Giving flowers is a great way to connect with an emotion. Whether it’s joy, appreciation, sympathy, romance, or even an apology, flowers are a great way to communicate feelings.

Flowers are an excellent addition to any special occasion, and they are a wonderful gift for the special people in your life. Beautiful arrangements are a great way to put a smile on someone’s face while bringing joy, beauty and peace to their surroundings.

Stopping into your local florist is certainly one way to purchase an arrangement, while some prefer to order flowers online for convenience or to broaden their choices.

When it comes to purchasing flowers online, below are some helpful tips on how to make the most of your experience.We’ve all heard horror stories – like flowers showing up dead on arrival or not even showing up at all. These are worst-case scenarios, but it’s always important that the flowers you’re ordering are coming from a trustworthy place.

A few tips we’ve learned over the years….

1. Don’t Be Fooled by a National Florist or “Too good to be true” deal.
   The ‘cheap’ offers you see online from National “1-800” conglomerates are misleading to say the least. Here’s the real deal – national ‘big box’ companies have huge budgets, so their ads are everywhere, and their marketing is typically top-notch…much more refined than your local florist could afford. These big companies get you to ‘buy’ from their website and then they actually ‘sell’ your order to a local merchant. The local guy gets charged/gouged by the big company and fulfills their order for them. One problem is this – because the local florist takes such a huge hit on these orders, they’re forced to use the least expensive products they have on hand. So, your recipient gets lower grade flowers. That’s not good!
   We always recommend looking into a local florist first.  While the prices might be a little higher, you’ll benefit from fresher flowers and a much higher quality product.

2. Check Reviews!
   Don’t consider the reviews that are ON the florist’s website (of course they’ll only put great reviews there!). Look up the florist on Googleand find their google reviews. Yelp can be useful also. No florists will have a perfect rating, but if you see more than 50 reviews on Google and an overall rating of over 4.2 – you’re in pretty good hands!

3. Review Policies, Terms/Conditions
   Not many people notice this, but somewhere on every Ecommerce website (usually small print at the bottom) is a link to the company’s ‘Terms and Conditions’. Have a glance at their return policy and guarantee. If it doesn’t clearly state that the product(s) will be replaced if you’re not happy, then beware. Some will offer a ‘store credit’ or other option – but quite simply, if you’re not happy with your flower arrangement for any legitimate reason, your order should simply be replaced.

4. Find The Address of Your Florist
   Sounds silly, right? But with regards to #1 above – make sure your Florist is local to the recipient’s address. “Shop Local” is great for local communities and businesses, yes – but it also means that the local florist will be directly fulfilling the order and your florist delivery will be of higher quality.

5. Navigating a Florist’s Website
   Check out the site itself – does the florist value you as a potential customer? The ideal website will have visual appeal, modern design and should be easy to navigate. Look for clear titles for each page, search functionality that allow you to type in keywords to help you locate specific flowers you may be interested in, and there should be clear customer support information if you need additional assistance.
   These key website elements are a good indication that the company has taken the end user’s experience into account and that they care about you as a customer.

6. Customer Service.
   Make sure that the website you order flowers from has their contact information public and readily available just in case something should go wrong.Good customer service is another indicator that can help you determine if they can meet your online ordering expectations.
   The most helpful customer service will not only answer all your questions with thoroughness, but they will make you feel special and valued as a customer.
   You may also look at the reputation the florist has within their community on Facebook. Reputations are a good indicator that you have found a caring florist who has your best interests at heart.

7. Deciding On Floral Arrangements.
   Does the florist offerpreset floral arrangements as well as others are custom made? The best websites will offer a wide selection of floral arrangements. Potentially even a ‘Florist’s Choice’ for arrangements. Various flowers are more readily available seasonally – and quality florist’s arrangements will utilize the freshest flowers of the season.

8. Be Sure You Know How They Are Packaged.
   It’s common for flowers stems to arrive in a nice wrapping. The problem is, if you’re sending flowers to an office, a vase might not be readily available to keep the flowers fresh. We feel that any deserving flower arrangement should don an appropriate flower vase. After all, when you get a beautiful bouquet, who wants to be tasked with clipping and arranging?

9. Check Your Delivery Options.
   Many flower delivery websites advertise same-day delivery or the option to order flowers in advance. Especially around holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, selecting a flower delivery service that allows you to plan ahead and schedule in advance is a good way to go. Things can get hectic for florists around major holidays and many will offer free or discounted prices if you complete your order ahead of time.
   You can select the date you want to send flowers in advance, and we’ll have your bouquet ready to go on that day. However, we won’t penalize you for any last-minute decisions either. Our speedy delivery will have your recipient thinking you placed your order weeks in advance.

10. Go With Your Gut.
    Go with your gut feeling when making a floral purchase online. Does this company make you feel comfortable? Are they reputable and do they leave the impression that they are leaders within their industry?
    By taking all of this into consideration you can avoid an unpleasant experience and can instead work with an outstanding online florist who is well-known for their service and commitment.

Ordering flowers online will be a simple and easy process when taking these helpful online shopping suggestions into account. Choose a service that creates the most memorable and pleasant online shopping experience and that meets all your floral arrangement needs.

Keeping these tips in mind and scheduling your next flower delivery online will be a breeze!