Think my husband may have found a very good reason for the bounce rate on my website.

[Palms]

So want to join in but first can someone tell me what a bounce rate is please (without laughing at me that is lol).

Thanks

 

[steve]

Lori first let me say clearly you have great passion for the florist industry and for your shop and I am sure if I went into your shop as a customer that it would be in fact a wonderful experience. And there was a time that most people who bought flowers did go into a florist shop. But the world has changed people seem busier then ever The grocery stores have added floral depts and stolen some of your customers mostly on the $25.00 and under pruchase, not because they offer a better experiece but its easy they are standing in line and those loose bouquets are right there. Stopping at a florist is one more stop in a busy day. Now you got web sites offering the full array of flowers allowing people to buy 24/7. You be surpised how many of my orders come in well after I have gone to bed. Your shop and all our shops are being squeezed from both ends. there really is not a lot we can do about the grocery store in terms of ease of purchase while you are standing in line. But we can hold our own with the web orders.

 

[lori042499]

So want to join in but first can someone tell me what a bounce rate is please (without laughing at me that is lol).

Thanks

Bounce rate is the rate in which people leave your site without making a purchase...it is very similar to people coming in your store and abruptly leaving...after so many you start to wonder what it is they don't like when they walk in...

 

[LJVF]

Bounce rate is the rate in which people leave your site without making a purchase...it is very similar to people coming in your store and abruptly leaving...after so many you start to wonder what it is they don't like when they walk in...

It's actually worse than just not making a purchase, it's actually the rate in which a visitor clicks to your site and then immediately exits without spending time on your site or visiting any of your other pages.

I don't mind people browsing, they may just be shopping. It's the ones that immediately click away that concern me.

 

[David]

I would rather them call me, I think they get way better service

I much rather they order on line. I think it frees you up to give better service in your store.

 

[Johan]

Do you have to show all the charges separately in the US. The TAX etc. Can't just amalgamant the fees and flower value in one price plus delivery charge. Thats all I do. My delivery charge is highlighted on the delivery info page which shows exactly where I will deliver to with a hightlighted and I set the price that I want for the designs including VAT.
I personally would abort the purchase if I had seen that. It will make the customer feel like they are being ripped off. I would personally drop the WS websites. I have a lovely website that is extremely good value from Tim at Floristpro. I can up dateat the touch of a button. I don't have to put on the site want the WS wants me to do. I am a member of Teleflorist and I do use some of there pictures but only the ones I'm happy to do. I put on my own pictures to. I have seen so many of the WS sites and they all look the same and all have the same pic's on them.
I would BREAK FREE asap and start to create your own identity. I'm taking pics of work I'm doing at the moment and if they are good enough I will be going WS picture free asap.

 

[mb0509]

I don't think that you can get a true flowershop experience online...I know the world is changing, I am changing with it, but just because it changes doesn't mean I have to like what it is becoming.

I think the shopping experience overall has changed in the last 20 years. Twenty five years ago in MA, dept stores and malls were closed on Sundays and closed at 7pm during the week. Supermarkets weren't open 24 hrs and consumers didn't have the expectation of immediate gratification.

I think that, while giving a different version of an in-store experience, the web gives today's consumers what they want for shopping...selection, ease of ordering and 24 hr shopping. It's the 2009 shopping experience. And I love it when customers order online, esp. when it's my own products.

Websites can certainly give the feel and flavor of a shop, I've seen many FC member sites that give a real feel for their shop. I get a ridiculous amount of compliments on my site (Thanks Ryan-love my Strider site!).
And once you've done the initial work on your site, it is nowhere near as labor intensive as you might imagine to maintain it and change things. While it's quiet at the shop, I can easily manage updating the site when I'm there. When it's busier, I may do stuff at night while I'm watching tv...keeps me from feeling guilty about wasting my brain cells watching American Idol.

I live my life on the web...shop on the web, research stuff on the web, bank online, email family online...Why should my customers be any different?

 

[NavyBrat]

Why not switch, use the money saved from TF to hire Teresa from www.FloristWebsiteHelp.com to make the updates for you (very reasonable prices), and come out ahead of the game?
Ryan

Teresa is...AWESOME! If you don't have time to work on your site...give her a call! Her prices are extremely reasonable...I am thrilled to have her on my team! Thanks, Teresa!

 

[theRKF]

So want to join in but first can someone tell me what a bounce rate is please (without laughing at me that is lol).

Thanks

Bounce rate: when someone visits your site and then leaves without visiting another page.

Cart Abandonment rate: when someone starts the checkout process but doesn't complete it

Conversion rate: the % of visitors to your site who take the desired action

Lori is actually referring to her abandonment rate, not bounce rate.

