Difference between 1-800-Flowers and ProFlowers
When you have something to say and want to say it in a special way, flowers are the best options for doing so. Nowadays, two companies are the first choices for helping people send flowers all over the country: 1-800-Flowers and ProFlowers. Judging from their recent successes, the flower delivery industry seems to be in good shape indeed. This comparison looks at both companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses.
Profile
1-800 Flowers is one of the foremost flower and gift retailers and distributors in the United States. The company was one of the first flower retailers to offer a toll-free telephone number, and it was also one of the first to use the Internet for direct sales. The company primarily services customers in the U.S. market.ProFlowers for its part sells flowers and other similar products that it sources out from various growers and suppliers, as well as its own distribution facilities. The company provides its many services from its online store, and it also offers its own supply chain management system that encompasses various suppliers.
Approach
1-800 Flowers fills customer orders through its extensive network of florists, and through a flowers and gift item shipment system. The company has also established its own florist-to-florist network, which is called BloomNet.ProFlowers for its part functions mainly as an online store and supplier, and the company claims to have largely eliminated the middleman in its operations. This has allowed them to reduce the prices of its merchandise considerably.
Affiliations
1-800 Flowers is actually only one in a vast network of companies that provide a wide and varied array of products and services. Among the companies that 1-800-Flowers is affiliated with are Fannie May Confections, Inc, Cheryl&Co, WineTasting Network, Ambrosia Wine, The Popcorn Factory, Bloomnet DesignPac Gifts LLC, and Napco Marketing Corporation. More recently, 1-800-Flowers has also acquired DesignPac Gifts LLC, which it purchased in April 30, 2008. The company bills itself as a gourmet gift basket maker that offers a variety of baskets ideally suited for gift floral arrangements.ProFlowers for its part is affiliated with the following brand names and companies: Cherry Moon Farms, which is a gourmet fruit and gift basket outfit, Shari's Berries, which offers covered strawberries as its flagship product, RedEnvelope, which provides a variety of quality gifts for special occasions, and Florist Express, which offers same day flower and gift delivery to any destination in the United States.
Summary
1-800-Flowers
- One of the first retailer firms to offer a toll-free telephone number
- Pioneered online media and direct sales
- Offers gift items as well
- Provides flowers and related merchandise via a florist network
- Has recently partnered with Martha Stewart’s Living Omnimedia
ProFlowers
- Offers merchandise sourced from growers and suppliers as well as the company's own distribution facilities
- Functions as an online store and as a supplier
- Claims to have eliminated the middleman
- Has managed to reduce costs considerably
