May 2014 Issue
"The best preparation for good work tomorrow, is to do good work today

- Elbert Hubbard
In This Issue
News and Events
Summer Holidays
From the desk of...
Flowers for Weddings
Summer Bouquets!
Variety Guide is available Online
Pictures of the Month
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News and Events

NEW Rio Roses YouTube Video Series - LivRio

 

Rio Roses recently launched a new YouTube video series called LivRio. This weekly video series provides viewers with marketing and floral industry tips, product information, as well as fun videos from the people at Rio. Be on the lookout for new LivRio videos every week, and check out our latest videos here:

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Rio Garden Roses

 

Coming this summer, Rio will be featuring Garden Roses! The varieties include: Fiction, Free Spirit, Lemon Pompom, Caramel Antike, Vitality, Mariatheresia, Myra's Rose, Pink O'Hara, Romantic Antike, Baronesse, Pink Piano, Yves Piaget, Precious Moments, Cinnamon Spice, Piano, White O'Hara, White Cloud, and Alabaster.

To see a video of Rio's own, Oscar Fernandez, showing off our new Garden Rose Collection, please click here

Summer Holidays
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In the floral industry, everyone aims to sell flowers on the traditional, flower-oriented holidays such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Now that those holidays have come and gone, retailers are looking for new ways to promote their flowers.

Here are some less popular but equally important summer holidays that can add a new angle to flower promotion:

Flag Day | June 14: American Flag bouquets anyone?! 

Father's Day | June 15: Men like roses too!
 
Independence Day | July 4: Everything red, white and blue, such as beautiful delphinium, white carnations, and Corazon roses. 

Women's Equality Day | August 26: Similar to Valentine's Day, but this time, we celebrate women who make strides in equality. 

Labor Day | September 1: A day off work is always an excuse to buy flowers!

Grandparents' Day | 1st Sunday after Labor Day: What better way to say thank you to your grandparents for everything they do than with flowers? 
From the American Floral Endowment 
 
New Research Helps Meet Consumer Floral Desires

 

AFE (American Floral Endowment) and researchers from the University of Florida (UF) present compelling evidence about just how enticing and alluring flower fragrance is to consumers, among other scintillating findings, in three new consumer preference studies:

- Identifying Consumer Preferences for Essential Elements of a Flower Product, Report #453
- Consumer Analysis of Mixed Containers for Indoor Use, Report #455
- Identifying Consumer Preferences for Cut Rose Fragrances, Report #456  

 

In report #453, researchers aim for a better understanding of what flower buyers really want - color, shape, size, fragrance, etc.- to better meet consumer demands and increase sales, and the results show consumers overwhelmingly desire fragrance.

"This study allows the industry to gain a better understanding of what consumers value in a floral product and thereby provides the tools necessary to effectively target consumer demands," said David Clark, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Horticulture and Director of the Plant Innovation Program at UF. "The industry needs to offer a product consumers want to increase consumer purchases and sales."

The researchers examined two study groups: (1) a group of 295 subjects of mixed genders and four ethnicities, most age 40 or older and (2) a UF undergraduate introduction to plants class with 336 students, the majority of whom were white females age 18-24.

Both groups agreed they find fragrance of top importance when purchasing flowers. However, the first group was most specifically interested in "the subtle fragrance of a traditional rose," while the student group preferred flowers that smell "fresh with a hint of citrus."

Flower color was second most important to both groups, and both preferred "explosive, vibrant red petals" and showed the least interest in pastels.

Both expressed overall low interest about where they specifically purchased flowers, with the exception of the student group who gave a high ranking to flowers "picked fresh from a local garden."

Clark believes that input from consumers is vital if the industry is to stay abreast of an ever-changing consumer base. He proposes that marketing a new "fragrant flower line" may attract more customers and be the key for increasing sales and profit.

Report #455: Consumer Analysis of Mixed Containers for Indoor Use

Mixed containers for patios and outdoor landscapes have boomed in popularity in recent years and now look like a mainstay for some garden centers and big box stores. To date, little research has been done about what combination of plants most consumers would like to see in mixed containers. This research addresses that issue and assists in developing novel, desirable and profitable plant products.

Report #456: Identifying Consumer Preferences for Cut Rose Fragrances

Flowers with an attractive fragrance, as evidenced by report #453, are very alluring to customers. This study aims to identify which rose fragrances customers find most appealing, allowing the industry to deliver the most preferred fragrances and, thus, increase sales and profit.

  

Read original article here

 

 

Great Flowers for Summer Weddings! 

 

Check out Rio's amazing selection of flowers for Summer Wedding Season!

 

  

Check out Rio Summer Bouquets!

 

The Rio Rose Variety Guide is ONLINE!

Have you seen the latest Rio Roses Variety Guide?

 

You can access our Rio Roses Variety Guide online at any time. Please visit our BRAND NEW website at www.RioRoses.com and click on "The Hive" tab and then on the "Savvy Retailers Club" page. You will find the link under the Rio Roses Variety Guide 2013-2014 section. 

 

You can also view our Variety Guide by clicking here! Please feel free to view, download or share!

 

 

 

Pictures of the Month 
 
Rio Roses's Sales Team enjoys a lunch outing to celebrate a successful holiday season!