Independent v WS websites comparisons

[Joe Mioux]

I have been looking at some of the independent websites and comparing those sites to TF retail florists websites.

I have looked at various independent WS developers and they pretty much have the same format.

To be honest most of what I see from independent vendors look virtually the same.

There is is header, then a sub head at the top.

To the left is a column with occasions.

In the main text 3 columns and four or five rows of product.

At the bottom, generally some delivery descriptions that search engines can pick up.

How is this template superior to Tf's?

The general argument for independent sites is that a florist would get away from that "cookie cutter look" of the WS, however, if all a florist is doing is moving from one template (TF) to another template (independent) what is the point?

The main, but not necessarily the only, difference I see is the color of the background and the fonts used.

Many on the images for these independent sites come from either the WS's or John Henry, so again, I ask where is the difference?

Now, the differences I do see, and the one that interests me most is cost.

It seems some web vendors have a monthly fee, a per order fee, and a one time set up fee.

SEO stuff? seems the independent vendors and the WS's both do SEO, so again where is the difference?

Help me understand the pro's and cons.

joe

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

Don't have our indie site done yet, but we do have a tf template that most shops don't have, and we work on customizing text, photos, changing home page selections etc. I hear over and over and over from customers who call in from our site that it's nice to see a "different" site than everybody elses.

I think they mean the personalized text, not the same exact wording on most TF sites, as well as the individual items that we decide to use on the home page. They are specifically NOT the same as featured on tf.com or any other un-manned tf site.

cost? The per order fee & Dove fees necessary to receive my orders will go away once we're ready to switch completely. That's hefty for me.

Plus, it's nice to be different than other shops in the area.

 

[CHERYL BAKIN]

Joe:
I have an independent site thru Media 99.
We moved from the TF web hosting platform for several reasons, including:

Cost: Cost of hosting kept going up; Per order cost to receive on Dove kept going up; Both of these costs were raised at the whim of TF and we have no option except to leave.

We were paying a monthly web hosting fee, a Order transaction fee to get the order from our website, and a Dove transmission fee to transmit it to us over the Dove.

Cost of initial setup was high......others are more reasonable.

Flexibility: While my site uses mostly std images at present, we have flexibility to design the site any way we want. My displays 9 pics per page. Others display 6 or 12 or more. I can load, change or modify my products or pricing at my whim. Could not do this when we had a TF site -- had to go thru the TF webmaster to get anything changed.

I can add special pages on my own, or special promotions on my own.
I can block delivery dates on my own, or change delivery prices on my own.

My Home page is changed by the Webmaster with a simple email -- usually within an hour or less.

Also, I do not have to deal with TF adding products to my site that I do not carry. This was a constant battle, & then we would have to request that they be removed. We looked like dummies in the eyes of customers many times.

For me, moving was the best thing I could have ever done. I would do it again in a minute.

Hardest for me is finding the time to manipulate everything, and increase our presence on the web.
Second hardest is learing about SEO -- it's like learning a new language....not easy, but I'm getting there, and it's challenging!
Third hardest is Photography......This is something that we are learning, and takes time to get good at it.

Order results: Initially, we were getting good order results from the TF website. As time went on, our results kept declining -- significantly. We could never quite figure out why......but it was obvious that other TF maintained sites were being "pushed" and ours wasn't.

Once we left TF web hosting, our orders IMMEDIATELY increased by over 100% (yep...100%), and we have continued to increase every day since.

Hope this helps!

Cheryl

ps. When we initially out with the TF website, we looked at them as a "partner" to our business, just as we did other wire service related services. It has become increasingly clear that they are no longer a "partner' but a "vendor" that we must evaluate against other preveyors of the same type of products. (This is NOT a wire service bash!) I evaluated the web site stuff just like I do insurance, purchasing of products and other goods and services.

