Teleflora Billboards

[bloomz]

I can't find the right post to respond to, so I found this on my statement
BRINGING YOU MORE FULL VALUE ORDERS FROM TELEFLORA.COM
Teleflora is pleased to announce an increased effort to help our florist compete for online orders. Beginning Mother's Day, Teleflora will dramatically increase advertising support for Teleflora.com. In addition to our core program of TV, newspaper and magazine advertising, we will introduce online, outdoor and radio advertising to drive online flower-buyers to Teleflora.com. As always, you will receive your Teleflora.com orders at 100% full-value PLUS the additional $9.95 service charge. In order to maximize this promotional initiative, the transmission fee for Teleflora.com orders will increase to $3.95. This advertising program is another way that Teleflora is helping you compete against grower-direct and non-floral gift websites.

I assume that OUTDOOR means billboards. Whatcha think? Good for us or bad for us?

 

[sunny]

Not going to help me as I don't carry anybodys containers or do I fill for any dotcoms. Interesting though that they are going to increase their fee to $3.95 to help you increase your sales. PARASITES!!!

 

[theRKF]

Not going to help me as I don't carry anybodys containers or do I fill for any dotcoms. Interesting though that they are going to increase their fee to $3.95 to help you increase your sales. PARASITES!!!

HUH???

You are FTD, and you accuse TF of being parasites? TF is going head to head with FTD, 800-flowers & Proflowers. TF gives florists orders @ 100%, the others the best you can hope for is 70%, if the customer even buys flowers and not some drop-ship item.

 

[Luc]

And to boot you get $9.95 to cover that $3.95 fee anyway.
My only problem with this is when Canadian consumers go to a US site like teleflora.com and FTD.com and 1-800 flowers and they are charged the item in US dollars, the order then is sent to us in US dollars and the consumers pay a higher price for the item which could have been cheaper if delt directly with a canadian shop.
THat is why I took my name off the teleflora site for Elliot Lake. I feel I am riping off the consumer.
Now mind you there is some consumers out there now that are waking up and smelling the coffee. I don't know about you guys but I get lots of direct phone calls now that ask me where I am located before they even place a order. Sound like a few of them have been "con" by a few sites online.
I am gaining new direct consumers every holidays.
Now for this mother's day holiday I am back in the driver seat. NO FTD coverage At all in ELliot Lake. Teleflora only. I used to have many orders from 1-800 flowers etc from FTD. THis year, they will have many problem getting their orders filled in Elliot Lake. Basically, SHOW ME MY PRICE, I will show you dellivery. It's that simple.
If they choose to get their orders filled by the only other flower shop which is 1/2 the size of mine, if they can get through to her since she is not on dove, phone only, and towards the end of the week and she is swamped with those small orders, I will fill those 100% local consumer orders because I am organized and automated.
That is the way I see things this way and I will let you know how it turns out at the end.
Luc

 

[sunny]

My opinion is that they are all Parasites all OGS, dosen't matter if its FTD TElFLORA , 800.scum , parasites all which is why I don't fill for any of them.

 

[flowerknife+us]

This additional advertising and expansion of the means, can only help the cause. "Whos" cause will be better defined when we see it. If the message highlites the fact that REAL FLORISTS are the ones involved I can only say it's about time.

An order sent at full value with generally sufficent funds to cover delivery(at full value too) Is always welcome.

As for the "increasec cut". It is necessary to spend money to make money. Currently, I see little promotion of the general Teleflora site. With the vast majority of the visitors to our site being generated by our efforts. Seeing their not increasing this fee structure. It is not a big consern to me that they want to increase a fee for generating an order that more than likely will come from some sourse outside of my efforts.

Having records now from last year and and a different fee structure for my own site it will be rather easy to determine if theIr efforts are worthwhile, for me.

Billboards will only help me (indirectly) if they are in my market. Not to mention all the other forms.

100% + Del is far better than all the others offerings currently avaliable. If the growth comes at their expence as well, then that is even better.

What is the message that makes the HOW work?

Sounds better than selling Bouqets hat Home Sleepo.

 

[bloomz]

Here's what I think. My Teleflora site does NOT produce poop, partially because I don't promote it. It merely exists for the people who MAY choose a shop based on TF's national advertising,. So far no results. But at Christmas when I was testing it and found out it was choosing a competitor who does NOT have an eflorist site, I drew my own conclusions.

