1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) Opens Millions of Stores Overnight
8:00a ET July 15, 2009 (Business Wire) Alvenda, Inc. announced today that on May 2, 2009, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM achieved an industry first by opening millions of stores on many of the Web's most visited sites during its Mother's Day holiday campaign. Thousands of customers were able to conveniently order gifts from the leading retailer's Shoplets(TM) (shop-able advertisements) without getting "clicked off" the Web site they were browsing.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been recognized as a multi-channel innovator and was one of the first companies to market products online beginning in 1992 through CompuServe and on America Online in 1994. "1-800-FLOWERS.COM has consistently pushed traditional boundaries to create not just one, but several access channels," said Jim McCann, CEO, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "Through our collaboration with Alvenda, we have now opened millions of stores on Web sites frequented by our customers."
Alvenda Shoplets are brand-consistent rich media ecommerce stores that are published across many of the Internet's most visited Web sites in the form of banner ads. The Shoplets are highly interactive, easy to use, and designed for the needs of the "on-the-go" consumer - specifically those customers looking to make a quick purchase. The retailers' entire product assortment is available to shoppers through fast navigation and search capabilities. The checkout process is streamlined to capture impulse buys and supported by secure encryption technology verified by VeriSign.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM launched the Alvenda program in time to support one of its largest holidays - Mother's Day. In an A/B test, millions of Shoplets were distributed to publisher Web sites alongside comparable banner advertisements promoting Mother's Day gifts. The Alvenda Shoplets(TM) delivered 41% more sales per impression and a 10.5x lift in interaction rates compared to the banner advertisements.
"We are very pleased with the financial results of the Alvenda program," said Lewis Goldman, SVP Marketing, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "Alvenda's low risk performance pricing model made this an easy decision for us. Alvenda is 100% aligned with our revenue growth goals and they have 'skin in the game,' as we only pay Alvenda a sales commission when they deliver real sales results."
Alvenda was able to bring 1-800-FLOWERS.COM live on their sales network in less than four weeks from start to finish. The turn-key enablement approach didn't require support from the flower retailer's IT group. "It was important to us that Alvenda could launch the program without hampering our IT team's efforts to optimize our existing Mother's Day campaign," added Goldman.
Alvenda helps merchants achieve the following benefits:
-- Increased Sales - Alvenda's software and network services enable merchants to generate incremental revenue by engaging customers with a highly interactive shopping experience wherever they are on the Web.
-- Low Risk - Alvenda's revenue share pricing model eliminates ROI risk and can be configured to deliver a return on advertising spend equivalent to, or better than, search advertising.
-- Customer Loyalty - Each shopping experience seamlessly incorporates the merchant's brand and drives customer loyalty. Customers frequently return to the merchant's Web site directly the next time they want to shop.
-- Speed to Market - Alvenda can launch a merchant shoplet in as little as four weeks and does not require IT resources from the merchant.
"We believe the majority of future online sales will happen offsite. Customers will be able to shop with brands wherever they happen to be whether they're on YouTube, a favorite blogger Web site, or in Facebook," said Wade Gerten, CEO, Alvenda. "With innovative merchants like 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Alvenda is moving commerce forward to these touch points and is generating remarkable sales results."
About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the world's leading florist and gift shop. For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has been providing customers with fresh flowers and the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, balloons and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS(R) (1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com), was listed as a Top 50 Online Retailer by Internet Retailer in 2006, as well as 2008 Laureate Honoree by the Computerworld Honors Program and the recipient of ICMI's 2006 Global Call Center of the Year Award. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers the best of both worlds: exquisite arrangements created by some of the nation's top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and spectacular flowers shipped overnight from its Fresh From Our Growers(R) collection. As always, 100% satisfaction and freshness are guaranteed. Also, visit 1-800-Flowers en Espanol (www.1800flowersenespanol.com). The Company's BloomNet(R) international floral wire service provides (www.mybloomnet.net) a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co. (R) (1-800-443-8124 or www.cherylandco.com); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May(R) confections brands (www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); gourmet foods from Greatfood.com(R) (www.greatfood.com); wine gifts from Ambrosia(R) (www.ambrosia.com); gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM(R) (www.1800baskets.com) and DesignPacsm gifts (www.designpac.com); Celebrations(R) (www.celebrations.com), a new premier online destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips; as well as Home Decor and Children's Gifts from Plow & Hearth(R) (1-800-627-1712 or www.plowandhearth.com), Wind & Weather(R) (www.windandweather.com), HearthSong(R) (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic Cabin(R) (www.magiccabin.com). Shares in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under ticker symbol FLWS.
About Alvenda
Alvenda operates a commerce-enabled advertising network for merchants consisting of premium publishers, bloggers, subject matter experts, and even customers themselves. With Alvenda, everybody sells! Alvenda enables merchants to generate profitable revenue by targeting, advertising, and transacting with customers across millions of locations on the Web. Alvenda is a privately-funded company headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Alvenda was founded in 2008 by three executives with past expertise in merchandise optimization software at Oracle Retail, online retail marketing at Target.com, and interactive advertising at Ogilvy Interactive. For more information on Alvenda, visit www.alvenda.com.
Alvenda and the Alvenda logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Alvenda, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
SOURCE: Alvenda, Inc.
