Analyzer or risk taker...
Interesting direction this conversation has taken. This all started out with a statement made that "flowers is the 10th most searched item on the net". Funny, but no one asked what the other top 9 items were.
We have had florists tell good things that they have gotten from having a web presence and we have had florists tell us how much they have already spent and how little of a return they got. I have had local florists tell me personnally how poorly they are doing from their site and have had florists on this board and the other tell me how great they are doing with their site and when I look at both, I find the sites are almost identical.
Yes, I am probably a little more analyzing than the average florist, as Steve has indicated, but as a sales manager and a marketing manager in a previous life, you had better be sure of where you are going before you become a "risk taker" and jump out of the plane.
I believe that there are trade offs in almost everything we do in business. You take on a new product line or your hire a new employee, you had better look at them both closely because both are going to be part of YOUR company.
In the very early years, customers had to come to your shop to order or purchase flowers, either for themselves or to send to others. Then along came technology and the telephone was invented and these same customers could call you and order flowers instead of coming to your place of business. Hense, charge accounts were created and cash flo was changed. Cause and effect.
Then along came wire services and the capability of florists to send orders out passed their delivery areas, with the added capabilities, came added costs and even in later years the addition of competition from outside the industry. Cause and effect.
Now we have the internet and many florists look at this in many different ways. As Steve indicated, you should be willing to take these risks or get passed by. I'm still poising the theory, what have you gained? A customer in Florida who wants to send an order to someone in Illinois and by passes the local florist and calls direct to Illinois sure makes the receiving florist happy. He or she tells everyone that they just saved 27% discount. However at the same time a customer in Illinois does the same thing and calls directly to a florist in Florida. The sales for the florist in Illinois just went down 20% plus approximately 6% more <$3 rebate> for not being able to send the order. Both florists spent money to get on the internet and yet still belong to the wire services. Cause and effect.
As has been indicated by several florists at different times, when they analyze the customers that are using their website, many customers still call and order over the phone and the orders end up being for local delivery. In other words, it is a convenience for the customer and the "pretty pictures" help them order. Many have determined that these are not new customers, but current customers who are using the site instead of coming to the shop. Much like the introduction of the telephone.
The point I'm trying to make is it seems that all we are doing is trading customers. Some may be trading a local Illinois customer for a "direct dial" Florida customer. Or trading a routine phone order for a special order website generated order. It is for this reason that florists should take the time to analyze before taking the risk. Websites can be a very beneficial tool, but do require alot of work and planning and florists who don't have the time to do it properly and figure they can pass the creation and maintainance off to a WS will pay dearly in the end. Just my opinion and will gladly listen to any rebuttal.
Interesting direction this conversation has taken. This all started out with a statement made that "flowers is the 10th most searched item on the net". Funny, but no one asked what the other top 9 items were.
We have had florists tell good things that they have gotten from having a web presence and we have had florists tell us how much they have already spent and how little of a return they got. I have had local florists tell me personnally how poorly they are doing from their site and have had florists on this board and the other tell me how great they are doing with their site and when I look at both, I find the sites are almost identical.
Yes, I am probably a little more analyzing than the average florist, as Steve has indicated, but as a sales manager and a marketing manager in a previous life, you had better be sure of where you are going before you become a "risk taker" and jump out of the plane.
I believe that there are trade offs in almost everything we do in business. You take on a new product line or your hire a new employee, you had better look at them both closely because both are going to be part of YOUR company.
In the very early years, customers had to come to your shop to order or purchase flowers, either for themselves or to send to others. Then along came technology and the telephone was invented and these same customers could call you and order flowers instead of coming to your place of business. Hense, charge accounts were created and cash flo was changed. Cause and effect.
Then along came wire services and the capability of florists to send orders out passed their delivery areas, with the added capabilities, came added costs and even in later years the addition of competition from outside the industry. Cause and effect.
Now we have the internet and many florists look at this in many different ways. As Steve indicated, you should be willing to take these risks or get passed by. I'm still poising the theory, what have you gained? A customer in Florida who wants to send an order to someone in Illinois and by passes the local florist and calls direct to Illinois sure makes the receiving florist happy. He or she tells everyone that they just saved 27% discount. However at the same time a customer in Illinois does the same thing and calls directly to a florist in Florida. The sales for the florist in Illinois just went down 20% plus approximately 6% more <$3 rebate> for not being able to send the order. Both florists spent money to get on the internet and yet still belong to the wire services. Cause and effect.
As has been indicated by several florists at different times, when they analyze the customers that are using their website, many customers still call and order over the phone and the orders end up being for local delivery. In other words, it is a convenience for the customer and the "pretty pictures" help them order. Many have determined that these are not new customers, but current customers who are using the site instead of coming to the shop. Much like the introduction of the telephone.
The point I'm trying to make is it seems that all we are doing is trading customers. Some may be trading a local Illinois customer for a "direct dial" Florida customer. Or trading a routine phone order for a special order website generated order. It is for this reason that florists should take the time to analyze before taking the risk. Websites can be a very beneficial tool, but do require alot of work and planning and florists who don't have the time to do it properly and figure they can pass the creation and maintainance off to a WS will pay dearly in the end. Just my opinion and will gladly listen to any rebuttal.