 

[master J]

as you already now- per order fees is the main reason why we went to Strider site
TF= $3 per order fee with rates always going higher, eventually Im sure they will go to $4 per order

Strider= $0 per order

when you do over 1000+ internet orders a year thats huge savings

My search results are much better on Strider site then they were with Tf site

I'm sure Ryan can give you reasons why that is, but his sites are SEO friendly for sure

I also agree with tracy, that you can customize your WS sites to be unique too, which can help seperate you from all the others that look the same

 

[Terrafolia]

in my humble opinion, if you're really serious about web business, you have to go independent. the reasons are endless but here are a few... being able to customize your site pages, category breakdown, thumbnail/product images, product pages, add on options, checkout process, payment methods, and of course SEO and Analytics capabilities will always be better with an indie.

sure it costs more, a lot more, but you have to consider this an entirely new arm of your business, you'll likely lose money your first year, but the long term benefits of cutting the proverbial cord from the WS will be SO worth it in a couple of years (and cost less). oh and remember, get a powerful CMS (content management system) so that you don't have to depend on webmasters or designers to make small changes ie. "We can't do any more MD Deliveries today!"

this is ours http://www.terrafolia.ca

 

[clay]

Ryan has a spreadsheet showing website features with the different independent websites....you could use that to compare to the TF website....just a thought.

 

[steve]

Like Cheryl I am with media99 after first starting out with FTD I move from FTD for 3 reason one was price, two I thought I should be getting more orders then I was and three I did not trust them with my data . Like Cheryl from day one I got more web orders. I am sure from everything I hear that Strider is an excellent choice too. I too am far to dependant on WS photos. We are shooting some of our photos but I really need to get a computer with enough ram to handle one of the better photo editing programs.

 

[Sher]

Like Cheryl and Steve, I am with Media99...my website has been up around 90% increase since moving to them last year. What has helped me out is using floristwebsitehelp.com ( Teresa Taft) to do all of my changes, SEO, just everything including my press releases.
I do not have the time and honestly can make more money doing the aspect of my business that I am good at than trying to learn what I need to make my website go. She works for me 3 hours a week for $ 75 and accomplishes far more than what I could do with the site in the same time. Plus she emails me things that she thinks will increase traffic and for the most part they do.
My whole business for MD was up a total of 33.4% largely due to the website as well as the call ins, many of which like all of you tell you they are on the site so this has been a great investment for me.
To use a Ws website nowdays when there are awesome alternatives like media 99 and Strider, to me seem to be just another way for them (WS) to be able to view your client base...I may be the only one with trust issues about WS's but I do not like the idea of giving them a key to my clients...Although with that being said, I do have a WS POS...go figure..but working on that issue as well.
As to photography issues..I paid one local well known over $ 1500 bucks to do pictures for my web site...they stink..so it is back to the drawing board on that issue but I think if several of us got together, we could come up with some awesome designs, in generic containers, using easily obtainable product, and pics that we could all use...this is the time to come together..yes this has been my soap box for years...but we could do this if we just pulled together...jmho
Sher

 

[master J]

Like Cheryl and Steve, I am with Media99...my website has been up around 90% increase since moving to them last year. What has helped me out is using floristwebsitehelp.com ( Teresa Taft) to do all of my changes, SEO, just everything including my press releases.
I do not have the time and honestly can make more money doing the aspect of my business that I am good at than trying to learn what I need to make my website go. She works for me 3 hours a week for $ 75 and accomplishes far more than what I could do with the site in the same time. Plus she emails me things that she thinks will increase traffic and for the most part they do.
My whole business for MD was up a total of 33.4% largely due to the website as well as the call ins, many of which like all of you tell you they are on the site so this has been a great investment for me.
To use a Ws website nowdays when there are awesome alternatives like media 99 and Strider, to me seem to be just another way for them (WS) to be able to view your client base...I may be the only one with trust issues about WS's but I do not like the idea of giving them a key to my clients...Although with that being said, I do have a WS POS...go figure..but working on that issue as well.
As to photography issues..I paid one local well known over $ 1500 bucks to do pictures for my web site...they stink..so it is back to the drawing board on that issue but I think if several of us got together, we could come up with some awesome designs, in generic containers, using easily obtainable product, and pics that we could all use...this is the time to come together..yes this has been my soap box for years...but we could do this if we just pulled together...jmho
Sher

Agree Sher, Teresa is an awesome person to work with & I too just may have to hire her soon, and she can be trusted to do a great job for anyone! I was glad I was able to meet her in person when I visited your shop back in the fall! keep on rockin Sher!

