Roses are Red, Violets are Blue… Hey LSPs, We’ve Got a Valentine Treat for You

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Blume Global Team! As one of the biggest spending holidays of the year, Valentine’s Day proves to be a busy one for everyone in the supply chain, especially LSPs. This year consumers are planning to spend an average of $196.31 on their loved ones, including family and pets, with total spending predicted to reach $27.4 billion this year alone.

About 37 percent of this spending, $2.3 billion spent by consumers, will be on JUST flowers. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the floral supply chain and ways in which LSPs can use technology to be best prepared for future Valentine’s days and other peak seasons.

How LSPs Can Be Successful During Peak Seasons

A disruption in the floral supply chain can potentially cause a 30-40 percent loss of vase life for flowers or even the inability to sell the flowers once they arrive in store. Considering that the majority of flowers in the U.S. are imported from abroad and that flowers perish quickly, a smooth delivery can be the difference between profits gained or profits lost.

During this busy season, LSPs can ensure that flowers, and any other goods, are delivered to their desired locations on-time and their customers’ needs are met by optimizing their operation processes. Here are two area that LSPs can focus on to be successful this Valentine’s Day and the rest of the year:

A. Real-Time Visibility

By onboarding a digital platform which gives LSPs real-time visibility into the supply chain, they can track the flowers at every point of their delivery. LSPs are then enabled to give their customers visibility into the first and last mile shipment, delivering exceptional customer service.

B. Exception Alerts and Recommendations

In addition, by creating end-to-end exception alerts and recommendations, LSPs gain the ability to act before exceptions become a problem. For floral deliveries, disruptions can prove detrimental, if not handled immediately. With these alerts, LSPs can act quickly and reevaluate their routes if need be.

Good luck getting your flowers on-time today! To learn more about how LSPs can overcome challenges in the supply chain, read our learning center article here.