Do I really need an Ecommerce website?

[retro]

Thoughts, please. I have a website I made from an intuit template and slaved loving hours over. It serves to show customers examples of our work so that they call the shop. I am thinking about getting an ecommerce website. Can you tell me what the % of your online orders is? Another concern is my lead designer likes to be creative instead of copying a picture, although she is great at that too. Do most sites let you delete pictures of arrangements you don't want to do? Since I want to be different should I just save up to get a custom site? I guess what I really what to know is, are ecommerce sites worth it? Thanks in advance.

http://www.cityfloristonline.com

 

[Lizi]

I noticed you are a member of FSN, you don't have a website with them? Showing your own pictures is best whenever possible. My site is not ecommerce either, 90% of what we do is custom. I tried ecommerce, there was always something they wanted different and it would end up not even being the same arrangement that was shown by the time the finished.

 

[Flowermomma]

I have a FSN site and the ecom has more then paid for its sell in the 10 months we have had it.
our most popular item on the site is the blank picture "designers choise". So I still get to still be creative. Under special instructions I find they just tell me the colour they want and I go from there.

 

[RWK]

whether or not you have an ecommerce site depends on how you want the website to be used by you and your customers. If it is nothing more than a reference and a showcase of styles, past work, etc....almost like a portfolio of your work, then you don't need it to be ecommerce. However, if your customers do shop the internet and you are curious about online orders........then you need an ecommerce site.....otherise, they cannot order online.

Now, as far as 'creativity', and copying goes.......A great example is the website/wire service www.BBrooks.com

THey have general descriptions, samples, showcases, but there is a form to fill out so the customer can specify what they like and don't like. So having a site like that combines the best of both worlds.

Another great reference site is a multi-store chain based out of Ohio I believe, www.oberers.com. Not only will you find creative designs, you will find great pictures, and a overall fantastically done site.


As a matter of note: I myself am about to embark on building a website of my own. I am not a shop owner, but an employee, Hoever, i want to have what could best be termed an 'online' resume and photogallery of the work i have done. So clients, potential clients, future employers, freelancers, and the like can have a visual reference of the work I am capable of designing.

 

[retro]

thanks all for the great ideas...I have never had an ecommerce site, use FSN to send and receive but don't have their site. I will look at different sites.
I know my current website is not all it can be...I get lazy updating it and send people to facebook for latest pics.

 

[concord]

I would recommend and independent site rather than any wire service including FSN. I use FSN for sending but I think their sites are very cookie cutter . Since I switched from my TF site to and independent site I have increased my web orders significently. (10 times the amount I did with the TF site) But, I use a local companyand I pay them to do my marketing, SEO, and web site. I can, however easily change my images when ever I want. Even tough they do all the things I am bad at, it's still a lot of work for me. I am always trying to tweek things and the photography was and still is the biggest challenge since I use all my own images. If you look at my site you will find plenty wrong with it and it is a constant work in progress, but the results show me that consumers like it more than the TF site I had and they often tell me they chose my shop because they could tell I am local. www.concordflowershop.com It's not fancy like Oberers or Bbrooks but it truly represents what we do. You might consider Strider for a site since many here use and like their sites. Good luck with what ever you decide. (e-commerce is here to stay so you might as well get started.)

 

[Sabrinas]

We have been building a new site. It is still a work in progress but have had great feed back from customers. And it costs us very little. Www.sabrinasflowers.com

 

[HydrangeaBleu]

I have ecommerce on my site, but I can count on one hand how many orders come that way. Most of the time people call and say, "I'm on your website and I like....." and place their order over the phone. My work is custom and all the images are mine. I prefer to get to speak with people so that I can ask questions and get a sense of who they are and who they are sending the flowers to.
Anne

 

[retro]

thanks ya'll I've only been in the biz 3 yrs but it's been a crash course of mostly 10 hr days. I get calls every day where somone says I was on your website and..... I also didn't want a cookie cutter site ecommerce or not. Helen you have alot of cool features on your site I really like. Everyone's sites are so cool, I'm learning as I'm looking.

 

[anytimeflowers]

Hi Karen,

I also recommend an independent website. I had an FSN ecommerce site and got a lot of calls from people who were looking at it but wanted to call directly instead. I still get a fair amount of phone calls but my independent site brings quadruple online orders compared to what I got on my FSN. My Strider site is a mixture of my own images and also JH images. I have a few top sellers that are signature for my store, but I have to say that the ones I have for just designer's choice but with a color palette and four different price ranges to choose from are great ones too. It still gives people a visual without nailing down particular flowers.

I have a large, metro area that I deliver to so I would say this would be something to look at in determining whether or not you NEED an ecommerce site. Do you have google analytics attached to your intuit site to track how many visits it gets? Do you track just how many people call after viewing your site? If you do have both of these, they should be good indicators of whether the ecommerce would be beneficial. The idea behind it would be to see just how many people are searching for a florist in your town. If a lot of people want to send flowers to your town but you don't get very many phone calls, then I would say you DO need it. That means there are people who want to send flowers but don't want to have the bother of needing to pick up the phone during your business hours. That also means somebody else is getting that business.

Does that make any sense to you? I can tell you for sure that a web presence is paramount. In my situation, I NEED ecommerce just to compete for those orders that more and more frequently are placed on line at the convenience of the consumer. I have a customer who orders on my website who only live a few blocks away, the ecommerce is just more convenient for him and I could possibly lose him to a nearby competitor if he didn't have that option.

Nobody can tell you for sure what you should do, you know better than anybody else what your situation is.

 

[theRKF]

No question, every florist should have an ecommerce site. There are lots of ways that you can sell "designer's choice" or custom arrangements online. Example:


You can sell a look or a style with a variety of price points and customer options. Not having ecommerce is just telling customers who don't care enough about their needs to offer purchasing the way they want to buy.

Trust me - lots of people will just keep looking until they find someone who does.