Same Day Flower Delivery, Love is the word of the day, and this year, consumers show their love by breaking their wallets to buy gifts for their valentines. According to the NRF 2011 Valentine’s Survey the consumer intentions and actions, conducted by BIGresearch, the average person will spend on goods and 116 traditional Valentine’s Day this year, up nearly 13% over last year. As a retailer, you know the buyers of your Valentine’s need for a pleasant shopping experience and access to the goods they want. So what are some major retailers do to prepare their positions in shares for the inevitable increase in holiday traffic? For the answer, I went straight to the heart of merchandise appropriate for Valentine’s Day (and any day of the year), 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. Indeed, application development Ram Ganesan, vice president of IT at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM answered my questions about how the online retailer provides the best shopping experience possible for Valentine’s Day rush.
For many, an online retailer of flowers and gifts, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and generates nearly $ 668 million per year. And, the retailer currently operates eight brands that sell complementary everything from gift baskets to wine. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM experience an increase in traffic and order volume up to ten times the normal volume in the week before Valentine’s Day with the primary tip that occur two to three days before the holiday. Here, actions Ganesan details on the company’s success so you too can make informed decisions about how to grow your business.
What are best practices / technologies has 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in place to ensure the best online shopping experience possible for your customers?
Ganesan: We are testing our website and all our systems connected to the peak volumes, and we lock our infrastructure at least three weeks before the thrusts. Also, there is a substantial amount of regression testing and feedback in closed loop with our internal and external, which is considered and treated as improvements before the lock. Our site is designed for a shopping experience with concierge-like content that will educate consumers and address their issues proactively. The site includes images of products and very nice descriptive copy. We provide the human contact with the cat, and, if necessary, customers can always talk to a real person by calling our phone lines. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers the best customer service in its category as noted by Stella Service and e-tailing group 13th Annual Mystery Shopping Study.
What went 1-800-FLOWERS. COM is to improve the situation in stock for the holidays?
Ganesan: The flower delivery company is a precision-based, just in time inventory management problems. Clearly, the flowers are perishable. But our company was built for same day delivery. We work months in advance with each of our producers, suppliers, and transfer operations teams to prepare for the influx volume record. Capacity is monitored on an hourly basis, and stock availability is updated in real time back to the online storefront. Similarly, we work very closely with our network of independent florists to ensure that we agree on the order volumes and planned capacity for the holidays by product code. This process continues until the last minute – until the very last order is taken, and the floral arrangement is delivered. Who knew that the flower delivery would be so complicated?
What are the technology solutions and services do you essential to increase revenue and customer satisfaction?
Ganesan: The devil is in the details. Have a plan, and ensure that you have full visibility of your supply chain of raw material when it reaches the customer’s hands. Having a true service oriented architecture (SOA) is the key to success in this field. We work with a number of technological solutions, but the winning combination is affected when these systems talk to each other effectively and in real time. It is the power and benefits of SOA.
For many, an online retailer of flowers and gifts, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and generates nearly $ 668 million per year. And, the retailer currently operates eight brands that sell complementary everything from gift baskets to wine. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM experience an increase in traffic and order volume up to ten times the normal volume in the week before Valentine’s Day with the primary tip that occur two to three days before the holiday. Here, actions Ganesan details on the company’s success so you too can make informed decisions about how to grow your business.What are best practices / technologies has 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in place to ensure the best online shopping experience possible for your customers?
Ganesan: We are testing our website and all our systems connected to the peak volumes, and we lock our infrastructure at least three weeks before the thrusts. Also, there is a substantial amount of regression testing and feedback in closed loop with our internal and external, which is considered and treated as improvements before the lock. Our site is designed for a shopping experience with concierge-like content that will educate consumers and address their issues proactively. The site includes images of products and very nice descriptive copy. We provide the human contact with the cat, and, if necessary, customers can always talk to a real person by calling our phone lines. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers the best customer service in its category as noted by Stella Service and e-tailing group 13th Annual Mystery Shopping Study.
What went 1-800-FLOWERS. COM is to improve the situation in stock for the holidays?
Ganesan: The flower delivery company is a precision-based, just in time inventory management problems. Clearly, the flowers are perishable. But our company was built for same day delivery. We work months in advance with each of our producers, suppliers, and transfer operations teams to prepare for the influx volume record. Capacity is monitored on an hourly basis, and stock availability is updated in real time back to the online storefront. Similarly, we work very closely with our network of independent florists to ensure that we agree on the order volumes and planned capacity for the holidays by product code. This process continues until the last minute – until the very last order is taken, and the floral arrangement is delivered. Who knew that the flower delivery would be so complicated?
What are the technology solutions and services do you essential to increase revenue and customer satisfaction?
Ganesan: The devil is in the details. Have a plan, and ensure that you have full visibility of your supply chain of raw material when it reaches the customer’s hands. Having a true service oriented architecture (SOA) is the key to success in this field. We work with a number of technological solutions, but the winning combination is affected when these systems talk to each other effectively and in real time. It is the power and benefits of SOA.
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