Main Subject - Internet and Businesses Online

Despite better-known big name flower marketers, some local florists are thriving online, and customers are flocking to their Web sites for convenience, value, and quality.

The Internet has changed the face of business. In the United States alone, more than two-thirds of the population u

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ses the Web regularly, and online revenues are growing nearly three times faster than traditional sales. The flower business is no exception. Flowers are already one of the most popular online shopping categories, and roughly 90% of florists in the U.S. and Canada have some type of Web site.

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

Today, an e-commerce Web site is a necessity to do business in the flower industry." says Barry Pond, President of Jackman's The Floral Pros in Ontario. "Online ordering is the fastest growing channel compared to phone or in-store options and appeals to a younger demographic; in other words, our

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

future clients." According to Walter Knoll III of Walter Knoll Florist in greater St. Louis. "Our Web site is the glue that keeps us close to our customers, guides what products are being produced, and disseminates information to our employees."

The move to the Web is one that fits the new gen

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

ration. Revolutionary sites like eBay and Amazon have changed the way we buy and sell. With flowers, it’s a big net gain for the consumer. Flower lovers can still visit a local flower shop or order flowers by phone, but the Internet offers 24/7 convenience and a host of other services. It's not

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

surprising that a few large floral companies have emerged. What may be surprising to some is that a handful of more established traditional florists have kept pace, carving out a niche with online customers seeking more personalized service and direct local delivery.

"The Web was a natural out

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

growth of our core business," says Baxter Phillip of Phillip's Flower & Gifts, a third-generation florist with ten shops in the Chicago area. "We began sending floral orders electronically to fellow florists in the late Seventies. Then, we began receiving orders in electronic format from large

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

commercial customers in the '80s. We launched our first complete online flower shop in 1995 and haven't looked back since."

Walter Knoll Florist opened its first online store in the mid-1980s. Its Web site at www.wkf.com features local specials, wedding flowers, flower care tips, delivery tra

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

cking, employment information, and more. "It's a full-fledged branch store," explained Knoll, "where customers can find almost anything they need to know about our products and services."

How do these more traditional local florists compete online? According to Pond, who oversees www.jackmanf

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

owers.com, "We offer customers the best of both worlds -- professionally trained florists able to serve their local needs combined with a network of skilled florists elsewhere for convenient nationwide and worldwide delivery." "Customers love being able to see the flowers they're sending," expl

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

ins Phillip, "the convenience of ordering online anytime day or night, and our same-day and next-day local and nationwide delivery." Knoll adds, "We're much more nimble than most national companies, and build our business on personal relationships instead of just marketing dollars."

At www.viv

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

iano.com, operated by Viviano Flower Shop, headquartered in Saint Clair Shores, MI, customers especially like the wedding flowers portfolio, which includes a budget estimator, as well as the ease of being able to order online. Other online resources include sympathy flowers, event decorations,

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

nd a detailed flower library. According to Paul Viviano, CEO, "Real florists are proud of their work and go out of their way to make senders and recipients happy; this pride and diligence is hard to find in a company that merely takes the order and sends it on to the florist." "Another benefit

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

of local online florists," says Viviano, " is that you can avoid the middleman and deal directly with the shop that is designing and delivering your gift."

"Customers have told us they like ordering with a local florist they already know and trust," notes Phillip. "They've seen our work and kn

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

w we stand behind it. For deliveries in our own metro area, they know we provide more direct, cost effective service. Plus, we provide the same guaranteed nationwide delivery service as bigger companies. Many have told us about trying the big name merchants only to come back to us. Our Web s

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

te may not be as flashy, but we think our personal service and floral experience make all the difference."

Other services at www.phillips-flowers.com include a Free Reminder Service, a pictorial Glossary of Flowers, and a way to send Free Virtual Flowers and eCard by email to anyone on the Inte

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

rnet. "You simply select a flower picture or e-greeting," says Phillip, "add your personal message, and we take care of the rest." Phillip's delivers tens of thousands each month at no cost for people all over the world. "We also offer flower design and decorating tips, meanings of flowers, a

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

d lots of other helpful information," adds Phillip, "and our customers appreciate the fact that we keep all of their information private."

Local florist Web sites may never be quite as fancy or heavily advertised as those of the big name brands, but most use the same sophisticated encryption te

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

chnology to protect customer information, and savvy Internet shoppers know they'll often get better value and more personalized service by dealing directly with trusted local merchants.

Although the Internet is revolutionizing the face of business, florists' fundamentals have remained the same.

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

"It's all about fresh flowers, design, delivery, and a commitment to customer service," says Viviano. So, it's no wonder that top regional and local brick-and-mortar florists are excelling online. "The best florists were around before the Web," says Pond, "and the Web has made them even better.

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.mainsubjects.org.ua/article/61148/mainsubjects-Online-Flowers--Internet-Business-Blooming-For-Local-Florists.html">Online Flowers -- Internet Business Blooming For Local Florists</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.mainsubjects.org.ua/article/61148/mainsubjects-Online-Flowers--Internet-Business-Blooming-For-Local-Florists.html]Online Flowers -- Internet Business Blooming For Local Florists[/url]

People are the key assets of the company. They make and break the organisation. The key is how to motivate them so that they can contribute their best to the organisation.

If you are in business then applying hypnotic techniques or using Hypnotherapy with yourself or your staff might sound both interesting and also a bit strange. Hypnosis has been around for ages, even the ancient Egyptians used it, and it is even going strong today.

Tags

Links

Main Subject - Online Flowers -- Internet Business Blooming For Local Florists

Related Articles: