Cool Flower Shop Websites
- Thread starter CHR
- Start date
That said ... We'd do up a more SEO friendly version for probably in the neighbourhood of $3-5k, as a rough estimate. Can't justify $12k for a site without much content.In websites, as in flowers ... you often get what you pay for
Ryan
Ryan
You're not at all off base.
That is an utterly ridiculous price for a site that doesn't even have ecommerce.
Bluebellinata
New Member
I love it! Minimalistic but attention catching....somehow peaceful...reminds me of the Balinese Shadow Theatre...Thanks!
You'll have to pardon me, but about 85% of the sites featured in this thread are fairly much nothing but pretty ego trips.
Do any of them sell anything or are they just online brochures???
Pretty yes, but........?
I guess it does say Cool Flower Shop Websites - not Practical Flower Shop Websites.
Never mind.
Do any of them sell anything or are they just online brochures???
Pretty yes, but........?
I guess it does say Cool Flower Shop Websites - not Practical Flower Shop Websites.
Never mind.
No. 85% of the sites featured are more interested in selling their own flowers than worrying about having orders filled by other florists.
I'll wager that companies like Prudence Designs and Anthony Gowder are selling a heck of a lot more flowers that the vast majority of shops running WS templates.
Rather then ego, what I see is identity. The focus is clearly on custom work, especially for large scale weddings and events.
Is it ego when Jacob Maarse, one of the most successful florists in the US, decides to forego cookie cutter arrangements and allows customers to order by style and color?
I'll wager that companies like Prudence Designs and Anthony Gowder are selling a heck of a lot more flowers that the vast majority of shops running WS templates.
Rather then ego, what I see is identity. The focus is clearly on custom work, especially for large scale weddings and events.
Is it ego when Jacob Maarse, one of the most successful florists in the US, decides to forego cookie cutter arrangements and allows customers to order by style and color?
Loved Prudence and Gowder, i agree CHR identity is the key to standing out in the field. People are ready to order from wither of these because they sell feelings...with flowers.
We should look at these sites as example of stepping up, and making a play for it. Not for everyone; but truly inspirational.
We should look at these sites as example of stepping up, and making a play for it. Not for everyone; but truly inspirational.
wildflowerschicago
New Member
So the challenge becomes bridging the ideals...the mass appeal everyday e-commerce site and the identity building high end profile site.
I would love to figure out a way to offer $40 daisy bowls that someone can send to grandma as well as attract no budget hi end weddings and events. Are there any sites that offer both (with that same panache')?
Ex-cuse me!
But...
opinions vary
Who said anything about wire service template sites?
Is this something to do with the glaring lack of e-commerce on almost all of these sites?
Are ecommerce sites uncool? Is ROI uncool? (noticed something just above about $12,000 for a site with no ecommerce???)
Just trying to get it straight here what qualifies as cool.
Pretty and far out I understand, and even like, but...
Cool in my book has always been one that helps me buy sports cars and motorcycles and stuff.
Different definition of cool, I guess.....
What I see are pretty, far out, cool ego trips...
:hammer::kuddle::hug:
Needless to say, they all have shopping carts and are fully e-commerce enabled. Does that make them more successful at generating business than the sites in this thread?
Cool is in the eyes of the FC who's posting.
IMO "cool" is a site that has a distinctive personality, is memorable and imbues a confidence of success.I love the flash sites and the ones that are super creative. I think they're great. Mine will be simpler because that is my budget now but it will still be creative. Anyway don't know if these have been posted, hope not (I do plan to wade thru the entire 25 pages, just not right this second):
This one has a lot of original design work and you can order them off the site:
http://www.bblossoms.com/
This designer is going for the gusto, she wants to promote her design and other things as a lifestyle I think. I like her aesthetic:
http://www.mintsflower.com/
Simple pretty site with original designs:
http://www.floralcoutureatlanta.com
This one has a lot of original design work and you can order them off the site:
http://www.bblossoms.com/
This designer is going for the gusto, she wants to promote her design and other things as a lifestyle I think. I like her aesthetic:
http://www.mintsflower.com/
Simple pretty site with original designs:
http://www.floralcoutureatlanta.com
twiggy
Well-Known Member
I think the shops featuring their own work on a custom website that reflects their business are the shops that are looking ahead and planning for the future of their businesses.
