Flower subscription pricing: calculate profitability as a florist

Define the service before the price

One bouquet left at a reception, three arrangements installed in a hotel and a round that includes collecting vases require different resources. Specify locations, arrangement sizes, delivery constraints, maintenance and exclusions before comparing prices.

• Flowers: seasonality, expected quality and permitted substitutions.
• Labour: buying, preparation, wrapping, loading and client communication.
• Transport: travel time, vehicle, parking, access and time on site.
• Containers: purchase, loan, rotation, cleaning, breakage and collection.
• Calendar: included visits, closures, public holidays, rescheduling and cancellations.

Calculate the full cost of each delivery

Bpifrance distinguishes costs directly related to a service and indirect costs that must be allocated. Include a realistic share of rent, insurance, software and administration. Avoid double counting: fully loaded preparation costs should not receive the same labour charges a second time.

If input VAT is not recoverable, use the costs you actually bear, including VAT where it remains your expense. Keep your purchase and sales calculations consistent. France’s VAT exemption does not make supplier VAT recoverable.

Move from cost to a selling price

In this example, a selling price of €90 excluding VAT leaves €30 after the €60 of listed costs. That is 50% of cost (30 / 60) and 33.33% of selling price (30 / 90). These are different bases: saying only “50% margin” does not explain the calculation.

Markup and margin on sales describe different ratios. State which costs you include: a commercial margin based on flower purchases alone is not the result after preparation, delivery and overheads.

Weekly delivery does not mean four visits per month

Count the actual dates across the contract. A month can contain four or five occurrences of the same weekday, with closures and rescheduling to consider. A year does not automatically mean exactly 52 visits for your particular agreement.

Smoothing instalments does not smooth actual purchases or labour. Four deliveries per month means 48 visits over twelve months, which is a different offer from a weekly visit. Explain included dates, pricing and the treatment of interruptions to the client.

Check the assumptions before sending a quote

• Recalculate if flower costs rise or the route takes longer than expected.
• Check the actual number of visits and preparation capacity during busy periods.
• Compare real time and expenses with your estimate after several deliveries.
• Agree how offer changes are handled; do not assume a signed price can change freely.

Flowers, containers, installation and delivery may have different tax treatment depending on the arrangement. Do not infer a single VAT rate from this example: check the applicable rules and your own tax position.

Read more about pricing a floral arrangement

Present dates and prices in a flower subscription quote

Keep prices and the delivery calendar together

In Flolya, send a quote or start managing a subscription already agreed with your client. The Flower subscriptions module brings together the offer’s terms, deliveries and billing. The module is in beta; it supports organisation without guaranteeing price profitability or replacing accounting.