Flowers for all seasons: Business woman thrives online

 

Euphy  Ngami a flower trader in Nyeri Town on July 10, 2024. [Kibata Kihu, Standard]

Traditionally, flowers are associated with key occasions such as weddings, Valentine's Day and funerals. However, one entrepreneur in Nyeri Town has found a niche in changing this stereotype by setting up a thriving florist business.

Euphy Ngami's passion for flowers led her to set up an online florist business in May 2022, fighting scepticism about selling flowers for every season. 

“I love flowers. I enjoy flowers myself. I am not a native of Nyeri. However, when I moved to Nyeri, I wanted to order flowers but I couldn't find someone to deliver them. I felt like it was an opportunity to see if it could work as a business," she stated.

Identifying an opportunity, Ms Ngami decided to set up her business online and by November 2023, she had set up a physical store on the outskirts of the town.

With a capital of Sh500 from her savings, she ordered her first batch of flowers and posted them on her social media pages - that was the birth of Nyeri Flowers.

Her business focuses on selling flowers with unique floral arrangements and bouquets for small-scale events.

“Most people associate flowers with weddings and funerals, and the majority source the flowers from Nairobi, even funeral homes but my business has made it easier as they are locally available,” Ms Ngami said. 

In the age of self-care and public displays of affection, the demand for flowers has increased in major cities and also in other towns such as Nyeri.

Most people are embracing gifting flowers for their loved ones for anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and even with no special occasion.

“When I started, I knew my target market was women but this year, on Valentine's Day, most of our clients were men and it was so different for us. There is such a big change, in the perception of gifting flowers," Ms Ngami. 

Initially, flower purchases were predominantly associated with women, both as buyers and recipients.

Furthermore, in the past, people who wanted to decorate their homes with flowers would find themselves shopping for them from supermarkets that sell artificial flowers. Fresh flowers offer brighter colours and a more natural feel for your living space. 

Many people are also embracing the concept of self-love, where they get to celebrate themselves by gifting themselves a bouquet.

She said some of the challenges were that when she started online, she had security concerns about having people coming to her door to collect their orders or to see the flowers.

Flowers are highly perishable and Ms Ngami experienced this first-hand when she ordered surplus and could not sell all of them leading to losses.

"It was my second order though I ordered more flowers than I did the first time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sell them all and had to dispose of them after a few days," Ms Ngami.

Initially, she was rigid about selling one bloom instead of a bouquet as she was concerned about losses however she changed her mind and can sell the flowers based on the customer's preferences.