the flower buying climate is shifting each day from the big companies (and lookalike designs) to a more personal online shopping experience. many people in general today are fine with ordering from a site with images that are familiar to them, i think that has a lot to do with the customer wanting consistency, (why do we all eat at Mcdonald's? it's not the best but at least you know what to expect)
but what about 3 or 5 or even 10 years from now? people who are looking to the future are positioning themselves right now with creative websites that make a personal connection with their customers.
the flower buying climate is shifting each day from the big companies (and lookalike designs) to a more personal online shopping experience. many people in general today are fine with ordering from a site with images that are familiar to them, i think that has a lot to do with the customer wanting consistency, (why do we all eat at Mcdonald's? it's not the best but at least you know what to expect)
but what about 3 or 5 or even 10 years from now? people who are looking to the future are positioning themselves right now with creative websites that make a personal connection with their customers.
maybe...lots of people order online that don't want to call a florist. 2 out of 3 in my experience. When I added ecommerce it changed my world considerably.
Cool is in the eyes of the FC who's posting.
Different definitions of cool I guess. Mine is above (motorcycles and sports cars)
(I just added this cuz I luv arguing with Cathy) :bouncy:
By the way - here's a cool website:
http://www.avantegardens.com/
and I bet Phil has a sports car.
LJVF
Well-Known Member
We've gotten several calls recently from customers asking us to duplicate the style of LA Premier, has anyone heard of them before? Their website seems to have all the bells and whistles.
I think the bells are out of tune - or is that just badly scaling images?
Their shopping cart is offline, too.
Ryan
That's Kevin Lee AIFD's shop. He does a lot of celebrity functions there in LA. His shop did the flowers for Frank Sinatra's funeral a number of years ago. The flowers and an article about the work appeared in a Flowers& magazine.
Another celebrity wedding that was featured on MTV was the wedding of Motley Crue's lead singer Vince Neal to his girlfriend. From what I remember being shown......To say it was a lavish affair is an understatement. Some of his arrangements rival celebrity designer Preston Bailey
Another celebrity wedding that was featured on MTV was the wedding of Motley Crue's lead singer Vince Neal to his girlfriend. From what I remember being shown......To say it was a lavish affair is an understatement. Some of his arrangements rival celebrity designer Preston Bailey
LJVF
Well-Known Member
Some people collect baseball cards or coins. I am a nerd and sucker for fine floral design sites. I collect websites of fine floral design. I am in the process of putting them all together by state now and will post it when I have it uploaded.
I want to thank the people here who have posted such sites and they make up about a third of my list. I want to spread the world with what flowers should look like, art and not something out of a cookie cutter book. I am passionate about our art and get upset when it is mocked and belittled. Flowers were once something special across the board, but when someone gets the generic vase arrangement, they think commodity and there is nothing special about that. I urge all florists to think art first, and not bottom line. Choose art and the bottom line will follow.
On this forum there are two types of florists. Ones who lean more to the art and the others that lean more to the money. Some florists here who lean towards art have a hard time understanding the ones who lean towards money and vice versa. I think because of this, there is a lot of fighting here sometimes.
JB is a friend of mine and is a dirty FTD hoe-bag and I happen to agree with Cathy here about images, but I am biased because I lean more towards the art. I respect JB a lot more than most people here because of his character and Jonathon is a great guy and businessman. In his mind, he is right too, because it's more about the bottom line than the art. So neither is wrong, I would just prefer somehting original over cookie cutter.