 

[inferno63]

I am convinced that being different is like being the only woman on an island of 100 men; there is an increase in demand. Just as likely, if all woman looked exactly the same except one woman, that difference would make her the most popular. Therefore, I feel that it would be best for me if all florists used TF sites except me. Just my humble opinion......

 

[twiggy]

I have a Media99 template site- I love that I can do lots of stuff on my own.

my site layout is similar to many out there because I wanted my site to be easy to navigate. I didn't want my customer to have to figure out where to find what they were looking for, so I chose something similar to what my potential customers are used to.

I use some of JH images and some of my own, most of them are just basic everyday designs, because that is what most people are looking for.
I have noticed more customers ordering some of my own different designs-so I will work on making more of those available. I can do that in a very short time with no fuss.

 

[inferno63]

I have a Media99 template site- I love that I can do lots of stuff on my own.

my site layout is similar to many out there because I wanted my site to be easy to navigate. I didn't want my customer to have to figure out where to find what they were looking for, so I chose something similar to what my potential customers are used to.

I use some of JH images and some of my own, most of them are just basic everyday designs, because that is what most people are looking for.
I have noticed more customers ordering some of my own different designs-so I will work on making more of those available. I can do that in a very short time with no fuss.

Your site is great. Most websites no matter the product have a similar design/layout. What makes your site different and great are your own images and attention to text details. I can look at different Media 99 sites and depending on the shop, can be very different from others. Kudos to you.

 

[bloomz]

As to photography issues..I paid one local well known over $ 1500 bucks to do pictures for my web site...they stink..so it is back to the drawing board on that issue but I think if several of us got together, we could come up with some awesome designs, in generic containers, using easily obtainable product, and pics that we could all use...this is the time to come together..yes this has been my soap box for years...but we could do this if we just pulled together...jmho
Sher

The wire services are doing phenomenal new images, getting better every day. Now even 3 of each one.

I have a whole folder of bookmarks of great new appealing images and I've got a bunch of work to do putting new stuff on my site.

My summer project.

So many here talk like there's something wrong with using them and I'll for the nth time come out and say you just pretty much can't beat them, so why reinvent the wheel.

Unless you're not a member who has rights to use them that is.....

 

[Palms]

I have an independant site through strider and have never had a relay website. I personally think they are very inpersonal and if someone is searching for a florist and they all have the same site it puts them off. I am not the best person to give a completely balanced view with never having one but my opinion is that even if its only the font and colour and logo that are different i still think they would work better as the customer would recognise the site as being independant which in turn gives a more personal image.

With regards to photographs, i use half relay and half of my own. I have never been able to get a decent photo of a handtied of my own and i have to agree with bloomz that the photos from relay are great. I even like all the modern designs that they produce to be honest. My best sellers for the gift bouquets generally come from relay pics whilst sympathy are my own. My aim is for a customer to come and my site and buy, be in online or with a phone order. And currently my independant one works fine for me.

Just my twopence worth..

 

[BOSS]

Unless you're not a member who has rights to use them that is.....

I prefer not to use them, even though I could if I wanted to.....

 

[inferno63]

There are people who continue to use the wheel and there are those that continue to improve the wheel and there are those who continue to try to invent something better than the wheel. They all make the vehicle move.

 

[LJVF]

The wire services are doing phenomenal new images, getting better every day. Now even 3 of each one.

I have a whole folder of bookmarks of great new appealing images and I've got a bunch of work to do putting new stuff on my site.

My summer project.

So many here talk like there's something wrong with using them and I'll for the nth time come out and say you just pretty much can't beat them, so why reinvent the wheel.

Unless you're not a member who has rights to use them that is.....

I have to agree with you. Every shop has a different set of variables and demographics so what may work for one may fail for another. But for me, the WS images sell like crazy. At this point, I just can't see throwing guaranteed revenues away.

