Tips For Ordering Great Flowers Online

When you want to send flowers, nothing is easier than going online, using Google to find a florist, making a choice, paying for your order and getting on with your day. And there are other advantages to ordering online. There are some sites in the UK, for example, that offer free chocolates with your Mother's Day order!

flower vase Ordering flowers on the net may be cheaper than ordering from your local florist. Online florists can offer a much wider selection of flowers simply because they have no limitations on stock and physical space.

Flowers ordered online are kept refrigerated during storage and delivery, so they will stay fresher than flowers displayed at roadside stands, in grocery stores or in outside bins. The lifespan of a flower is greatly reduced by heat, exhaust fumes and open air.

But if you've never ordered flowers online or, if you've ordered flowers and been unhappy with the service or the result, there are some things you can do to help ensure a positive outcome from now on.

Types Of Sellers

Since anyone can create an online website, it's important to know who and what you are dealing with. The site will usually be that of a local florist or that of a distributor who will route your order to an affiliate local florist in the area where the flowers will be delivered. The local florist will then fill and deliver your order.

Modern Floral Arrangement Either way, the situation should be upfront and, if you are using a distributor, expect to pay a fee for the convenience of referral. Using a distributor is best when you are sending flowers to another locale because you probably won't know who to order from otherwise. The amount of the fee should be clear and reasonable but, if it seems out of line, do some comparison shopping.

You may also be dealing with a wholesaler, grower or wholesale broker. They will usually ship flowers in a box via overnight delivery, so if you do business with them, be sure you are aware of what, exactly, the order will consist of, and how the delivery will take place.

If you aren't sure whether you are dealing with a wholesaler or not, find out who will make the delivery. If it's a ground carrier like FedEx instead of a local floral delivery person, you are probably dealing with a wholesaler.

Winners And Losers

With Mothering Sunday coming up, the UK consumer watchdog website which.com.uk did a study to learn about online florists. They specifically checked to see how closely the website's photos matched with what was actually delivered, along with freshness and aesthetic appeal, targeting bouquets in the $28-$36 price range. The judges consisted of gardening experts from which.com.uk and a panel of UK mums.

The winner was Marks & Spencer's "Large Serene Bouquet," judged as having an 86% matching value with its online photo. Bouquets from Next and Interflora also received good ratings.

The losers were Teleflorist, Flowers Direct and Aldi Flowers. In a related blog, a consumer who ordered from Flowers Direct reported that all the flowers in her delivery arrived dead!

Ordering Green

Organically-grown flowers are eco-friendly and raised under kind conditions. "Green flowers" are also competitively priced and sometimes cost even less than regular ones. Also, if you buy "green," you will do your part to support the environment.

If you do choose to buy "green" check to see if the florist is VeriFlora certified. You can also visit flowersorganicbouquet.com or www.flowerbud.com for more information.

When To Order

The most important part of buying flowers online is to order them early, especially for holidays. Particularly on Mother's Day, be sure to order at least 7-10 days in advance.

Ordering early will help to ensure that your bouquet will be well-designed, consist of the freshest blooms, and be given priority over orders placed later. And the earlier your order is placed, the less your flowers are likely to cost. You can save as much as 15%-20% by ordering early because, as the holidays approach, the price of flowers can increase by 30%-50%.

Also, check online for even greater discounts on orders placed more than a week in advance. There are often excellent discounts and incentives available for early holiday orders.

Checking Results

After your delivery is made, you may want to check with the recipient to find out if what they got what you ordered. If something went wrong and a second-rate bouquet was delivered, you don't want the recipient to feel offended, and you can at least try to make amends after the fact.

If it turns out that you paid for a substandard order, call the florist and request a redelivery or refund. If they refuse, threaten to dispute your credit card charge with a photo, if you can get one, of what was actually delivered.