FTD.com changes

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bloomz

bloomz

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Anyone seen how they now have separate links for dropship vs florist delivered?

They mentioned they were going to do this and I see it has been done.

Think it will eliminate the confusion of arranged vs boxed flowers?

I know people don't bother to read when they show the flowers arranged in a vase even tho it does clearly show the box they come in.

Open for discussion.....
 
Upper right corner

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Seasonals said:
I'm not FTD, but I think the box is very nice. The exterior and interior have an elegant look. It doesn't have the cheap cardboard look of PF's. I think they branded it with the look for success.
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They won some design awards with it I understand.

They are some very serious marketers.

Only problem is, you know who they're gonna be marketing and I'm afraid it ain't me.

Joe Mioux said:
so do caskets. ;)
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LOL!


But - the question is - does anyone think this is gonna make a difference with consumers - obviously it is gonna lower their complaint count, and tho I know opinions vary....that is probably a good thing (tho mixed blessing) for the industry, because, like it or not, member or not - they are seen as representatives of the industry and when they get complaints we all pay for them thru loss of consumer confidence.

I am not cheerleading them, just commenting on my opinions.
 
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bloomz said:
But - the question is - does anyone think this is gonna make a difference with consumers - obviously it is gonna lower their complaint count, and tho I know opinions vary....that is probably a good thing (tho mixed blessing) for the industry, because, like it or not, member or not - they are seen as representatives of the industry and when they get complaints we all pay for them thru loss of consumer confidence.

I am not cheerleading them, just commenting on my opinions.
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Looking at this objectively, not emotionally, I think it's a smart move on their part. I'm sure there will be some glitches and tweaks, but I do get where they're going with this. The boxed flowers pie is growing and FTD wants a slice of it.
 
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They've had the photo of the box in the upper right of each direct-ship product page since at least December.

As long as FTD (or PF or 1-800) shows an arrangement without the words 'assembly require' near the picture (or similar language), many consumers will not perceive that the item does not arrive looking like the photo. It's like they're trying to CYA just a little without fully disclosing the true nature of the products.

This Valentine's Day purchaser's blog post sums it up well:

What Happened to FTD?

For Valentines Day I ordered a bouquet for my wife from FTD.com (more than a month in advance). The Saturday of, I waited around eagerly all day for the bouquet to arrive and it still hadn't come by 7pm when we left the house to go watch a movie with a friend. The surprise was completely blown because I had to confess to her that I'd ordered her flowers and they still hadn't arrived. When we got back, a black box was sitting in the dark on the porch (it had been delivered at 8:04pm).

First of all, I was disappointed that it wasn't an actual bouquet delivered by a local florist (which, I thought, was the point of going through FTD). If I wanted a disassembled "do-it-yourself bouquet kit" shipped in a cardboard box - I would have called ProFlowers.

Second, when we opened the box, it contained eleven (yes, eleven) pink roses (some of which had already begun to wilt). It was not the upsized lavender rose bouquet with calla lilies I had ordered.

When I contacted FTD about the error and specifically requested a full refund, I received this reply:
"We have received your concern regarding the quality of the flowers that were delivered. Our most sincere apologies that the bouquet delivered was not what you had expected. Please note that this is not a usual occurance, but when dealing with a quality issue such as this, we like to give our vendor a chance to make it right. Please let us redeliver, and send the item as described. We can change the card message to let your recipient know that they deserve their own special day of celebration and will be happy to include a note of apology from FTD.COM. Please advise us of your decision.

Also, please be advised that should you decide that you truly do want a full refund instead of a new bouquet, it would be best to call our customer service number, 1-800-736-3333, instead of replying by email, as we generally need to be speaking with the customer to issue a refund. If you reply by email asking for a full refund, a representitive will call you at the number we have on file for you to start the refund process.

In addition, please accept an exclusive offer to save 20% on a future order by visiting http://www.ftd.com/love10"


Wow - so you screwed up royally for me on Valentine's Day, and your response is to ignore my request, make the process difficult for me to request a refund, and top it off by insulting with a sales pitch for a promotion you're currently running? Thanks!

Congratulations FTD - you've lost me as a customer.
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Some here will keep blaming customers for misunderstanding what they're buying.

I OTOH blame FTD, who continues to attempt to leverage a florist brand while omitting the florists.
 
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First of all, I was disappointed that it wasn't an actual bouquet delivered by a local florist (which, I thought, was the point of going through FTD). If I wanted a disassembled "do-it-yourself bouquet kit" shipped in a cardboard box - I would have called ProFlowers.
Click to expand...

