#of incoming wire orders for MD

[CHERYL BAKIN]

Randy:
my incoming web ordrs mirrored Steve's.

Over 75% came to me from other cities and states.....orders that used to be wired to us by somebody....

We are still counting up by reference code how many were looking at our site while calling us.....and where they all came from.

All of those folks have just became my customer for forever & always!
They will get their receipt and thank you letter this week.....and go onto/into our customer & email contact lists.

this is me....smiling.......every day.........

Cheryl

 

[HeatherTuckey]

I'm always surprised by the amount of orders we get from out of state senders to be delivered out of state. We added the "any occasion, anywhere" to our logo about two years ago... so I guess it's catching on.

Often we find long time customers continue to deal with us, after they move to other cities, even if it is being delivered in another states.

Are promo the last several MD is $5 every order when you order two or more orders. That helps too, b/c they are sending to wife, mom, mom in law, grandmom OR wife, daughter (who is a mom), daughter in law, etc.

 

[bloomz]

YIKES!!!

I'm surrounded by.....by.....

Order Gatherers!!!

I mean - clowns to the left of me - jokers to the right - here I am - stuck in the middle again

Shame on y'all.:itchy:

 

[RWK]

:buttkick BLOOMZIE :buttkick

You are BAAAAAAAAD !!!!!

 

[BOSS]

Randy,

why are you interested in reading about other florists' incoming wire service business for Mother's day?


joe

Because I'm interested in the industry I make my livelihood.

Steve,

Those customers are now yours. You know they must have family to send flowers to in the Burlington area. Keep in as much contact with these new customers as you would if they lived in town.

Next question, how did they find you?

You are correct RC

Joe, he's probably interested for the same reason I am... a continuing decline in wire in orders, coupled with added direct consumer sales shows that the consumer is getting smarter. While the industry continues to consolidate shop wise, more consumers look to the web.

While this consolidation continues, some shops are getting stronger in local biz, at the same time as the wire side of the biz is going away (unless your an order gatherer).

I think we are seeing an escalation in the trend of late, and that we will see it continue through the summer. Local florists will still have weddings, funerals and local work, while the wires and direct shippers face the dog days of summer. I look for this cycle to go on for the bnext 2-3 years until the wire services are irrelevant to local florists.

Eventually it will be local florists and direct shippers, with very little order transfer between florists. The wires will become an unnecessary expense and have to go.

 

[Eric S]

Went From 9 in 2008 to 7 in 2009.

The only thing intresting with that number was the average order was up. Two order difference dosen't really prove anything.

 

[lori042499]

Had 64 this year down from 93 last year and down from 122 in 07

 

[Joe Mioux]

just checked 2009 v 2008. I am down 37 pct on incomings this year.

Outgoings were roughly even.

I love the chart agent on Visual Ticket, every day it shows me WO, WI, Delivery and Cash and Carry for various time periods.

It tracks the last 5 years and I can definitely see the ws trend declining with the delivery sales increasing. that coincides with my growing internet sales.

joe

 

[RWK]

Ok - I am going to ask a related question - From all that has been said, both in this thread and others......Are you finding the ratio of declining WS incoming to be either less than, equal too, or greater than the incoming orders off your own websites.

From what I have seen.....it appears that the ratio is about equal. I would assume that would show up as an increase in your profits.

 

[BOSS]

From what I have seen.....it appears that the ratio is about equal. I would assume that would show up as an increase in your profits.

It is on the NET side

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Ok - I am going to ask a related question - From all that has been said, both in this thread and others......Are you finding the ratio of declining WS incoming to be either less than, equal too, or greater than the incoming orders off your own websites.

From what I have seen.....it appears that the ratio is about equal. I would assume that would show up as an increase in your profits.

actually, the numbers do NOT balance.....the "offset" in out of town orders generated by direct call, and web based orders, started outstripping traditional shop to shop orders around 3 years ago, and percentages are geographical.
IF you service towns with a burgeoning retirement community, the drop in wire ins has been staggering, while the direct call customers, and web based orders have risen dramatically, for holidays such as Christmas, and Mothers Day...local business has risen dramatically for holidays such as Easter, and Valentines, while WS generated orders have fallen by more than 1/2 the volumes.
We have found ourselves directing far more seniors to call direct, to trusted shops, and for the few, that HAVE adapted to the internet, in some cases, WITH our help...give us ALL their "local" business, while doing their OWN out of town ordering.
For those of you that "think" that the younger crowd is NOT floral conscious, think again.......they require high maintenance, BUT, are very loyal spenders, when they feel safe with transactions with you(me), and focusing on "instant gratification notifications", is paramount to building that new generation of buyers.
The wire services are greedy entities, florists are generally very trusting, but, as I SEE IT, that "bonding trust" has been broken beyond repair, and the wire services are quickly becoming obsolete.
Based on the current drops in membership, FTD will be gone in 3 years, TF in 3.5 and 1800 can drag their lips on a barky tree, and are bleeding badly in the florist category.
I DO believe that the "new" ownership at FTD is at least "aware" of it's demise, TF is hiding behind FTD and 1800's coat-tails, and 1800 is just plain acting stupid, and is in denial