Plus, it is good for art type florists to have $ type florists around, it's a nice contrast and there is a niche for that. - Sometimes I think, I wish these FTD florists in my town would dry up, but it is so sweet to hear, almost daily, that customers are so refreshed to see a florist who doesn't carry the generic flowers that = grocery store commodity. - I have seen the wise old timers around here who started out art and moved towards $, because they were burned out on the trends, got comfortable and didn't evolve, but had a nice customer base to grow with them and the money kept coming in because their service rocked. There is always good and bad to everything, we just have to strive for wisdom to understand.... Like when i see that yellow TF happy cup thingy and think... wtf?? lol - but I am not the recipient, so I am not the judge.
Anyway, I'll post my directory of the world's best floral design websites soon so the art types can be inspired and the $ types can shake their heads at. - So far omg, NYC, is on fire! And if anyone followed Pollen's site out of Atlanta, they took off that fun and funky music. I called and talked to the owner and told her I missed it. lol - she said her customers who would come several times during the month were getting tired of it.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwww!
JB in drag --------> :4luc: /howls
I want to thank the people here who have posted such sites and they make up about a third of my list. I want to spread the world with what flowers should look like, art and not something out of a cookie cutter book. I am passionate about our art and get upset when it is mocked and belittled. Flowers were once something special across the board, but when someone gets the generic vase arrangement, they think commodity and there is nothing special about that. I urge all florists to think art first, and not bottom line. Choose art and the bottom line will follow.
On this forum there are two types of florists. Ones who lean more to the art and the others that lean more to the money. Some florists here who lean towards art have a hard time understanding the ones who lean towards money and vice versa. I think because of this, there is a lot of fighting here sometimes.
JB is a friend of mine and is a dirty FTD hoe-bag and I happen to agree with Cathy here about images, but I am biased because I lean more towards the art. I respect JB a lot more than most people here because of his character and Jonathon is a great guy and businessman. In his mind, he is right too, because it's more about the bottom line than the art. So neither is wrong, I would just prefer somehting original over cookie cutter.
Plus, it is good for art type florists to have $ type florists around, it's a nice contrast and there is a niche for that. - Sometimes I think, I wish these FTD florists in my town would dry up, but it is so sweet to hear, almost daily, that customers are so refreshed to see a florist who doesn't carry the generic flowers that = grocery store commodity. - I have seen the wise old timers around here who started out art and moved towards $, because they were burned out on the trends, got comfortable and didn't evolve, but had a nice customer base to grow with them and the money kept coming in because their service rocked. There is always good and bad to everything, we just have to strive for wisdom to understand.... Like when i see that yellow TF happy cup thingy and think... wtf?? lol - but I am not the recipient, so I am not the judge.
Anyway, I'll post my directory of the world's best floral design websites soon so the art types can be inspired and the $ types can shake their heads at.
- So far omg, NYC, is on fire! And if anyone followed Pollen's site out of Atlanta, they took off that fun and funky music. I called and talked to the owner and told her I missed it. lol - she said her customers who would come several times during the month were getting tired of it.Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwww!
JB in drag --------> :4luc: /howls
Sounds great - can't wait to see the list!
Here's one from Boston found by one of our team members. http://www.twigboston.com/ Never heard of the company but they have 4 stores.
Love the 'Cafe' for the Senses' theme and the little section where you can drop an arrangement into a lounge setting.
BTW, I don't think art and commerce are mutually exclusive and don't know why it's portrayed as 'either/or'. There are some 'art florists' making some serious $$ - but they do it delivering their own stuff.
Here's one from Boston found by one of our team members. http://www.twigboston.com/ Never heard of the company but they have 4 stores.
Love the 'Cafe' for the Senses' theme and the little section where you can drop an arrangement into a lounge setting.
BTW, I don't think art and commerce are mutually exclusive and don't know why it's portrayed as 'either/or'. There are some 'art florists' making some serious $$ - but they do it delivering their own stuff.