What’s Behind the Curtain?

[ezbloomers]

Like most new things, understanding leads to acceptance. Unfortunately, a great number of consumers think they are dealing directly with a florist when buying flowers from order gatherers, and have no idea the impact this may have on their order. I agree that knowing how McDonalds is able to sell burgers at $1.00 is useless information; however, knowing how to differentiate between products or services is critical to the buying process. The internet has changed how we buy things. Today value conscious customers will research a product online to gain better understanding and find better pricing & availability. I don't know about you, but I like to get as close to the source as possible when spending my hard earned money, because more likely than not I will get more value for my money. Order gathers have maintained industry dominance by hiding what goes on behind the curtain, I for one think its time to pull the curtain aside. We are attempting to educate the customer with these two videos. Don't Settle for Puny Flowers:[video=youtube;7nMcRQRFMEM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMcRQRFMEM[/video]
This is Why Your Flowers Look Puny:[video=youtube;-Pt2G5QM7i4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pt2G5QM7i4[/video]
What do you think?

 

[lori042499]

But by telling consumers that some of the perecntages you claim are taken out by florists is just untrue...My shop only takes delivery out of the total amount...Each recipient of a wire order gets full value minus the delivery. My service charges are my cost of doing business not the consumers or recipients and this is true for hundreds and hundreds of rue following wire service florists..This misinformation make the industry look bad and decietful worse than it already looks...that is all I am trying to make you aware of..the fact that there is a very small perecntage of bad florists partaking in the farther ripping off of consumers by skimming the incoming orders...I am afraid that the way many florists choose to "educate" the consumer is riddled with misinformation, overraught emotional rehtoric and numbers that they themselves have not even sat down and figured out all they know is that they dodn't have enough money to run their biz and some how it must be the wire services or OG's fault..I am not saying they don't play a part, I am just saying that the info provided consumers is given to them as mumbo jumboed in their heads....

 

[lori042499]

Maybe I am missing something...

 

[Sarah Jane]

I think most florists who wire flowers do keep their service fee +20% and most of the time the product suffers. But still, I guess I don't understand how your service is different from an OG. Do you do the service of sending flowers to a florist for free? Certainly you charge a fee. If you take the order and then send it to a florist, aren't you a middleman? How is that different?

 

[Sarah Jane]

Your website says delivery is included and there is no fees. So, how do you make money? Does the florist have to pay you for getting (gathering) the order? Guess I'm just a little confused but maybe I am also missing something.

 

[ezbloomers]

We function as an extension of the florist. The customer always knows who the florist is. The florist knows who the custmer is, and gets all billing info just as if they had taken the order over the phone or on their own website. A panel of florist representing each region approve all products including price. Separate from the order, we charge the florist $5.50 for every order we give you - there are no other costs or fees involved.

 

[bootcampguy]

Kimba,

There are dozens of people out there trying to do what you are wanting to do. Your fee is $5.50, that comes out of the price of the arrangement, but like Lori says "We who fill, fill at 100% value"...........that customer means more to me than the vehicle it comes by. All of the OG started just like you with a fee and now they've grown into a 700 million dollar business with 500 million of that dropshipped. Divide that number by 10k stores and see what we all have lost. I can't blame the person who had bigger vision, now I have to out-smart, out-market, out-perform them. The OG have been so successful beacause they "learned how McDonald's can make a hamburger for $1" then applied sales stratigies to make "flower orders" and make some very nice money on the backs of local "florists". By the way "florists" have been asleep at the wheel for a "longtime"..............

Good luck..........................

Now, here's how the florist will win, social networking. One of the big 3 has held numerous meetings trying to figure our how to get into that segment, but it won't work. Big box is left out of "customer social triangle" because there's no value to offer, they can't put a face with a name like florists can. Big box is going no-where on social media unlike the B & M (Mom and Pops). So all florists should be "hammering" that SN with what they can do and how fast they can do it and with a smile.................

 

[Sprout]

It seems like you are just one more man in the middle between the consumer and the filling florist. To be accurate, your flow chart should start with the consumer and show the chain between them and the filling florist.

Potato, potahto.

 

[Doug Munro]

After watching your videos, you convinced me as a consumer.

Unfortunately, what you convinced me (as a consumer) is that flowers are a poor place to spend my money. This is negative advertising of the worst kind and does more to harm the industry than help it. Both of these videos spend 95% of their time making a case that the consumer is not getting what they paid for. The last 5% is used to introduce you (an unknown) as a shining knight that has come to save them.

Also you leave out the entire concept of "fill to value" something that all wire members agree to when joining a wire service.

On another note, it will be interesting to see how long this business model operates at $5.50 per order, with no membership fees. In today's world on the internet the average cost of acquiring a flower order is much higher. I tend to agree that from the outside looking in it appears that your model is simply another "middleman".

 

[ezbloomers]

Flower shops like all other businesses carry a line on the expense side of the financials called marketing/advertising. Some look at this number as an overall % and some apply it directly to each order. In both cases the goal is to maximize the sales for the dollars spent trying to get that revenue. And as we all know the process of securing sales is somewhat of a gamble. Our service reduces all of the gamble and all of the cost of securing sales from outside of your focus area to zero. Considering we bare all the costs securing you orders and since you pay nothing unless we bring you an order, for which you have cashflow & customer control, I fail to see the down side.

 

[ezbloomers]

The only way to get the customer's attention is to show them how it may affect them. Customers are interested in value at all cost, meaning most of them could careless if the the florist makes any money, as long as they get what they paid for. Keep in mind that these videos are targeted at the masses that already purchase flowers online from companies that are getting rich off of your backs.
Obviuosly, at just $5.50 per order we are in it for the long hull.

