Digital Strategy BY DAN MCMANUS NUMBERS THAT HELP YOU GROW
> In a physical flower shop, you learn a lot just by watching. You see customers pause at certain displays, pick things up or walk away. That quiet observa- tion tells you what’s working, what might be overpriced and what deserves better placement. Your website works the same way — except you can’t see the customers. That’s where Google Analytics Advisor comes in. This free tool shows how customers
react to your website and compares their behavior month over month or year over year. It can tell you whether searches for flowers are up or down industrywide — and combine all of that into ideas to improve your sales. Unlike watching customers in your store, it works at scale, and you never need to learn the software. Just ask.
Finding Your Account Your web host most likely set up your Google Analytics account already. Go to
analytics.google.com and log in with the same email and password you use for your Google Business Profile. Once you’re in, the screen looks
intimidating — packed with menus, filters and graphs. Smile, because you never have to use them. In the upper right corner is an icon that opens Analytics Advisor, your gateway to insights and sales growth.
What to Ask The breadth of information available just by asking is remarkable. Here are a few good places to start:
Top selling products: “What were my top 10 selling products during the past 30 days compared to the same period last year?”
Follow up with: “What products had high views but low sales?”
Then push further: “What are the top 10 sellers not on my homepage, and what should I remove from my homepage to make room for them?”
The program will identify your best
off-page sellers, analyze your current homepage performance, and tell you what to swap out.
If your conversion rate is low, don’t
assume the worst. It may be distorted by a spike in low-quality or junk traffic rather than a real problem with your site. Ask: “Have there been any factors
during this period — such as junk traffic — that could distort my results?”
Understanding Your Traffic Try asking: “Is my traffic up or down compared to last year? Why?” Asking “why” is powerful but keep
in mind that AI will give you an answer whether it knows or not. Treat expla- nations beyond hard facts with healthy skepticism. You can also put your numbers in
INSIGHTS ON DEMAND Google Analytics' AI-powered assistant helps businesses quickly uncover trends, identify opportunities and better understand customer behavior.
Conversion Rate Conversion rate measures how well your site turns visitors into buyers. Florist benchmarks: 2%-3% is weak, 4%-5% is solid, 6%+ is strong. A com- parison is more useful than a single data point: “What was my conversion rate
for the last three months summa- rized weekly, compared to the same weeks last year? Include the standard deviation.”
38 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2026 |
WWW.SAFNOW.ORG
industry context: “How many shoppers are searching for a florist this month compared to the same month last year? Considering that, is my traffic up or down?” Your traffic may look soft until you
discover you’re actually gaining market share in a shrinking pool — a very differ- ent story.
A Few Practical Tips When answers run long or get technical, ask: “Summarize that in 200 words using plain language.” And since AI isn’t always accurate,
verify before making decisions. You can even have Analytics Advisor check its own work — just ask.
Dan McManus is the founder and president of TeamFloral, a floral marketing and consultancy firm.
SHUTTERSTOCK/IRINA STRELNIKOVA
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