Ryan the convenience fee was always there it just was wrapped into my delivery charge...people are not paying anymore than they have been they just see an accurate depiction of what they are paying...I could wrap all the fees into the arrangements like the ogs and not worry about anyof it and probably get more orders that way but i don't like that kind of shenanigans, hwever the worse the playingfield gets the more I am thinking that the shenanegans is how we will all have to go in order to get ahead on the web...

There is no money saved from TF to pay anyone to do the work...and it isn't that I do not have the time to devote to a website, I do not have the know how, the comprehention or the uninterupted time i need to deal with all the things my website needs...as Daryll stated in another post, we all need dedicated web masters it is like having a whole other store front to deal with and we all know how much of a full time job that is...What people fail to understand is that when you get rid of a ws you dn't necessarily have any extra money, because even though it costs you money for the service you do get orders that offset it...if the service goes away it was as if it didn't exist at all...most of the time WS is a break even situation, I would have to pay someone else for my website anyway and my computer system...


Like I said I am completely overwhelmed and need to do what I can the way I need to do it that makes sense for my life..I don't expect anyone to understand because it is stuff I don't even understand, all I know is taking on more bills is not something I can do right now and taking on more work that I don't grasp is out of the question, fixing what i do have and learning is my best option...right now..

What I'm seeing here is a lot of "I want, I feel, I think ..." and not much of "My customers want, My customers do, My customers need ..."

If you do anything - and this applies to a website or any other task - because you have to, like it's a necessary evil, your lack of enthusiasm will be evident in the results.

The concept of online convenience fees is a joke - plain and simple. The only people who get away with it are mini-monopolies. You want tickets for the Red Sox? Only one place to get them, and they have to pay for Big Papi's contract somehow.

Florists are not in that position of power to be able to stick it to our customers with convenience fees. Service fees are not much better, but they are a little less insulting than charging your customer for the privilege of ordering from you. I'm sure there are a few more florists in town are happy to take those orders.

As for costs ... If you have a TF site, you're paying too much. Monthly fees, per order fees, Dove fees ... it's ridiculous. This isn't a commercial for F20, it's a plea for florists to move to ANY decent platform that doesn't nickel and dime you to death, and then make it possible for you to recoup those fees by screwing customers with extra charges.

I'm willing to bet you would be saving money by switching to a different web provider and hiring Teresa for a week's worth of work. Her rates are just that affordable.

Ryan

 

[Queen of Weddings]

I have been following this for a while, I can admit that I don't know that much about websites, and such, but doing it any who, thank goodness my team does,

What for in life of me, I just don't get why would you charge someone to do business with you ? So just for giggles, I checked sites, I order from regularly, and not one of them charges a conv, fee, I relize things are tough out there, but come on, and am I missing something? I know sometimes, the dark roots show through !

I do understand that you want people to come in and play and talk to you about your product, But in real life no one really has the time to do that anymore, Sure I love to go bye shoes lots, and I don't have time for that so , I order on line all the time for them, and that makes it easy to do so, have I ever been un happy with my choices on them, Heavens it always exceeds my expecations of them, and By this when one orders from your site, it is the same for them, when one talkes to them about the flowers, sometimes, there maybe some type of mis comuications, it is big and showy, well I got the thing, and it is not, but I know what I am getting by looking at the pic. so I am OK with that, and it is all the details about what I am getting, and it all works out, and I will be back to order the same way again and again, Yes I have heard about things on websites, and mine works very well for us, and your may as well, but it must not be, because you have left it to the chance, no one likes to deal with nonsense, the scare tactic is a bad thing in any business, If I order that of say a 50.00 arrangment, and then I see delivery I am OK with that, but a price point to do business with you, I don't think so, also why not put a coupon code at check out for say a 3.50 off, and that will work for you, it does everyone else, yeah sometimes I forget to put the free shipping code in, but they call me and tell me that they have done it for me, and if you want to talk to the customer, just call them and tell them thank you for the order, and I don't mean to be rude or brash, but lately as I am sure lots are wondering about things, but sometimes we all get what we give, and you have to give freely and that goodness will all come to you, and it will all work out for you, We all have to do what is right for our business, and situations in life, untill then you just keep doing the same thing and expecting different results then it will not happen. YOU have to be open to change, and let things come in to your heart and souls, When you look at that arrangment of flowers that you just did. then it can tell alot about you and what you are thinking, So it is what it is, it is about the flowers,love,care that you put in to it,

 

[goldfish]

Like I said I am completely overwhelmed and need to do what I can the way I need to do it that makes sense for my life..I don't expect anyone to understand because it is stuff I don't even understand, all I know is taking on more bills is not something I can do right now and taking on more work that I don't grasp is out of the question, fixing what i do have and learning is my best option...right now..

Lori, as one of your online buddies, here's what I honestly think... Don't take any offense, please.