Alvenda, Inc. David Naumann, 408-439-9842 [email protected]
8:00a ET July 15, 2009 (Business Wire) Alvenda, Inc. announced today that on May 2, 2009, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM achieved an industry first by opening millions of stores on many of the Web's most visited sites during its Mother's Day holiday campaign. Thousands of customers were able to conveniently order gifts from the leading retailer's Shoplets(TM) (shop-able advertisements) without getting "clicked off" the Web site they were browsing.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been recognized as a multi-channel innovator and was one of the first companies to market products online beginning in 1992 through CompuServe and on America Online in 1994. "1-800-FLOWERS.COM has consistently pushed traditional boundaries to create not just one, but several access channels," said Jim McCann, CEO, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "Through our collaboration with Alvenda, we have now opened millions of stores on Web sites frequented by our customers."
Alvenda Shoplets are brand-consistent rich media ecommerce stores that are published across many of the Internet's most visited Web sites in the form of banner ads. The Shoplets are highly interactive, easy to use, and designed for the needs of the "on-the-go" consumer - specifically those customers looking to make a quick purchase. The retailers' entire product assortment is available to shoppers through fast navigation and search capabilities. The checkout process is streamlined to capture impulse buys and supported by secure encryption technology verified by VeriSign.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM launched the Alvenda program in time to support one of its largest holidays - Mother's Day. In an A/B test, millions of Shoplets were distributed to publisher Web sites alongside comparable banner advertisements promoting Mother's Day gifts. The Alvenda Shoplets(TM) delivered 41% more sales per impression and a 10.5x lift in interaction rates compared to the banner advertisements.
"We are very pleased with the financial results of the Alvenda program," said Lewis Goldman, SVP Marketing, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "Alvenda's low risk performance pricing model made this an easy decision for us. Alvenda is 100% aligned with our revenue growth goals and they have 'skin in the game,' as we only pay Alvenda a sales commission when they deliver real sales results."
Alvenda was able to bring 1-800-FLOWERS.COM live on their sales network in less than four weeks from start to finish. The turn-key enablement approach didn't require support from the flower retailer's IT group. "It was important to us that Alvenda could launch the program without hampering our IT team's efforts to optimize our existing Mother's Day campaign," added Goldman.
Alvenda helps merchants achieve the following benefits:
-- Increased Sales - Alvenda's software and network services enable merchants to generate incremental revenue by engaging customers with a highly interactive shopping experience wherever they are on the Web.
-- Low Risk - Alvenda's revenue share pricing model eliminates ROI risk and can be configured to deliver a return on advertising spend equivalent to, or better than, search advertising.
-- Customer Loyalty - Each shopping experience seamlessly incorporates the merchant's brand and drives customer loyalty. Customers frequently return to the merchant's Web site directly the next time they want to shop.
-- Speed to Market - Alvenda can launch a merchant shoplet in as little as four weeks and does not require IT resources from the merchant.
"We believe the majority of future online sales will happen offsite. Customers will be able to shop with brands wherever they happen to be whether they're on YouTube, a favorite blogger Web site, or in Facebook," said Wade Gerten, CEO, Alvenda. "With innovative merchants like 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Alvenda is moving commerce forward to these touch points and is generating remarkable sales results."
About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the world's leading florist and gift shop. For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has been providing customers with fresh flowers and the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, balloons and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS(R) (1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com), was listed as a Top 50 Online Retailer by Internet Retailer in 2006, as well as 2008 Laureate Honoree by the Computerworld Honors Program and the recipient of ICMI's 2006 Global Call Center of the Year Award. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers the best of both worlds: exquisite arrangements created by some of the nation's top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and spectacular flowers shipped overnight from its Fresh From Our Growers(R) collection. As always, 100% satisfaction and freshness are guaranteed. Also, visit 1-800-Flowers en Espanol (www.1800flowersenespanol.com). The Company's BloomNet(R) international floral wire service provides (www.mybloomnet.net) a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co. (R) (1-800-443-8124 or www.cherylandco.com); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May(R) confections brands (www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); gourmet foods from Greatfood.com(R) (www.greatfood.com); wine gifts from Ambrosia(R) (www.ambrosia.com); gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM(R) (www.1800baskets.com) and DesignPacsm gifts (www.designpac.com); Celebrations(R) (www.celebrations.com), a new premier online destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips; as well as Home Decor and Children's Gifts from Plow & Hearth(R) (1-800-627-1712 or www.plowandhearth.com), Wind & Weather(R) (www.windandweather.com), HearthSong(R) (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic Cabin(R) (www.magiccabin.com). Shares in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under ticker symbol FLWS.
About Alvenda
Alvenda operates a commerce-enabled advertising network for merchants consisting of premium publishers, bloggers, subject matter experts, and even customers themselves. With Alvenda, everybody sells! Alvenda enables merchants to generate profitable revenue by targeting, advertising, and transacting with customers across millions of locations on the Web. Alvenda is a privately-funded company headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Alvenda was founded in 2008 by three executives with past expertise in merchandise optimization software at Oracle Retail, online retail marketing at Target.com, and interactive advertising at Ogilvy Interactive. For more information on Alvenda, visit www.alvenda.com.
Alvenda and the Alvenda logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Alvenda, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
SOURCE: Alvenda, Inc.