purchase, send a photo of the finished prom flowers to the client along with a thank-you message. Include a branded hashtag (e.g., #PromFlowersBy[YourShopName]), so they can tag you in their posts.
Include a Sharing Card: With every order, provide a small card featuring your shop’s social media handles and a call-to-action encouraging customers to post photos of their flowers and tag your business.
Create a Hashtag Challenge: Develop a unique and memorable hashtag for your prom flowers. Incentivize sharing by offering a discount on future purchases or a chance to win a small giveaway for those who post and tag you.
By making it easy—and fun—for customers to showcase their prom flowers, you’ll extend your reach to their friends, followers and beyond, while creating a buzz around your shop during the busiest season.
Content Ideas for Prom Season
Use your blog or social media to educate customers on how to choose the right flowers for their outfits and trends for the season. This positions your shop as a trusted source for all things prom.
Focus on the experience: prom is about making memories. In your marketing materials, emphasize how your flowers contribute to this special event. Highlight the emotional value of your designs—how they complement outfits, enhance photos and add to the magic of the evening.
Showcase your designs by highlighting trendy corsages and boutonnieres and other prom designs on your posts or stories. Highlight trending colors, materials and accessories, such as metallic ribbons, rhinestones or eco-friendly designs.
Create short, captivating videos showcasing floral techniques and trending looks to significantly boost your visibility and engagement. For example, you canmake videos demonstrating how to style various floral hairpieces, such as crowns, clips or combs. Include tips on flower selection and securing the piece for different hairstyles. Show viewers how to pair floral hairpieces with specific outfits, makeup or accessories. You can offer guidance on how to properly attach and wear boutonnieres, catering to different attire styles, such as lapels or pockets.
Use vertical video for mobile-first platforms and horizontal for more traditional channels.
Focus on good lighting and clear visuals. Close-ups of intricate details are especially important. Encourage viewers to book consultations for custom floral accessories or purchase ready-made options.
Increase engagement with interactive content. For example, run polls (e.g., “Vote for Your Favorite Corsage Style”) or host contests, such as a giveaway for students who tag your shop in their prom photos.
Finally, use strategic hashtags to gain visibility. Incorporate prom-related hashtags like: #Prom2025, #PromFlowers, #CustomizedCorsages. These tags make it easier for local students and parents to find your business.
By leveraging creativity, social media and strategic partnerships, you can turn prom season into a thriving period for your business. Start planning now to make the most of this exciting time!
Post Ideas
Showcase Popular Styles
Post Idea: “Trending for Prom 2025: Elegant corsages, vibrant boutonnieres and unique hair flowers! Which style is your favorite? Comment below! #PromFlowers #TrendingNow”
Visual: A carousel post with photos of your most popular designs or a collage of different styles (traditional, modern, boho, etc.).
Color Matching Inspiration
Post Idea: “Finding the perfect match 🌈! Whether your dress is bold red, sleek black or sparkling gold, we’ve got flowers to complement every color. 💐 DM us for personalized recommendations! #PromSeason”
Visual: A grid or reel showing corsages and boutonnieres matched with different dress/tuxedo colors.
Behind-the-Scenes Content
Post Idea: “The magic happens here! ✂️🌿 Watch as we craft custom corsages and boutonnieres designed just for YOU. 💕 #BTS #PromPrep”
Visual: A time-lapse video of your team designing prom flowers or arranging blooms.
Prom Packages Announcement
Post Idea: “Bundle up for the big night! 🎉 Check out our prom packages: corsage + boutonniere starting at $XX. 🕺💃 Order now and get ready to shine! 🌟 #PromPackages #FloristDeals”
Visual: A graphic listing package options with enticing photos of bundled sets.
