Website Costs?

[duanermb]

I'm in the middle of updating mine. I can't believe the cost some are paying.
I think I spend total...340.00 a year and that includes my service guy. I'm sure it will be more when I go to an eCommerce site.
I am also finding more and more want to TALK to a person. Ya never know.

Very true, and we find the same thing - during business hours.

Fully 2/3 of our internet sales in August came from hours that we were closed, and 1/3 came from people who just seemed to want to order online while the store was open.

I am a bit of a freak about it, but it's just wonderful to make sales overnight. I check the orders before work every day.
(Also to make sure we have to product before our morning wholesale run)

The FSN cost is only about 1/4 to 1/3 of what we pay per year for the site, because the SEO, PPC, Directory Submission etc. stuff has its costs as well, but its pretty much paid for by Valentines Day.

Food for thought!

 

[CHR]

Without online ordering, a flower shop is leaving a boatload of $ on the table. Wanna bet some of (a bunch of) those customers just go to a site that will take their order when they want to place it?

eCommerce is a must (and has been for almost a decade) for a full-service florist.

 

[theRKF]

I love hearing florists who mention "my customers call in an tell me they prefer to call" or "we call customers for the CC info, and they like it" ...

You miss the fact that you're only talking to people who have decided to buy ... so it's likely they DO approve. After all, they bought.

Hands up if you talk to the people who don't buy? Who gets feedback from those who abandon the site for another?

Ryan

 

[peggy70130]

I love hearing florists who mention "my customers call in an tell me they prefer to call" or "we call customers for the CC info, and they like it" ...

You miss the fact that you're only talking to people who have decided to buy ... so it's likely they DO approve. After all, they bought.

Hands up if you talk to the people who don't buy? Who gets feedback from those who abandon the site for another?

Ryan

I'm one of the ones that said their customers seem to like to be called, and luckily we've had quite a few that do, (we average 1 to 1 1/2 orders from our online form per day) but I agree with you, there must me many more out there, that's why we'll be adding a shopping cart as soon as I figure out how to do that.

 

[CHR]

This has been said elsewhere, but it's worth repeating....

Many shops focus on the cost of a website when the real focus should be on the results and performance of the site.

You can pay a little and get a very little or you will have to do a lot on your own to keep the base price low. If you have the time & know what you're doing, it's a good choice. Otherwise you can spend a lot of time for very little results.

There are some new search methods/features being tested by Google right now that use XML and/or RSS feeds and will allow consumers to compare prices between florists without ever visiting our sites. You can bet the advanced sites (especially all the OGs) will provide the feeds (most are already). Will you? - Or will you be left out of the game entirely?

Not all higher-priced sites are wildly effective, but you do have to invest to get returns.

 

[thesaint]

Media 99 and I am very very happy with them...and quite affordable

 

[oshea]

bill

We have been using www.floranext.com for many years. Very happy

 

[duanermb]

We have been using www.floranext.com for many years. Very happy

I would imagine that you are, considering you were the creator!

 

[Dazeal]

Quote:
Originally Posted by oshea View Post
We have been using www.floranext.com for many years. Very happy
I would imagine that you are, considering you were the creator!

lol PWNED!

Many shops focus on the cost of a website when the real focus should be on the results and performance of the site.

Well said Cathy. My area is depressed and I have been able to slack off. I spoke with the other guy sin the valley who has a website and we do about the same amount of orders online, and he has 3 sites with full eCommerce.

I'd love to explore a florist who uses a eCommerce site in which the eCommerce company made their revenue on each sale. So the better the florist did, the better the company did... almost a partnership. I would assume a company that has this type of relationship wouldn't mind dropping 200k a month in SEO/Marketing versus an eCommerce business built on a different model.