 

[bloomz]

WITH our help...give us ALL their "local" business, while doing their OWN out of town ordering.

The wire services are greedy entities, florists are generally very trusting, but, as I SEE IT, that "bonding trust" has been broken beyond repair, and the wire services are quickly becoming obsolete.
Based on the current drops in membership, FTD will be gone in 3 years, TF in 3.5 and 1800 can drag their lips on a barky tree, and are bleeding badly in the florist category.
I DO believe that the "new" ownership at FTD is at least "aware" of it's demise, TF is hiding behind FTD and 1800's coat-tails, and 1800 is just plain acting stupid, and is in denial

Sad part of this is the loss of local business to "them". There was a time when we would hit HP with 75 orders on Secretary Day - now we go with 3 or 4 die hards who will still shop locally. (HP's dying too but that's a different story)

First FTD had them with their HP/FTD "partnership" then 800 got them, so now they all go back to the local shop as wire ins.

I don't think the demise is coming for any of them, but huge changes are. Question is, will florists still be part of the picture?

I see them continuing to get bizzy taking it all away from us and making advances in it every year.

I really fear the trend is gonna be, as they take more and more of our pie - non retail location "filling stations" in the not too far distant future, for those that want to remain florists. Yup, reduced to subcontracted labor slaves that will be dictated to by their masters.

They're not dying - they're growing.

sucks ass.....

was it Paul McCarney who said "rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated"?

 

[BOSS]

Jon, I concur with everything you said...except...

Local florists will remain, and grow stronger. Local filling stations only make sense in select locations, and that *may be* the top 50 markets, no more.

You mentioned HP... you go with 3-4, I wonder how many FedUp delivered? Direct shipped from the Mothership you continue to defend.

FTD is going to evolve all right, as florists leave, they will continue to morph into a direct only model for simple survival, but alas, even Goldston is not smart enough to maintain a florist base, he too is simply too greedy.

It could have all been so different......

 

[dhamil6490]

We dumped FTD at the beginning of May & didn't notice a difference in our order volume for MD. TF orders were down, less than 30 for all week.

 

[goldfish]

We've got 15 last year, 8 this year. We turn off merc on Saturday, though.

We usualy get about 50 a month (FTD). But we used to be getting a lot more. Our wire-ins have been in decline for the last 3.5 years, ~10% every year.

I don't think this is a genral industry trend, because 10% decline each year seems too steep. I suspect many orders are now intentionally being sent to a select group of florists by FTD, most likely to new member shops and to shops in debt.

 

[bloomz]

Jon, I concur with everything you said...except...

Local florists will remain, and grow stronger. Local filling stations only make sense in select locations, and that *may be* the top 50 markets, no more.

You mentioned HP... you go with 3-4, I wonder how many FedUp delivered? Direct shipped from the Mothership you continue to defend.

FTD is going to evolve all right, as florists leave, they will continue to morph into a direct only model for simple survival, but alas, even Goldston is not smart enough to maintain a florist base, he too is simply too greedy.

It could have all been so different......

Defend them? huh?

Yer dreamin and I only defend the parts of their biz I can use, like their images, their market research, and their transmission methods.

The rest of their deal sucks ass.

But - I am a realist and the rumors of them being dead in 3 years are quite amusing.

You can't really think I defend them competing with us can you?

Earth to Boss, come in please.....

 

[BOSS]

But - I am a realist and the rumors of them being dead in 3 years are quite amusing.

You can't really think I defend them competing with us can you?

Earth to Boss, come in please.....

Oh they'll still be around, I just happen to think the florist segment, ie: membership will be dead...

It's time they paid, instead of being paid...

Now, where'd I put the Tin Foil hat?

 

[bloomz]

$50 on 3 years from now?

 

[BOSS]

$50 on 3 years from now?

Sure, as old as we are, we'll BOTH forget about it by then...

 

[HeatherTuckey]

I just put a reminder into my blackberry.... 5/12/12