 

[Doug Munro]

Not debating the potential benefit to the florist, simple how you are maketing the message. I have stated on this board many times that dragging any sector of the flower industry (orders gatherers, wires services, competitors, etc) through the mud with the consumer in an effort to sell ones own services or products is counterproductive.

The average consumer buys flowers online for out of town delivery 1-2 a year (at most). So sending out the messgae that there is a good chance they will be "ripped off" is not the smartest thing to do in my book. After all, how many do you really think know the difference between FTD, Teleflora, Proflowers, etc. In some ways your videos are doing exactly what the traditional media does every Valentines Day when they start spounding the alarm about the "high price of roses", scaring the consumer off our product,

 

[ezbloomers]

... After all, how many do you really think know the difference between FTD, Teleflora, Proflowers, etc. ...

That's the point, lets educate them. "knowing how to differentiate between products or services is critical to the buying process. The internet has changed how we buy things. Today value conscious customers will research a product online to gain better understanding and find better pricing & availability. "

Although, like in any industry there are poor representatives (shops that don't meet the standard) by in large florists are hard working business people trying to produce the best product they can while making a decent living. So why not let the customer know that the florist is not the cause of the problem. I believe as customer begins to understand how much you are at the mercy of OGs and the difficult if not impossible situation you are in, the blame will fall where it should. This in turn will cause the customer to be a better consumer cutting out OGs and increasing your profits. This kind of change doesn't happen over night, but if you are willing to support the cause, it will happen.

PS - A florist just posted on our facebook page that he just got a Teleflora payment of $1,500.00 for orders he processed over the hoildays totaling $6,000.00, he is not very happy. http://www.facebook.com/ezbloomers

 

[Sprout]

While the pricing structure may or may not be a good deal, and the $5.50 fee is not paid directly by the consumer, it's not like it's free. It's just been disguised, relabeled, accounted for in a different way.

It does mean filling your flower order will cost me more than filling my own order.

And you're still the man in the middle.

 

[Eric S]

I love the videos.

No matter how its sliced up there will be nothing free when it comes to getting a customer’s order.

We can accuse the WS for taking too much of the consumers money for themselves but as members of any organization we have to understand that the cost of supporting a brand has to come from somewhere. Now granted 800flowers and FTD have just taking its members and rolled them out over the coals.

But lets look at Teleflora. A recognized brand, supporting its members with products and services that help them connect the consumer to its members. However there are some questionable practices that Teleflora does that most of us don't like.
The cost of supporting a brand is expensive. I don't know if this industry really has the funds anymore to support a new brand. None of us have the funds to just give away money to someone that comes along with a nice idea and cool videos.

Everyone here will agree that we are looking for a Knight in shining armor that will support us all, promote our business and not stab us in the back later down the line.
If a company is serious about doing this then provide some legal papers or contracts that say this is what we are going to do and this is what we will not do.

Provide a business plan!! This is how many members we need. This is how much we need from our members. This is what we are going to do to promote our members.

The problem is none of us have the time, energy, or money to make this happen.

 

[Carrieann]

I have some problems with your "message". The obvious is what has already been said here, You are still the middle man, your videos have a very negative feel and message to them, stating when the customer purchases flowers they will most likely NOT be getting what they are paying for, portraying a negative on the industry as a whole.

I have some questions. In the video you talk about the %s and per order fee, you make it sound like the CUSTOMER is paying these fees, not true. These are the fees the FLORIST pays.

You tell US you charge $5.50 per order, you do NOT tell the customer this either on your website (as far as I can find) or, most importantly in your video.

SO you put down the dOGs for the per order fees, yet you charge one yourself?

Finally, I priced out an arrangement with roses and orchids on your website that you say sells for $44 INCLUDING delivery. At my shop that same arrangement in a STANDARD vase, not the one you show would sell for $67 BEFORE delivery!

Sounds to me that your company has all the makings of a wire service at the beginning stages. You have to start small to get big.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I'm not gonna argue either way...I "see" it this way....
You look at a critter called a caterpillar on a branch, and you "wonder" "what's gonna come out of it??"
You "hope" for a butterfly, but, TOO often you get a moth!!

 

[KABERS]

I personnally feel the consumer wants to be educated. More knowledge - more power to make positive decisions. We all make fun of people who think working with flowers is equivalent to 8 hours on the playground! This business isn't all smiles and sunshine. I feel like we're expected to keep the "family" secret, Uncle So and So is a slimey pervert! If more consumers know the truth less will be molested.

 

[BOSS]

BOSS's Quote of the day!

I feel like we're expected to keep the "family" secret, Uncle So and So is a slimey pervert! If more consumers know the truth less will be molested.

Usually, the argument to not share the dirty side of this industry, comes from those with high outgoing volume that want to maintain their grip on the 20% and extreme "$service" charges... no longer realistic in this economic climate...

Nuf said by me...

 

[ezbloomers]

It's easy to stand back and pick apart some else’s idea. As we all know it is impossible to please everyone. At our own cost we have put forth an effort to change the industry, we think for the better. Sure it’s ambitious, but we think it will be worth it in the end. Unlike others we are investing in this change with no help from the industry (monthly fees, etc...). Do the math at $5.50 per order we are either crazy or in it for the long haul, I can tell you we are not crazy. Every journey begins with the 1st step and every idea will have its nay sayers. Good thing this country was built on the seemingly impossible.