Who Built Your Website And Are You Pleased?
- Thread starter jordan
- Start date
Media99. Over $117,000 in sales directly from the website last year. Great people to work with. Very easy site to maintain.
Sarah Botchick
Well-Known Member
do you invest additional funds into PPC, SEO, keyword optimization?
Also before media 99 site, did you have another eCommerce site? If so was has there been a dramatic increase in sales?
Our TF hosted site is doing about 80k avg order $105. We are looking to increase web traffic, conversion, and sales....
Also before media 99 site, did you have another eCommerce site? If so was has there been a dramatic increase in sales?
Our TF hosted site is doing about 80k avg order $105. We are looking to increase web traffic, conversion, and sales....
We actually have two sites. One is a informational site (www.blumen.com) where most people find us, and then I link from there to my Media99 site (ludwigflowers.com) for online ordering. Over the years I've done a lot with the blumen.com site with SEO and adding a lot of wedding information and photos, and blogging. Most traffic to my Media99 site comes from blumen.com, because it does well on the search engines.
Toddxxx
Well-Known Member
https://www.florist20.com/websites/florists/what-florist-20/
And yes, I am pleased. I have a template website but I do believe they do custom jobs.
And yes, I am pleased. I have a template website but I do believe they do custom jobs.
Florist 2.0 and it is work in progress 
(to their defense I am extremely picky person)
I am overall pleased with it.
But we can never be complacent and I recently had a bunch of people review my website (and product ordering ease / checkout) to give me their opinions. Am making changes according to it.
Would also appreciate fellow florist opinion(s) www.scentandviolet.com if anyone cares (or has few spare minutes)
(to their defense I am extremely picky person)I am overall pleased with it.
But we can never be complacent and I recently had a bunch of people review my website (and product ordering ease / checkout) to give me their opinions. Am making changes according to it.
Would also appreciate fellow florist opinion(s) www.scentandviolet.com if anyone cares (or has few spare minutes)
Amra makes a great point: user testing can't be ignored!
We recently finished a round of user testing for another florist client and it was really interesting to hear how customers viewed the company, and the impressions the site content gave them, versus what the florist thought they were conveying.
We also run user testing on competing platforms - and it's interesting to hear about customers being really frustrated by features that the florist is really tickled with. A good reminder that we have to design for the client, and optimize for the client, not to address our own issues or concerns.
We recently finished a round of user testing for another florist client and it was really interesting to hear how customers viewed the company, and the impressions the site content gave them, versus what the florist thought they were conveying.
We also run user testing on competing platforms - and it's interesting to hear about customers being really frustrated by features that the florist is really tickled with. A good reminder that we have to design for the client, and optimize for the client, not to address our own issues or concerns.
Hi Jordan, We were with Media 99 for a number of years which was a nice improvement over the company we had before that (which I can't recall the name of). Now we are with Epic, and have seen a huge surge in orders (up to 70%) over same month previous year. As far as I know, the only better company is Gravity Free. They have an amazing product that comes with a large (aprox $50,000.00) price tag. That is why we went with Epic, and so far we are very pleased. Our order volume from the site is trending slightly more than 20% of our total sales which are around the Million per year mark.
Epic does have a nice product. Not as customizable as Florist 2.0, but very strong for mobile and conversion nonetheless and it's no surprise you saw a big lift over the sadly outdated sites from Media99.
The Gravity Free sites (from Beneva) are actually closer to $65k, require a financing program, and 3+ days of on-site installation. The high price tag also comes with territorial exclusivity so you can be sure that no one within 25-50 miles will also be spending $65k on a similar site.
The Gravity Free sites (from Beneva) are actually closer to $65k, require a financing program, and 3+ days of on-site installation. The high price tag also comes with territorial exclusivity so you can be sure that no one within 25-50 miles will also be spending $65k on a similar site.
@theRKF @douginmood
Guys, newbie and technically disoriented person here! Help me understand how can website alone increase the number of orders. The reason I am asking is that I heard from one florist who got Beneva website comment: "Yes, I paid that much and it was worth every penny", but never really bothered to explore this further.
Guys, newbie and technically disoriented person here! Help me understand how can website alone increase the number of orders. The reason I am asking is that I heard from one florist who got Beneva website comment: "Yes, I paid that much and it was worth every penny", but never really bothered to explore this further.
anytimeflowers
Linda
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have to assume that a large percentage of these orders are not local deliveries? There must be a lot of them that are for wire-out? I mean for the big number ones like $200K.
Beyond even that, think about what type of shop can even consider a $65k investment in marketing. This would have to be an established high volume shop in a metro area, probably grossing multiple millions in revenue already. Combine the existing brand strength with the shift to online buying over the last 10 years it's no wonder these shops are seeing big volume through their sites. I'm just not sure how much of that volume is directly attributable to the site itself. You'd have to go case by case.
Sarah Botchick
Well-Known Member
@SLevi There are multiple ways that the quality/construction of a website can increase the number of orders. I'm sure @theRKF can add to this list, here are just a few off the top of my head.
1) General Search Engine Optimization - if the site is built correctly you can greatly increase your placement in the search engines. More traffic = more potential customers = (eventually) more orders.
2) More specific Search Engine Optimization - I am a huge proponent of something called "targeting the long tail." The "long tail" is a more specific search term. A typical keyword that many shops in your area might be targeting their sites for would be "flowers houston texas". Since many sites are geared towards that you might have trouble getting top search engine rankings on that term. An example of a "long tail" term would be "sympathy flowers xyz funeral home houston texas." If your site is built by a qualified web design professional who understands these type of things (like Ryan) they will build your site to get listed in the search engines for the long tail as well as the more traditional. This will drive more of the "right" buyers to your site, therefore increasing your chances of getting the order, = more orders.