I think you are wasting your time. People like Ryan, Darrell are very good at computer stuff. You are definitely not. And it takes a lot of time and energy to reach their level if ever. Do you know how many hours these guys are spending on their websites, PPC, etc?

If the revenue from your website is less than, say, 10% of your revenue, I'd just forget about it for the moment (except for some minor changes I recommend - see below). Even if you can increase web revenue by 10%, the overall change of your revenue is just 1%. It doesn't matter really.

I think it's time to go back to your roots, focusing on your strength, main business. Take care of website later.

You said you are good at talking to people. Why not talk to funeral directors, catering houses, etc, etc. I believe you would have a much greater ROI (return on investment) of your time.

Finally minor suggestions on your web site.

1) Your website is boring. It's awfully boring, especially the front page. I'd put a picture of yours or your hubby or your dog, right there with some stupid caption.

2) Your flowers are too expensive. Move some of the cheaper arrangements to the front and take $10 off. In my experience, the magic number is $29.99.

 

[Knife's Wife]

Lori, How many orders are you receiving on your website per month? That # x $3.50 is worth saving. Coming from someone that had a very successful TF website, I can tell you the move to my Strider site was scary. It has been a move that I am happy I made. There are great advantages to doing it yourself, like having extra product in your cooler you need to move so you pop into the back office and add a special for the day or week, whatever. Add a coupon, take it off , create another one. Add pics of the inside of your store, change them with the seasons or the holidays, add to your gallery. It is time consuming for about the first month as you are preparing what product you want on your site. After the first month it is 10 minutes here 30 minutes there.
There are lots of people here that are willing to lend a helping hand if you need some assistance to get rolling. Don't be offended by this but seriously if you have time to post on flowerchat every day than you have time for your own website. I had to give up flowerchat for about a month but it was worth it!

Joan

 

[lori042499]

Ok let me get this straight. It is not that I don't have the time. It is the time it takes devoted to do the thingas I need to do coupled with the knowledge and skill it takes to do it and get good results. My pica don,t do my floqwer justice. Website goobledigook baffles me. And I really suck at naming arrangements and desribing them. These things are what holds up production. I currently have about 100 of my own images waitinh for names and dscrptions to go on the web. I take pix all the time and just get stalled there. I sometimes wish I hnad unlimited resources to just get it done right and be done with it. If you all think I am alonein this you are all crazy

 

[Knife's Wife]

First of all you do not need any of your own arrangements to get started. But if you have any of your own on your TF site than just use those as your starting point. When my site went live I had about 1/2 dozen pics on my site already that I put on to my new site.
So first go to you web statistic on myteleflora.com and look at each month and write down the pics that are most popular. Write these down, and write down what month they were popular in. For example I found that Uniquely Chic was very popular so I save the pic to my pictures, and copied/pasted the description to microsoft word for later. You need one good pic of your store either outside our inside your store for your about us page. Strider has alot of the TF # so it is mostly just the TFWEB # that you need to do this with. Don't worry about getting any other pics ready. If you have customized your TF site for about us page and delivery policy, ect. Copy and paste it in to microsoft word for later.

Now take take 5 of your pics that you have and upload them here on FC and ask for some help in naming them and descripting them. They can be added in time or right away whatever you would like.

I created 5 specials with old TF containers that I wanted to get rid of for Valentines Day, one of them was that ugly ceramic heart with "love" printed on it I sold out of all of my specials. Do I think that I could just sell all my own stuff on the site, no because I do not have the inventory of pics ready to do that with, but eventually I will. But as long as I am a TF member I will take advantage of their photography and the pics that sell.

I really don't know what all the techy stuff you refer to being so hard is. I think you underestimate your own capabilities.

Joan

 

[Johan]

Ok let me get this straight. It is not that I don't have the time. It is the time it takes devoted to do the thingas I need to do coupled with the knowledge and skill it takes to do it and get good results. My pica don,t do my floqwer justice. Website goobledigook baffles me. And I really suck at naming arrangements and desribing them. These things are what holds up production. I currently have about 100 of my own images waitinh for names and dscrptions to go on the web. I take pix all the time and just get stalled there. I sometimes wish I hnad unlimited resources to just get it done right and be done with it. If you all think I am alonein this you are all crazy

Why don't you upload some of the pics here and we could have ago at giving them funky names and descriptions for you!
I find if I'm personally looking on a website, too many products can be off putting. The more streamlined the better. I don't have loads of designs on my website and my customers tell me they love it. Because I do next day delivery and only a couple of same day delivery lines, I do get alot of people checking out the website then ringing direct as they like to talk to us about their requirements. We are a small shop in fairly rural area and we have orders from our website or over the phone via the website on a daily basis along with wedding enquiries etc. So worth having.