How many online orders do you average per day and who developed your site?

[LJVF]

And yet another poll.

Guidelines:

• If you own multiple websites, maintained by multiple sources, then use the stats from the one with the highest volume most relevant to retail flowers
• To keep everyone on the same page, please base your per day average on the FULL year totals including peak period volume
• For simplicity, your answer should only include orders directly generated through website, this does not include phone orders via website.

BTW, my first instinct tells me that there will be an abundance of 10 or less choices, but I included many more, because it seems in previously generated polls on other subjects, the ceiling was set too low.

 

[CHERYL BAKIN]

Darrel,
Where are you going with all these polls?

What is the purpose?
Please explain.....and thanks!
Cheryl

 

[LJVF]

Cheryl,

Yes there have been an abundance of polls recently, but only a couple were originated by me. The reasons for this one are pretty simple, for one I am curious in the volume of orders the average flowerchatter receives per day. I am also interested if there is any correlation between a higher or lower average with the type of website. I am currently in transition in cutting over from my FTD maintained website to an independently developed one.

In the past I created my own website, and it looked decent, but the insides were a mess. I am debating whether to take a course or two, or putting some real time and effort into learning html. This poll will not be the deciding factor, but will help aid me in my decision.

I also think a lot of people are curious for various other reasons.

 

[CHERYL BAKIN]

Thanks Darrel for the explanation. It would help those who choose to answer the poll in the future just what the purpose is.

Also, keep in mind that many people, from many floral walks of life read this chat board every day. Some may interpret your request for information differently than others.

Since you are considering changing webmasters, a few things to keep in mind: (from my experience about3 years ago):
1. My time is finite -- I cannot do all things that I would like to do in a day/week/month. You need to decide what is the best use of your time.

2. Once #1 is out of the way, the rest is easy. Do you take a class (time involved -- delay in getting your website off its present host) or do you go with an established webmaster who can host & hlep you.

3. consider cost, but most importantly, service.
What exactly is being provided, and in what kind of time frame. What does it cost for extra bells & whistles. What do you have to do with the new webmaster to make this happen. Can you load/upload your own pictures as you have time or is this a "canned" product. Is holiday updating automatic. Can you can product & prices on the fly. Can you pull something that you have sold out of.

......It's more than just learning HTML code........for me, It was more cost effective to pay someone to do all of the above for me.

and yes, we moved from a wire service model -- and have seen an increase in web traffic & orders. We would see even more if I had the time to be even more onvolved in my website & its morphasis.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need more information.

Cheryl

 

[LJVF]

Cheryl,

I will pm you.

I should also point out, that I am a stats kinda guy. I am always fascinated with numbers and rankings. Anything from Academy Award winners to the the healthiest city rankings. Sports stats are my favorite, probably explains why I'm a big fantasy baseball player.

 

[CHR]

You'll get a wide range of numbers based on whether a site is locally, regionally or nationally focused, whether stores are doing email campaigns to their mailing lists, PPCs and/or even basic SEO. My guess is the VAST majority are doing under 10 (and most under 5) M - F except on major holidays.

 

[Toddxxx]

Yeah, I would have less than 5, averaged over the year. That is direct orders, not people seeing the site and calling.

Good idea for a poll, I'm looking forward to seeing the results when a few more people vote. :ausflag:

 

[cherrie]

You know, I don't get the question "How many orders do you receive from your website"? To me, my website site is much more than an immediate order gatherer. It's my primary contact with potential clients that have not yet used my services and a visual guide for existing customers. Essentially, it's my image to the outside world. I don't want that image to be the same as everyone else.
Yesterday, someone told me how unconventional and "happy" my site is.
Every day, call after call after call with reference to items or things that are seen on the site. It's as valuable to me as a guide tool as it is as an order gatherer. Probably more.....
My site is a work in progress. A new site will be up soon. This will be my fourth one. It's keeps evolving. A work in progress - like me.

 

[bekka_74403]

website...

i'm not smart enough to do my own website... i can't even figure out how to see how many times it's hit... TF does mine... i get quite a few orders from people who have been on the website.. call and order.. some come in over the dove ( had one today.... )...

 

[Flowerchatter03]

1800flowers is the one who designed and maintains our web-site (not a choice in the poll). It is our goal that this is a temporary situation.

I have someone locally who is supposed to work on a web-site for us. For a year, we had one page and that's it. Either the webmaster didn't have time to work on it and/or we didn't have the time to keep taking photos and getting them changed out. We are a 2 person shop (and 2 very, very part time) and we do not have the time to maintain it right now.

RC gave a wonderful demonstration in another thread about how you can take photos and use photoshop to create wonderful pics for your web-site. We are in the process of obtaining this program to continue forth.

While we do not get a lot of orders DIRECTLY through our website, we have many, many people who will call and say that they are looking at the web site can you do this or that but in this color or take out this flower and add such and such.

By the way, the reason we chose 800flowers is because after researching the other florists in our area, the ones that had web-sites, they were all created by TF or FTD (and still are). Most are TF and they have the same pictures in every web-site. We decided at the very least, our web site will not look like everyone elses.

