Small Business Start-Up Idea - Online Florist

Purchasing flowers online has grown increasingly in popularity in recent years as people have found themselves with less leisure time. The convenience of being able to quickly send flowers to someone means it is now commonly being used as a networking tool. If you are able to provide a service which is reliable and easy to use then it is possible that you could break into the market.  

You have two options when starting this type of business. The first, and probably easiest, way is to form a partnership with a large flower supplier. You will take the order, forward it to the supplier and collect a small commission. The other way involves more work on your part and will require you to take the order to an offline flower shop, sometimes even delivering the flowers yourself if the customer needs them urgently. In order to be successful you will probably have to develop a combination of them both.  

Skills needed: There is no specialist skill needed – you could even use OnlineOffice to set up your shop.  You must be familiar with order fulfilment if you are taking a hands-on approach.  

Business environment and set-up cost: If you are affiliated with a supplier then it is quite possible for you to trade internationally using their delivery network. The set-up cost for this business could possibly be very low, depending on how involved you want to be. You will need the standard computer equipment (if you don’t have it) and an outstanding website. If you want to process orders yourself then costs could be much higher when inventory and equipment is factored in. Expect the start-up cost to be between £2000 and £10,000, plus you will need to set aside £2000 to £5000 for marketing purposes.  

Marketing Techniques:  

• Use a ‘reminder’ calendar feature on your website that customers can opt-in to and add important dates
• Run regular special offers and provide discounts for repeat orders
• Participate in the pay-per-click schemes of the popular search engines
• Become mutually linked with gift sites and link directories
• Use OnlineOffice to set up web-site, blog and online shop to promote your business online

Complimentary business ideas: You could offer small gifts or gift baskets to go along with the flowers. If you opt for the hands-on approach, you could charge extra for flower arranging and do it yourself.  

Notes: It is very important for you to become an affiliate of a quality supplier in case you are unable to complete orders yourself for whatever reason.  

Online examples & resources:  

• Bunches – A very nicely laid out example of a good florist website
• Bloom Central – A large directory of on-line florists

8 Responses to “Small Business Start-Up Idea - Online Florist”

1. Kubera
   http://www.flowersuk.org.uk
   
   Said on April 24th, 2008 at 3:22 am

   The informations are very useful. We will use these tips for our flowers portal http://www.flowersuk.org.uk. Thank you.

2. Inexpensive Business ideas
   http://www.low-nocostbusinessidea.blogspot.com
   
   Said on April 29th, 2008 at 11:21 am

   Great Info. My neighbor fills in slow days in her flower business (Clarabella Flowers) with order that she can fill through a website that gets more traffic. She really got into business for herself because she found comfort in this idea.

3. Flower delivery in Canada
   http://www.canadianflowerdelivery.net
   
   Said on May 6th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

   Being in a partnership, how do I settle complaints?

   Some great ideas for me just in the nick of time here! I’m into Canadian flower delivery, I’m thinking to settle smth like this for Canada. For the flower delivery, I will collaborate with the suppliers on http://www.canadianflowerdelivery.net because my research shows positive feedback on them. I’m relying on this hoping not to get complaints on quality because I’ve read some not-so-nice things on this.

   Still, my question for someone with more experience would be: How do I settle the cases when I get complaints? (hope not!) How far does my responsibility go with flowers’ quality? Because you cannot sell someone smth and then send him to someone else when there’s a problem… can you?

4. Stefan Töpfer
   http://www.winweb.com
   
   Said on May 7th, 2008 at 8:41 am

   Diana,

   you will find that there is law controlling your relationship with your customers, and as far as possible this should be used to deal with the relationship with your partners.

   Does your partner send out your orders direct? If so, it is easy, if you take delivery first and then deal with your clients, then it’s a little more complicated. Maybe you need to agree a quota with your supplier and factor something into the prize for these mishaps.

   If you have a lawyer in your circle of (business-) friends try and get some ideas from him/her too. There are a few factors I don’t know to offer more specific ideas.

   Best,
   Stefan

5. Flower delivery in Canada
   http://www.canadianflowerdelivery.net
   
   Said on May 7th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

   Hi! Thank you so much, Stefan, for your kind support! You are inspiring, if I can say so. You just gave me some great ideas. Thanks again!

6. Flower delivery in Canada
   http://www.canadianflowerdelivery.net
   
   Said on May 7th, 2008 at 5:35 pm

   Hi! Thank you so much, Stefan, for your kind support. You are really inspiring, if I can say so. You just gave me some great ideas! Thanks again!

   P.S.: I tried to post a little earlier but I could not see my message. Sorry if it appears twice.

7. Will - ArenaFlowers.com
   http://www.arenaflowers.com/blog
   
   Said on May 10th, 2008 at 5:01 pm

   Some good tips…but speaking from experience, I can tell you that it’s not easy!

8. Martin Hellier
   http://www.nextdayflowers.co.uk
   
   Said on May 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

   Great article about online florists and very informative

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