I found this quote by the angry customer interesting. To him/her, it is clear that Proflowers is DIY, but FTD isn't. This is the advantage that Proflowers has over the others trying to delve into the boxed flower industry, they have developed an identity.

By offering both, FTD has set themselves up for confusion, thus even more chance for the consumer to perceive their display as deceptive. I will admit, "Fresh from the fields to you in a special FTD gift box" does sound a bit glamorous.
 
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CHR said:
They've had the photo of the box in the upper right of each direct-ship product page since at least December.

As long as FTD (or PF or 1-800) shows an arrangement without the words 'assembly require' near the picture (or similar language), many consumers will not perceive that the item does not arrive looking like the photo. It's like they're trying to CYA just a little without fully disclosing the true nature of the products.

This Valentine's Day purchaser's blog post sums it up well:

Some here will keep blaming customers for misunderstanding what they're buying.

I OTOH blame FTD, who continues to attempt to leverage a florist brand while omitting the florists.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right and I absolutely agree. (Imagine that!) :drunk:

That's why I asked the question cuz I still think consumers are gonna be disappointed cuz I know they don't read well.

There is full disclosure there, sort of...IF people read it.

A nice box is, well, just a nice box.

The ony thing is some seem to have the supposition that they don't care about complaints - and that idea is preposterous (I like that word).

They're not just CYAing - they're trying not to lose customers and we all know customers are expensive to aquire (especially when yer at the top of the PPC's)


Fresh from the fields to you in a special FTD gift box
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Isn't that what they sued PF for?

...
 
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LJVF said:
I found this quote by the angry customer interesting. To him/her, it is clear that Proflowers is DIY, but FTD isn't. This is the advantage that Proflowers has over the others trying to delve into the boxed flower industry, they have developed an identity.
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FTD could be in a tough spot trying to do both. On one hand pro flowers has a large lead and another competitor Teleflora is going strong after florist filled. As a big part of FTD has become DIY it appears to me Teleflora is picking the right angel with there fresh flowers hand delivered daily tag. Perhaps they see an opening to the consumer with the confusion FTD has added to there brand.
 
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bloomz said:
But - the question is - does anyone think this is gonna make a difference with consumers - obviously it is gonna lower their complaint count, and tho I know opinions vary....that is probably a good thing (tho mixed blessing) for the industry, because, like it or not, member or not - they are seen as representatives of the industry and when they get complaints we all pay for them thru loss of consumer confidence.
Click to expand...

you are balls on the money, bloomzie! It won't matter to the vast majority of online OG flower buyers. They are more interested in sending something, rather than sending something of quality.

CHR said:
T
As long as FTD (or PF or 1-800) shows an arrangement without the words 'assembly require' near the picture (or similar language), many consumers will not perceive that the item does not arrive looking like the photo. It's like they're trying to CYA just a little without fully disclosing the true nature of the products.

This Valentine's Day purchaser's blog post sums it up well:

Some here will keep blaming customers for misunderstanding what they're buying.

I OTOH blame FTD, who continues to attempt to leverage a florist brand while omitting the florists.
Click to expand...

I agree with JB who agrees with you. Imagine that the three of us agreeing on something? ;)

The one thing I don't agree on is blaming FTD, if the customer buys online then they must be held accountable for reading and seeing everything that they are agreeing to in the the online order.

bloomz said:
You're absolutely right and I absolutely agree. (Imagine that!) :drunk:

That's why I asked the question cuz I still think consumers are gonna be disappointed cuz I know they don't read well.

There is full disclosure there, sort of...IF people read it.

A nice box is, well, just a nice box.

The ony thing is some seem to have the supposition that they don't care about complaints - and that idea is preposterous (I like that word).

They're not just CYAing - they're trying not to lose customers and we all know customers are expensive to aquire (especially when yer at the top of the PPC's)




Isn't that what they sued PF for?

...
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That is exactly right, FTD is trying to expand their business and not trying to make excuses. How do I know this? I don't.

The question is.... Is FTD a boiler room shop that is focused on churning and burning customers or a company interested in market development?

Joe
 
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CHR said:
As long as FTD (or PF or 1-800) shows an arrangement without the words 'assembly require' near the picture (or similar language), many consumers will not perceive that the item does not arrive looking like the photo. It's like they're trying to CYA just a little without fully disclosing the true nature of the products.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Probably I'm the only one.:argue:

Any ad pictures can be said misleading. "Serving suggestion" for food packaging is misleading. Picture ads of clothes using pretty models are extremely misleading.

