June 2009 Archives

  As you all know, I am addicted to the Flip Video Camera, as you can see from my everyday growing YouTube Library! 

 The Flip is also a great way to communicate & provide better customer service. 

   Belvedere Flowers always gets customer requests for us to email them a picture of the flowers they are sending, so they can see what they're getting.

   After all, sometimes just a small image on the website is not the best way to see what you are really getting for your money. The pictures are sent to customers by email, & it is a great way for us to show the customer exactly what they are sending that day.

  I decided to take it even a step further and start sending short video emails to our customers instead of just a picture. This way you can see the flower design from all sides and get a better idea of what it looks like, along with the size, and description of flowers used in the design.

  Here is an example below of a same day flower delivery we made today along with the customers reaction to our flip video email sent to him.

Watch Flip Video 

Below is the customers response to my video email-

WOW!!!!

Your dedication to customer service is outstanding and shows proof that there are still companies ot that care about their customers. 
The video was wonderfull and the flower selection was elegant and creative. I can see why the folks over at Belvrdere's have recieved so many great reviews. Not only do i plan on using you guy;s again....but telling anyone who needs some beautiful flowers to give you a call..

Thanks again,
Joshua

On Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 12:23 PM

  We also make videos for future brides looking for ideas about centerpieces and bouquets for their special wedding day! Here is a video I made for an out of town bride looking for a sample of a tall reception centerpiece with lemons and yellows. I also added music to this one, which happened to be one of her & her fiances favorite bands, Coldplay, with the song "Yellow".

 She was very happy to receive this and it helped us make decisions on what flowers and style of design she was looking for. The final centerpieces for job we are doing next week, will actually be different from the sample shown on video. Stay tuned for that video at the end of this month!

  Finally, we are also using the flip video to show clips on our product pages on our website. This again, helps shoppers get more of an idea of what they are purchasing, instead of just having a picture to look at. These product video clips can be found underneath the image on the product detail page. HERE is an example of some product video clips. (NOTE- only a select few designs have video clips, as it will take some time to get them on all designs)

 Ok, I thought I would see for myself what all the buzz was about. So, I decided to order roses from one of the larger online flower companies. This company claims to have the best roses picked fresh from the fields and delivered directly to your home.

I purchased two dozen assorted petite roses at $29.99 + $9.99 shipping and a $2.99 handling fee & tax= approx. $45 total.

    When I clicked order, it asked me if I would like to add a simple clear vase for an additional $6.99?

 That's funny, the picture priced shows the roses already arranged in a clear vase. I thought that was included in the price but I was wrong.

I chose not to get the vase since it cost extra and we have plenty of vases to put the roses in ourselves, since they do not arrange them for you like the website picture shows.

NOTE- Also be prepared to find extra monthly charges on your credit card after ordering from these larger online flower companies. Customers have been getting dinged with an additional $14.95 a month on their credit card bills with a charge from company called eaysaver.com.

For more information on this scam, watch this news video.

Ok, now back to my online flower buying experience...

We ended up with a growers bunch of 24 petite assorted roses wrapped in a sleeve and strapped into an box. The roses were a very low grade quality and did not make a good impression on my wife. They definitely got a bad grade for presentation, again, since the website picture gives you the impression you are buying a professionally arranged vase of roses in water. All we got was a bunch of roses in a box delivered by FedEx driver!

 These companies lure in internet shoppers with their great marketing, convenient website, and of course very low prices, however, in the end, you do get what you pay for, and that is a low quality product. 

  If you only care about getting someone flowers at a very cheap price and don't care about quality, well then maybe these companies are perfect for you. However, if you are looking to make an impression and send your loved ones the quality that they deserve, well then by all means, use your local flower shop ;)