At that point I think they were favoring that shop because of the extra 9.95 they (TF) were making. There was no good reason in my eyes that they didn't keep the original deal with me they made that, If I did not have the codified product, the order would still come to me and I could either get the product or trasmit it to a shop with the product and make the 20%. They did not keep this deal. Which leads me to suspect what the true motives are.

I am now leaning more towards thinking the orders will go to shops that owe them money. I guess I can't really really blame them, it is a way of getting their bills paid.

I can however blame them for not keeping their deal with me that if I have a site, I get all the orders.

I view it as increased competition. The guise is competing with FTD and 800 and "keeping the orders to the TF network" but in my eyes they are competing with ME for what I consider my orders. The find a florist button is no better than ftd.com's, simply put there to appease those gripers like me, but I would venture a bet that not 1% of consumers use it.

Just my opinions. It will help keep consumers from calling ME.

 

[Griff]

Billboards and websites

Sorry Bloomzie. You can talk about the subject of WS websites until the cows come home and you still won't have the answer. It really boils down to how the customer progresses through the site. Which door do they choose? Do they take the main page where the Teapot is listed at $54.95 plus the $9.95 service charge or does the customer actually attempt to find a florist by clicking on that small button at the top of the page. If the customer finds a florist that lists the Teapot at $50 and $5 delivery, does that mean to the customer that he or she doesn't have to pay the $9.95? If the customer choses a florist that didn't purchase the Teapot, does the order automatically get diverted to any other "paying" florist who has the item or does it get sent to a "non-paying" who may be the only one in that town that does have the item? From what you have said, even it the customer chooses your shop and if you haven't purchased the TF item, you are not going to see the order.

 

[bloomz]

I understand that Griff, and that is exactly what I am b*tching about.

The original deal they cut said we would get the order nonetheless, which gives us an opportunity to get and keep that customer.

Oh for pete's sake, the plot thickens,
now I went thru the ordering process for my city, and I am at the BOTTOM of the list, with a "we do not recommend this florist because they either can't deliver or don't have the product blah blah blah"

So now it's turned to HAVING to order the products or get a WE DON'T RECOMMEND listing.

any defenders? Pack a lunch

 

[BOSS]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

So now it's turned to HAVING to order the products or get a WE DON'T RECOMMEND listing.

any defenders? Pack a lunch

Well now...so to get the order you HAVE TO BUY the containers or the "system" will subvertly send YOUR ORDER to YOUR COMPETITION ?? Good way to convince folks (FWOAC's) to but the containers...(Buy the container, we'll guarantee you'll get more orders)...

And the above comment about the "Small Button"...where have I heard that before...at least, the last time I looked at TF.com the button was on every page....is it still ?

The bill board campaign will be interesting to watch, could set a precident....

 

[Griff]

Billboards and websites

Like I have said before, it doesn't matter to me how these sites work. What has aways amazed me is how florists <business people> never question many of the things that show up on these sites until later. They always accept what is told to them and then forget to THINK. Not picking on you Bloomzie. But there is no reason for TF to ever just give any florist an order just so it can be re-diverted for 20%. That priviledge is entirely theirs! It only stands to reason that their site which shows THEIR containers, will only be sent to a florist that has those containers.

It is also surprising that no one has ever questioned the $9.95 fee. If all the "paying" members have their separate prices listed and a separate delvery price shown and yet the main page shows the arrangement approximately $5 higher which is supposed to include delivery, then why the $9.95? Some florists have reported they got the $9.95 with their order which makes little sense. If the individual florist lists the Teapot at $50 plus $5 delivery and the main page shows the same item for $54.95 and the customer ordered off the first page, why would the system automatically forward the additional funds?

 

[flowerknife+us]

The service Fee goes to the florist if they pay for the site. It is part of the deal. Then you take their transmission fee out of that 9.95.

Leaving 7.00$. We use it for delivery or a portion of it if necessary to re-transmit the order out of town.

The "value" of the order gets filled for the SRP in the promotional materal, with all higher value items top dressed or made to order.

Not carrying the product does have its price. Then, one need not buy all of them and just pray about it either.

I do not see alot of traffic through "their Doorway", so this increase in promotion should have some impact on the consumer outside of our own efforts.