Sure, FTD can place a disclaimer saying "assembly required" or whatever, but it really doesn't change the fact that the picture is still misleading. It's an ad after all.

If you want FTD to not misleading anyone (except a die-hard fool), the only thing they could do might be to show a picture of boxed flowers, perhaps with another picture showing what's in it. That would be not an ad anymore.

Fine, but if we apply that kind of strict standard, we should also demand no pretty model for women's clothes ads (because most of us aren't that skinny). They are misleading. Food package should never show a professionally prepared food, because most of us end up cooking a mess.

I admire your passion, I really do.

But here I think you are asking too much. As long as FTD clearly marked this is "florist delivered" and that is "in a box", I think that's sufficient. My two cents.
 
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I think the Uline folks are very, very smart marketers!

I think that they are trying really hard to segregate the "buy in a box - cheapo- DIY" market FROM the "florist made & delivered" bouquet.

I really do think that they are trying hard to counter-act all the complaints - both from the consumer and from their florist segment.
We all know that customer acquision is expensive. And that uphappy customers tell each other, and each other and before you know it....the story is 300 times as bad. I applaud them for taking a step forward to create a "better box" to present the consumer gift.

On the other hand, I would like the box more visably labeled:
"ASSEMBLY AND PROCESSING BY RECEIPIENT IS REQUIRED; VASE AND FLOWERS ARE SHIPPED SEPARATELY".
or...how about: "picture shown is only representative of what the flowers CAN look like, when processed and assembled by a REAL FLORIST. Your arrangement will be reflective of your own skill level."

IF the sender reads the disclaimer, he MIGHT at least ask "what's up with this"??

However, we all know that senders are in a hurry......and that they mostly don't read (the large or the small print)....or they think that it does not apply to them!
(Ah, the joys of dealing with the public....!)

Regards,

Cheryl
 
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goldfish said:
Sure, FTD can place a disclaimer saying "assembly required" or whatever, but it really doesn't change the fact that the picture is still misleading. It's an ad after all.
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We've already established that there is a segment of consumers that want boxed flowers and a segment that want pre-arranged flowers, it's the gray area in between that drop shippers and the traditional local florist are competing for. If all things were equal, the question is: what does this consumer prefer, DIY flowers drop shipped in a box or a professionally designed bouquet delivered by a local florist?

Are Pro/FTD's so called "deceptive" ads making a difference to their profitability? In the short term yes, but the long term is debatable. If this consumer truly did get deceived, but more importantly, they were truly disappointed in the whole experience, then the inevitable negative effect on the bottom line will force a natural correction. But if a large number of these consumers that were "deceived", in the end were happy with the outcome and experience, then the issue is moot. An ad is meant to promote, but only if the product is worthy, will it hold up.

Any negativity that arises from drop shipped flowers is a negative blow to the floral industry as a whole. But to what degree is this negativity? I'm beginning to believe it really boils down to the fact that we "florists" feel threatened by this change/shift in thinking.
 
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goldfish said:
I disagree. Probably I'm the only one.:argue:

Any ad pictures can be said misleading. "Serving suggestion" for food packaging is misleading. Picture ads of clothes using pretty models are extremely misleading.

Sure, FTD can place a disclaimer saying "assembly required" or whatever, but it really doesn't change the fact that the picture is still misleading. It's an ad after all.

If you want FTD to not misleading anyone (except a die-hard fool), the only thing they could do might be to show a picture of boxed flowers, perhaps with another picture showing what's in it. That would be not an ad anymore.

Fine, but if we apply that kind of strict standard, we should also demand no pretty model for women's clothes ads (because most of us aren't that skinny). They are misleading. Food package should never show a professionally prepared food, because most of us end up cooking a mess.

I admire your passion, I really do.

But here I think you are asking too much. As long as FTD clearly marked this is "florist delivered" and that is "in a box", I think that's sufficient. My two cents.
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Excellent post and points Goldie...puts it in a bit different perspective.

I wish my suit looked as good on me as it did on that model, too. But I'm a fat bastard and that's what I look like in it (Sher and Erlene can attest)

My burgers don't look like that picture on the side of the Burger King truck either.

Guess it's the way of the (marketing) world.

I'm sure they are taking the money they spent on it quite seriously, and I know they know the brand is tarnished currently.
 
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