With that said, I am always trying to be proactive and think 10 steps ahead. I've been slowly, but surely mastering the craft of photo editing my own images. I don't want to put all my marbles in one bag; what would happen if the wire services decided to suddenly one day take our cookies away from us? Probably won't happen, but I'm preparing none the less.

Also, I have to admit, my own "cookies" that I made myself are really catching on and selling really well.

 

[master J]

I have to agree with you. Every shop has a different set of variables and demographics so what may work for one may fail for another. But for me, the WS images sell like crazy. At this point, I just can't see throwing guaranteed revenues away.

With that said, I am always trying to be proactive and think 10 steps ahead. I've been slowly, but surely mastering the craft of photo editing my own images. I don't want to put all my marbles in one bag; what would happen if the wire services decided to suddenly one day take our cookies away from us? Probably won't happen, but I'm preparing none the less.

Also, I have to admit, my own "cookies" that I made myself are really catching on and selling really well.

D, you can bake your own cookies, I like homemade cookies better than chips ahoy anyway! LOL!

I still however put a few WS cookies on my site just to see how they sell compared to mine. I even listened to Bloomz and put that stupid polka dots and posies cookie cutter up and sold a ton of those little fudgers! Now I have to buy more polka dot ribbon! Sheesh!thx Bloomz
PS- just don't make any pot brownies!

 

[HeatherTuckey]

I have to agree with you. Every shop has a different set of variables and demographics so what may work for one may fail for another. But for me, the WS images sell like crazy. At this point, I just can't see throwing guaranteed revenues away.

We have put together a brochure or postcard with a group of florists almost every VD, MD, Xmas, some everyday, some Easter and some Thanksgiving since 2003. Almost EVERY one other than Xmas and Thanks features this arr (or it's former pic with is almost the same)...



And each time we plan a mail piece one or two florists insist on it and we try to throw in new ones along with it hoping to "dethrone" the "brighten your day/ TF107-1", hoping our customers will tire of it as we do. Then I get the brochure in the shop... and I hear the staff whine "not that one AGAIN???!!!". So the holiday comes, and the holiday goes. Guess which arr is the #1 seller with EVERY FLORIST (usually 8 or so participating high volume shops)... the @@@@ BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY TF107-1.

And we also get loads of them incoming so we just keep makin em, usually 100 to 150 per holiday. And now years later we have an updated version. We feature that one now. We had no brochure this year, but STILL the best seller this MD the NEW, REVISED TF107-1. So what started at $34.99, is now $44.99, $59.99 and $74.99 to meet all customers size requests/budgets, but it's still the best seller.

Why on earth would I replace this with my own crappy photo of a bright colored mixed vase.

 

[master J]

We have put together a brochure or postcard with a group of florists almost every VD, MD, Xmas, some everyday, some Easter and some Thanksgiving since 2003. Almost EVERY one other than Xmas and Thanks features this arr (or it's former pic with is almost the same)...

View attachment 6138

And each time we plan a mail piece one or two florists insist on it and we try to throw in new ones along with it hoping to "dethrone" the "brighten your day/ TF107-1", hoping our customers will tire of it as we do. Then I get the brochure in the shop... and I hear the staff whine "not that one AGAIN???!!!". So the holiday comes, and the holiday goes. Guess which arr is the #1 seller with EVERY FLORIST (usually 8 or so participating high volume shops)... the @@@@ BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY TF107-1.

And we also get loads of them incoming so we just keep makin em, usually 100 to 150 per holiday. And now years later we have an updated version. We feature that one now. We had no brochure this year, but STILL the best seller this MD the NEW, REVISED TF107-1. So what started at $34.99, is now $44.99, $59.99 and $74.99 to meet all customers size requests/budgets, but it's still the best seller.

Why on earth would I replace this with my own crappy photo of a bright colored mixed vase.

They are buying the Title not the picture
Brighten your day! thats why they buy it-
I bet you could put another image in there( another WS image or your own) and call it brighten your day and it will still sell just as well