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And as a result of its effort and its new App, Nielsen’s Florist is the winner of Floral Management magazine’s 2016 Marketer of the Year award.
Sandy Nielsen Baumann, co-owner of Nielsen’s Florist and Garden Shop in Darien, accepted the award last week during Society of American Florists Convention in Maui.
The Nielsen’s story, chronicled in the October 2016 issue of Floral Management, centers on the development of a unique store app and loyalty program.
In the first year alone, nearly 1,400 customers signed on to use the app, and many of the top users are shopping more and spending more on each transaction.
When explaining Nielsen’s campaign to the convention attendees, Society of American Florists Chief Content and Publishing Officer Kate Penn said that judges were impressed that Nielsen’s developed the app to “showcase their knowledge and expertise” and drive in-store purchases.
“What Nielsen’s was doing here struck a nerve" with the judges, Penn said. “Their goal was so simple – to create lifelong customers who come back week after week – yet for so many, so elusive.”
The development of the technology and the marketing efforts surrounding its promotion speak to the need to constantly do things better than the ever-expanding competition, Baumann told the crowd last week in Maui.
“We’ve got to figure out new and different ways to stand meaningfully apart from the competition, the interrupters,” she said. “I think it’s got to start with our relationships and why people want to come to us for help. They can buy flowers anywhere, at a supermarket, online. We need to figure new and better ways to develop relationships and help our customers.”
Raya Ward, the shop’s office manager and marketing coordinator, who worked hand-in-hand with Baumann on the campaign and app development agreed, adding that Baumann has helped create a culture of creativity and empowerment among the team at Nielsen’s.
“They just really give people a chance to blossom,” she said.
The Marketer of the Year honors include a $5,000 cash award, courtesy of DESIGN MASTER color tool, inc.
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