Like I said, we hope that we will create something more spectacular like RC's website or one of my person favorites, www.marksgarden.net. We are looking for inspiration but we do not wish to copy anyones work.

 

[inferno63]

I do my own and learning more everyday. I like the flexibility it offers me to make immediate changes. Once the basics are learned, it really doesn't take a lot of time to maintain. I also like to be able to check the traffic and referrals every day so I can see what links are working and what key words are working. I can also see what areas of my world have been on my website by isp addresses.

With web orders and web referred orders, I get less than 10 a day. However, the website is a tool for me to refer customers to see my designs and delivery options, etc. It is a brochure in everyone's home. The marketing value of a website is a high priority for me.

 

[bloomz]

At the recent design show we went to - the audience was asked how many of them are "on the web".

An appalling perhaps 25-30% of them raised their hands. I was observing a death knell and I don't know why they were bothering to learn more about flowers and floristry.

I hate to tell you this, but if you're not already "on the web" you may as well close up and go home.

That bus left the station about 5 years ago and it ain't coming back.


I also strongly feel that a unique website design is way more important than unique images. I've seen some that actually degrade the look of the wire service sites by adding their own images.


And to the guy who started this thread - very nice, man. I like it a lot.

 

[SpringCity]

I don't have a store yet but when I do I'm going to use prostores. They're owned by ebay and I have an ebay store, and am familiar with the prostores setup because I maintain a site for someone else using it. It is ecommerce and you use their template and customize it yourself. I also know enough html, css and graphic stuff to get by w/o hiring a web designer.

 

[Lisa]

Thanks for the poll LJVF. I also find polls and stats interesting, keep it up.

 

[CHR]

To me, my website site is much more than an immediate order gatherer. It's my primary contact with potential clients that have not yet used my services and a visual guide for existing customers. Essentially, it's my image to the outside world. I don't want that image to be the same as everyone else.

Cherrie -

I was thinking of your words today after three walk-in customer told me of arriving at our shop after viewing our website. Odd as the economy is, our carry-out orders are up in July and I attribute those new customers primarily to our site.

A website can be so much more than an ecommerce platform.

Darrell, you've probably already considered these issues in your debate about website hosts but I'll mention themt just in case:

1) How are pages titled? Are they keyword rich (search engine friendly) or strings of letters and numbers?
2) Can you customize titles and meta descriptions for each page? Can you do it yourself or does your webmaster have to add that info?
3) Can you add new product and non-product pages on the fly or does your webmaster have to?
4) How many other florist sites does the server host?
5) Are there "per order" fees?
6) Can the back end of the site integrate with your POS?

I've seen sites from WSs, self-builts and independents all do well in search... but after that, do they convert?

HTH

 

[LJVF]

And to the guy who started this thread - very nice, man. I like it a lot.

Thanks JB, I like it too!

Darrell, you've probably already considered these issues in your debate about website hosts but I'll mention themt just in case:

1) How are pages titled? Are they keyword rich (search engine friendly) or strings of letters and numbers?
2) Can you customize titles and meta descriptions for each page? Can you do it yourself or does your webmaster have to add that info?
3) Can you add new product and non-product pages on the fly or does your webmaster have to?
4) How many other florist sites does the server host?
5) Are there "per order" fees?
6) Can the back end of the site integrate with your POS?

I've seen sites from WSs, self-builts and independents all do well in search... but after that, do they convert?

HTH

Cathy, I just recently changed website hosts (today as a matter of fact).

But to answer your issue questions in regards to my former FTD hosted site:

1) Probably not optimal, but my site did rank fairly well for related keywords.

2) Yes, you can do a lot of freedom in the web portal. More than I think a lot of florists know.

3) Yes, you can add new images and product on the fly on your own.

4) Too many

5) Yes there are per order fees, too pricey in my opinion

6) Yes it does intergrate

A lot of these features weren't available a year ago. I have found that many members have no idea how to operate the web portal.

 

[bloomz]

I bet very few users even know the ftd sites even have a portal.

 

[cherrie]

Can you please explain portal.
Thanks.

 

[LJVF]

Can you please explain portal.
Thanks.

If your site is maintained by FTD, you can go to myfolsite.com or myftdsite.com. You have to create a user id and password to access the portal. The portal allows you to manage your website, you can change prices, add product, delete product, add pop-ups, add descriptions, see site stats, and a whole lot more. Teleflora offers something similar with their eflorist center.

 

[HERO]

Is the the Abbott's in everyone's backyard?

Thanks for the poll LJVF. I also find polls and stats interesting, keep it up.

Like this search for Baton Rouge florists ?

http://http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=baton+rouge+florist&btnG=Google+Search

You must be the one then with 40 - 50 a day. For the money you are spending to be in everyones back yard, then your ROI must SUCK.

@@@@ Shame :ar15
:boomsmili http://www.abbottsflorist.com/baton-rouge.htm?src=g-r&gclid=CImskofn55QCFSCcnAod1XcISA

Funny, you deliver in Baton Rouge?!?, I don't see your shops anywhere.