With some 16 paying members, there should be no problem getting a paying member to fill it.

If no one sees any activity then either the promotion didn't work or Houston, We Have A Problem!

 

[BOSS]

another point ?????

With TF.com adding $9.95 Service Charge to all orders orginating from TF.com and or TF member websites...

As a consumer I would think that the member sites at Ftdfloristonline.com that have no SC, would portray a better value....??

Yours for the debate.....mark

 

[flowerknife+us]

Only the Tele. site has the 9.95 service fee, the members sites do not unless you have added one yourselves. In our case we have not.

P.S. We have received orders for product that we do not carry on our site. We simple phone the customer and convert the sale to something else.

 

[bloomz]

what surprises me is how few paying members test the system. They blindly accept that "it's going to help me".

Place an order, see how you think it looks to the customers when it says "we do not recommend" your shop, for whatever reason. It's a VERY poor disparaging choice of words.

And knife, you may (and will) correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe the statement last month on the last page said the fees were going up to 3.95 per order. To pay for the billboards apparently.

Please, try it, choose a product you know you didn't buy, you have to fill out the first part of the order form for recipient information, then try to find you shop when it comes to the WE RECOMMEND page. When you finally find your name in the SUB list, please then tell me how you feel about it. Also remember, the whole point of this type of "oprdering system" is to take away the sending end while still retaining the fillers, what I consider a formula for florist failure.

Add into this, think of the residual effect of HAVING to buy products (in lots of NO LESS than 24, I tried today) to get orders. This will play nicely into florists not paying bills on time, thereby getting no rebates. What a :tread:

 

[flowerknife+us]

Bloomz, I don't disagree with you, I have voiced my concerns about the the .com site to Teleflora. Non paying members should not get to receive orders from the website at all unless there is no paying member in that area. The "find a florist" button should be huge, The $9.95 service fee they charge the customer should be left solely to the website member to have or not have.

I know the fee has increased to 3.95 to pay for the website I merely did poor math and type 7.00 is left instead of 6.00.

I have done the order placement thing a number of times for product I have and product I do not have. Because I placed the first order with product I have the time I placed an order I did not have product for I came up as the recommended florist because I was once a customer and will now always come up as the recommended florist. So I guess I will have to test from a different computer.

Please reread my post in this thread I think you will find that I was not saying that I think that this is a great thing only that It could help or it could hurt and only time will tell.

Does anyone have information on exactly what these billboards are reading because that will also have an effect on how well, to us paying members, advantage it will have.

I will say that I still stand firm on my opinion that Teleflora websites are still better than the "other Guys" at least for now as they are more "florist friendly" and not Drop ship overpriced gift item friendly.

 

[bloomz]

Non paying members should not get to receive orders from the website at all unless there is no paying member in that area. The "find a florist" button should be huge, The $9.95 service fee they charge the customer should be left solely to the website member to have or not have.

I have done the order placement thing a number of times for product I have and product I do not have. Because I placed the first order with product I have the time I placed an order I did not have product for I came up as the recommended florist because I was once a customer and will now always come up as the recommended florist. So I guess I will have to test from a different computer.

That first point is my BIG gripe, why should ANY shop who doesn't pay the fee get any orders? I suspect that those who owe money is how those orders are weighted. But the original deal, and mentioned again this month in dotcomments was that we could transmit the order to another shop and keep the 20% if we didn't have the product or choose to fill it. How would we do that if we never get the order??? I want that customer and I also want the chance to convert them to something else, like an FTD Special (THAT'S A JOKE! I dig the TF products and they sell VERY VERY well) The Teapot for MD and Teacups are very pretty, and I ordered a case of each yesterday.

I find it quite disparaging to have my shop listed in the "following shops not recommended" part of the drill down, dig deep, basement listings.

Hell, try my zip code and try to order the Monet (97330) Then see if you can find my shop. They should somehow allow us to codify for the web only, as I know I can add products to my TF site well after the deadline, so why can't they use THAT database? I have the products, but I don't want to codify as I want to sell them to MY customers at 100%. I can't see giving up another 7% to them on a product I BOUGHT from them. But this is eluding me. One friend of mine asked his RVP about this and the answer was, "buy more products".

Perhaps if you clear the cookies it will select another florist for you in your area, and I really wonder why it doesn't cheese someone else off to have their shop listed as "not recommended".