Boxed Flower Programs
A current floral industry buzzword is “boxed flower program”. This
refers to the practice of selling flowers to the consumer in a box,
normally through distribution channels other than the traditional
retail florist.
Some boxed flowers come directly from growers, some come from order
fulfillment centers. In all cases, the flowers are delivered by a
freight service such as Fed ex.
Big players in the boxed flower program game are Proflowers, Growers
Flowers, Flowers by Martha, and, perhaps surprisingly, FTD.
Traditional florists and the businesses that support them, such as
traditional wholesale florists, are rightfully concerned about the
competition they are receiving from vendors who sell flowers this way.
They are also concerned about the effect these flowers are having on
the consumer flower market’s perception of value.
The fear is that if sub-standard quality flowers and floral services
are being sold, the overall demand for flowers will fall; that the
boxed flower programs are giving flowers in general a bad name.
According to an FTD consumer survey, florists believe that consumers
who receive boxed flowers are disappointed in the quality, price and
service. However, consumers asked the same questions respond
overwhelmingly that they are more than satisfied with their flower
buying and receiving experience through boxed flower programs.
Perhaps, the florists are responding to good science that shows that
the single most important factor in prolonging the eventual vase life
of flowers is the cold chain. In other words, flowers kept cold from
post-harvest to home will perform best. In boxed flower programs,
flowers leave the farm or order fulfillment center via a shipping
company that does not have refrigeration. Flowers are generally out of
the cold for 24 hours before reaching the recipient. I would
challenge florists to consider how many hours their flowers are out of
the cold chain before the consumer receives them. Do their flowers sit
in buckets in their design room? Do completed arrangements sit in the
garage waiting to be delivered? Are their delivery vans, and the
delivery vans of their suppliers refrigerated?
It is my assertion that flowers delivered in boxes and flowers
delivered by florists have equal chances of good performance, provided
everything goes well at each stop along the distribution channel from
farm to home. Tremendous effort and pride is taken in the proper care
and handling of flowers in the floral industry, however the more hands
handling the flowers along the way, the more chance there is for a
break in the chain.
There are those who charge that boxed flower retailers are using
marketing tactics, which mislead consumers to believe they are ordering
flowers from a local florist. Should this be found to be the case, the
traditional retail florist would certainly have a right to be angry.
Laws of this great country generally support a level playing field.
It’s this nuance of the argument that goes unnoticed by many florists.
While FTD loudly fights against those unfair marketing tactics, they
are not so quick to mention their own boxed flower program. On the
surface, FTD appears to be fighting the battle to protect their retail
florist members while it seems to me that they are protecting their own
interest as a competitor to those very same traditional retail florists
who are their customers.
I guess what I’m saying is… Game on! Both traditional retail
florists and boxed flower programs are going concerns in the flower
market. I do not believe they need to exist independently of one
another. There are services provided by each that are not provided by
the other. Each needs to understand the other and their place in the
market
, so they can focus their energies growing their businesses
This article provided by
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