With so many online florists available how do you choose the right one? They all appear similar online and all have similar selection, pricing and online policies. Reputable companies are the norm but occasionally a disreputable shop appears. To help you negotiate through the online maze consider the following.
Online florists
Virtually anyone can have a website and open an online store. Online selling is popular. Online floral shops are of three varieties:
1.Actual floral shops. These are ‘bricks and mortar’ shops run by independent operators with a web site to promote online flower purchases. These shops have survived because they know about flowers, arrangements and delivery services. These sites design each gift or arrangement and delivered to the recipient by the local shop.
2.Floral growers, brokers and shippers. These flower shippers specialize in shipping roses and unarranged flowers overnight. Their forte is an economical alternative to local florists. Their flowers, however, are not cut or arranged so once the flowers are received they have to be unpacked and arranged. This is a great alternative to budget conscious people.
3.On line florists. The true online florists are general retailers that fill orders and ship behind the scenes. They often use middleman strategies and affiliates, and catalog companies to perform these tasks. This additional layer usually involves a ‘mark up’ to engage the supplier. Most perform well and supply great products. Some, however, seem to set up overnight and appear shifty. For this reason it is recommended to using nationally recognized companies. If you are in doubt as to the authenticity of the company, then it is probably wise to deal with your local florist.
If your intended recipient is overseas, most online flower shops offer international shipments. Seasonal flower arrangements, plants or balloon bouquets arrive with deliveries within as soon as 48 to 72 hours. Of course overseas delivery of online flowers and arrangements require a service charge but if your stuck or desperate it is often worth the investment.
Where to Start?
The web is a great place to start if you are looking for online flowers. There are a multitude of plants and arrangements with significant savings if you want to shop around. The web is an open market and competition is great to get your purchasing dollar so good deals can be found.
A quick review in any online search engine will reveal a multitude of online flower shops. A recent search of “buy online flowers” netted 38 million results. Some online florists such as OnlineFlowers.com have been in operation as a shop since 1945 and have grown to satisfy the blossoming demand of the internet community.
Narrowing down the search by color, occasion or type of flower will help identify suitable vendors. Within a short time you can identify several professionals who can help select the type of flower or arrangement that would be suitable. With all this information you can compare pricing, arrangements and attributes of the online flower shops and determine which shop is for you.
Author Resource:
Michael Chase is a freelance writer for http://Onlinefloristreviews.com as comparison shopping site for online flowers shoppers.