Who Did I Just Order Flowers From - Part One
Have you ever logged onto the web to order flowers online and been disappointed when you see what was delivered as your sentiment? Chances are you have. Chances are you logged onto a site and thought you were accessing your local florist 's site. But in actuality your web search for the florist you have been a loyal client to brought you to the cyber door of what professionals in our industry term order gatherers.
Try it! Search for my flower shop, Twigs Florist, and you will see sights such as FTD, Teleflora, 1800Flowers, and Pro Flowers. The search engines are designed to pick up some key words and their appearance when you search for Twigs Florist is not limited to the word "florist." I'm not putting down their practice but rather seeking to ensure that you are landing where you want to land on the web when it comes to ordering flowers online and having your sentiment translated.
Our clients enjoy a great many privileges with the service we provide. At the top of the list is the assurance that when they place an order for flowers online with us they are receiving value for what they invest. When a client needs an item delivered outside of our normal delivery area, throughout the nation or even abroad, they put their trust in us that we will find the perfect florist that fits in with their taste. This is the value of creating a personal relationship with your local florist versus shopping for flowers online from an order gatherer.
A professional florist may have access to a network of florists at their fingertips to choose from. Access to their information that clearly lets them know about their shop and their capabilities. They match your taste and style in design with a professional that will execute your sentiment the same way they would if the fresh arrangement were be handled locally by them.
The order gatherer is happy to receive your order, without the care a local florist would have, and simply pass it on to be filled. There is a value in doing this for them and it comes in the form of a profit at the expense of lowered value in the end product, be it design, quality, or size, or a combination of them all. And most importantly your expectation.
We receive calls daily from order gatherers asking us to fill their orders and in most cases we refuse the orders. Now some would say "What are you crazy for refusing business?" Let me try to explain. As we have the ability to clearly see who we send our orders to, and more importantly their capabilities, through the information we access, conversely we also have access to the information from the senders that we receive orders from. As much as we can tell whether our clients will be happy with the choice we make when it comes to filling their orders outside of our serviced area we can also tell the opposite, whether the sender of the order we received will be happy with our designs. This is priceless when dealing with a local florist directly.
Florists come in different grades and the value you place upon your sentiment to be delivered will determine your selection of a florist when ordering flowers online. It is the old adage of you get what you pay for.
Traditionally, flowers shops are labeled in the following manner and have been for years. I am closing out this post with a description of three categories that your local florist may fit into before picking up the subject again in my next post on this subject.
The bucket shop. This is the flower shop that carries the lowest grade of flowers and has that low-budget feeling when you walk through the front door. You can even get a sense of this on some web sites, especially those owned by order gathers. I'm not putting down the carnation, daisy, or baby's breath, they have some awesome power when used deliberately, but this is the bulk of their inventory. Chances are that a bulk of the deliveries from this type of flower shop are those sent to them at a discounted rate from the order gatherers.
The moderate shop. This is the flower shop that seeks to find the middle ground. While they carry some low grade blooms to satisfy the orders they receive from the order gatherers you may on occasion find some of the better blooms or higher graded varieties. Their deliveries include a balanced mix of orders directly from their clients and pieces that are received from the order gatherers.
The premium shop. This is the flower shop that carries premium blooms only. The buyer combs the markets for blooms for the client that is particular and discerning when investing in a purchase. Flowers with a low grade are rarely an option. Even when a funeral arrangement or design for a wedding call for the obligatory carnation these are purchased with a higher grade of quality. This is the shop that takes your breath away when you walk in the door. And most likely not to accept an order from an order gatherer.
The next part of this subject will deal with mechanics of what you are actually receiving when you purchase with an order gatherer and may inspire you to shop locally and directly next time you order your flowers online. Please continue reading here.
Kindly visit our site dedicated to weddings and events by clicking here.
Creatively Yours,
Bobby and Mia
