IN your opinon, who is a order gatherer?

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Luc

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I was thinking this question and got into a discussion with someone at telelfora today. Who is a order gatherer?
Think about it. Real hard at it. Is it someone who had brains, suave and knowledge to host a web site way before telelfora or even FTD started. Think about it. These people who saw the opportonity when it knocked and they answered it and are making money at it. Are these people who owns a flower shop order gatherers? If they are would that make everyone with a website one? We can possibly get orders on our sites to be sent out of town etc. Right or wrong?
DO you think order gathers are just call in centers?
SO I am interested in knowing what is your description of a order gatherer.
THink about it real hard, you may be describing yourself.
And NO I am not taking anyone sides here, I just want opinion on the subject.

Luc
:confused:
 
I have a customer in Manhattan that only fills orders that he can deliver by walking to the recipient. He owns no trucks. All other orders he gets in Manhattan he gives out to other florists in the city. He does not have a web site. These are his own corporate customers that he adquired by doing mailings and leg work through the years.
He must give out 95% of the orders he gets. Does that make him an order gatherer?
 
My definition of an Order Gatherer.

Any business - florist or non-florist - that agressively markets in an area for which they offer no direct service and have no physical presence. They, IMHO should be called 'Order Brokers' and should earn no more than 10% commission on orders sent.

The worst of the bunch actually imply, via advertising, that they are local when they are not.

These companies are exploiting antiquated rules of wire services and capitalized on the fact that most local florists do a crappy job of marketing their own businesses.

Unfortunately, alot of $ have been sucked out the traditional retail florist sector since it is far more profitable to 'Gather' than to fill. Even more unfortunate is than often-stated assertion that many florists complain that they don't receive MORE incoming orders.:confused:
 
Good question to ask Luc.
I totally agree with R's definition.
The OG's are marketing our products and getting paid very well for it. We as florists sure don't market our products very well. They have stepped in and filled a void by offering a service that makes it easy for the consumer to purchase flowers. I have talked to people that continue to use 1800F even after letting them know that they are getting ripped off. They appreciate the ease of remembering 1800 versus looking up our store number. I really don't understand it. I would let my fingers do the walking for the $15-$20 they give up on an order.
I believe that the floral industry needs to do something to make consumers aware of the OG's. But we cannot just stress the negative, we also need to be promoting our shops, and the customer service aspect of dealing directly with a real florist.
 
in my opinion an OG is anyone that takes orders but can not fill them. I also agree with Rosie in regards to shops that aggressively market in an area that they do not have a physical presence in.
The interesting thing is that by both FTD and TF's membership rules, you are required to have a physical shop to be a member. Funny how they disregard that fact for the big OG's
 
Yes, I agree................

An order gatherer in my opinion, is an NON florist, soemone that does not operate out of a staionary location and that offers all floral products and services. it is not the florist that works out of thier home, nor the fellow, that stands on the corner selling flowers, it is these centres that only take orders and do not fill.

This is my opinion, we all have to live and make a buck. I think it's good for business in a sense, they are still promoting the industry..
Rosey
 
Few more comments about order gatherer.
First Peter, I was just asking and the person I talked to at teleflora disnt not deny that there may be potential order gatherer. As for Jim, It seems now that people who do gathers orders just have a small fridge, few flowers and plants to fill the membership rule. But check the back room and you wil find 5 phone line riging and computer galore to fill those orders.
I believe that FTD and TELEFLORA should get together on this and say who ever send pays the bill for transmission. At tthis rate, I sometime get more than what I send and so I pay more. THose companies that send only make more money than us and they should be paying those fees. TO me it make sense.
I wish that the CEO of both companies would agree on this and go back to the paying of the transmission fee from before.
If then a shop wants to be FTO, well that is their decision.
Luc
 
I also have another flowerSoft customer that, after TWO heart transplants, closed his shop and now works from home. He has done so for the past 10 years. He would be, by definition, an order gatherer, because he has no shop and fills no orders. But he markets his own customers which he cultivated over many years in the flower business. He also markets the recipient of the orders. He has no web site. Is he an order gatherer?
 
I agree with you Luc on the FTO thing. Unfortunately I don't see that happening. FTD and TF both make a lot more money from the big order gatherers than they do from the real shops so they are going to bend over for the likes of 1800.com and FTD.com
I think it is absurd to charge the filling florist for taking that order.
 
Originally posted by George Simon
I also have another flowerSoft customer that, after TWO heart transplants, closed his shop and now works from home. He has done so for the past 10 years. He would be, by definition, an order gatherer, because he has no shop and fills no orders. But he markets his own customers which he cultivated over many years in the flower business. He also markets the recipient of the orders. He has no web site. Is he an order gatherer?
Click to expand...

Yes - I talked to another shop owner who wants to do the same thing. Fire the staff, no stock, only phones and website, phone orders direct to other florists.

If you don't fill orders, if you misrepresent your area ... you are an OG.
 
I agree, he is an order gatherer BUT what other choice does he have? He can't work because of his heart condition and he is only selling to his old customers and any new ones he might pick up via direct mail marketing. No web site, like I said.
 
As we can see in this discussion.....So many way to interpret Orde gatherer. I really think this problem will never never go away. THe only way now is to cancel the ones you don't want, deal with the ones you want and go from there.
Luc
 
Originally posted by Luc
Few more comments about order gatherer.
First Peter, I was just asking and the person I talked to at teleflora disnt not deny that there may be potential order gatherer.
Luc
Click to expand...

Hi Luc,

I understand that. :) I had a person at Teleflora in L.A. tell me a few months ago that they didn't have any OG's and would never do such a thing. I was like yeah sure. I just about laughed myself silly.
 
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