3) The better the site looks, the better chance you have of getting the sale. = more orders
4) The more you show on the site, the more designs you have to offer = more orders.
5) If your site does not look like every other site in town then potential customers are more likely to spend more time on it, therefore creating more potential for orders.
6) The more user friendly the site, the better the "user experience" the more likely the user is to BUY. =more orders
7) The easier the checkout system, the less "abandonment" you have (people putting items in their shopping cart and not checking out.) Statistics show that a one page checkout greatly decreases abandonment. Less abandonment = more orders.
8) Offering upselling options, or "good, better, best" on each design often generates more orders. I know of one florist that switched from a "cookie cutter" site to a custom designed site by one of the major website companies in the industry and their average order value increased by 30% by offering the "good, better, best" option. Thats huge. It is not more orders but it is more money in your pocket!
I hope this helps....
1) General Search Engine Optimization - if the site is built correctly you can greatly increase your placement in the search engines. More traffic = more potential customers = (eventually) more orders.
2) More specific Search Engine Optimization - I am a huge proponent of something called "targeting the long tail." The "long tail" is a more specific search term. A typical keyword that many shops in your area might be targeting their sites for would be "flowers houston texas". Since many sites are geared towards that you might have trouble getting top search engine rankings on that term. An example of a "long tail" term would be "sympathy flowers xyz funeral home houston texas." If your site is built by a qualified web design professional who understands these type of things (like Ryan) they will build your site to get listed in the search engines for the long tail as well as the more traditional. This will drive more of the "right" buyers to your site, therefore increasing your chances of getting the order, = more orders.
3) The better the site looks, the better chance you have of getting the sale. = more orders
4) The more you show on the site, the more designs you have to offer = more orders.
5) If your site does not look like every other site in town then potential customers are more likely to spend more time on it, therefore creating more potential for orders.
6) The more user friendly the site, the better the "user experience" the more likely the user is to BUY. =more orders
7) The easier the checkout system, the less "abandonment" you have (people putting items in their shopping cart and not checking out.) Statistics show that a one page checkout greatly decreases abandonment. Less abandonment = more orders.
8) Offering upselling options, or "good, better, best" on each design often generates more orders. I know of one florist that switched from a "cookie cutter" site to a custom designed site by one of the major website companies in the industry and their average order value increased by 30% by offering the "good, better, best" option. Thats huge. It is not more orders but it is more money in your pocket!
I hope this helps....
Here I have to respectfully disagree. I actually have an article in the current edition of Australian Flower Industry magazine on the topic of the paradox of choice, citing commonly referenced scientific research that shows people are more likely to make a choice when presented with fewer options. There are experts who advocate for a selection as small as 4-6 options (in the case of a florist, that could be viewed as 4-6 categories, and 4-6 items per category). It's hard to get florists to pare down their selection that much, but the science doesn't lie. Too many choices leads to "fear of making the wrong choice / fear of loss (not making the best choice)" and fear is the #1 motivator of all human behaviour - including buying.
The trick is having the right selection. You have to curate and manage your product selection so that people will find the items they are most likely to buy, while in a presentation that is most conducive to buying.
Here I'm just going to get pedantic and split some hairs
@Sarah Botchick I know what you're saying, and that you understand what I'm about to say - so this is clarification for the larger audience, if that makes any sense.A web design professional is just that - a designer. They work primarily on the presentation layer, not the content, planning, structural, or strategy. Sure, they might wear several hats - especially in a small firm - the excellent point Sarah made about using a content strategy to capture long tail traffic is not one to be addressed by the designer, but by a strategist well versed in SEO and online marketing, then executed by a content creator.
They might all be the same person, but that's rarely the case when it's done well. I'm not a good designer, though I do alright with wire frames, etc. We put together a strategy, then create the wire frames, and pass that to a designer to employ their expertise.
The only reason I bring this up at all is that in recent years SEO has become one more bullet point in the list of services of most web designers (and sadly most of those are the web version of Basement Bettys - using WordPress and something from Theme Forest, with no actual skill). A few years ago I shared an elevator ride with a guy who was just launching a new web platform for florists. He had given no thought to SEO, no plans to offer it, etc., with the possible exception of some cheap link buying. We talked a bit in that elevator ride, and within 24 hours his website was updated to announce they included "advanced SEO". No change to his service offering, but he came to realize people expected it.
Designers aren't SEOs - and vice versa. Both are important, both are necessary. Rarely are they the same person. <end of ramble>
Sarah Botchick
Well-Known Member
Perhaps it is different in the world of wholesale than the world of retail, but I must respectfully disagree right back regarding the quantity of items shown.
I don't care what the statistics say - I have sales figures that say otherwise. In my case, the more products I offer, the more I sell. I've tried to cut my line repeatedly and every time it hurts instead of helping.
That said, organization is key in making it simple for the customers to find what they are looking for quickly.
I don't care what the statistics say - I have sales figures that say otherwise. In my case, the more products I offer, the more I sell. I've tried to cut my line repeatedly and every time it hurts instead of helping.
That said, organization is key in making it simple for the customers to find what they are looking for quickly.
Definitely - wholesale is much different than retail in that respect. Your clients are expecting to be able to select from a wide variety. They are purchasing multiple products across different lines and styles, to meet a variety of needs. They expect to sell most of what they buy, but understand there will be some items that don't perform as well as expected.
The retail consumer is looking for the one perfect choice to suit the explicit needs of one person, for one occasion. They have one chance to get it right.
The retail consumer is looking for the one perfect choice to suit the explicit needs of one person, for one occasion. They have one chance to get it right.