Thinking about Shopify for your Florist Website - Think Again!

Are you thinking about Shopify for your florist website? Here is the lowdown on the reasons why you should choose Flower Store In a Box and save yourself heartache and money!

Many customers turn to Flower Store In a Box after experiencing the challenges of using Shopify for their florist websites. 

While Shopify is an excellent platform for general e-commerce, it’s not well-suited for the specific needs of florists. To get close to what you need, you’d have to add multiple apps, which can still fall short—and these apps can end up costing you hundreds of dollars USD per month on top of your Shopify fees.

One of the main frustrations florists face with Shopify is that orders often miss critical information like the recipient’s name, address, and phone number. Imagine during peak times like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, when half your orders come through with incorrect details. Correcting these errors could take all day, and even worse, you might deliver to the wrong address, only to find out too late.

Let’s break it down further:

1. Complex and Inefficient Delivery Dates and cut off rules.

Delivery Date & Card Message: On Shopify, critical information like delivery dates and card messages have to be entered on the product page or cart summary page. This setup means that business rules based on delivery location and date can’t be enforced, such as not delivering to a specific suburb on certain days.

Data Loss Risk: If a customer revisits the product or cart page, any previously entered delivery details can be lost. This data isn’t saved properly, meaning the order reaches the Shopify database incomplete or incorrect.

2. Confusing Checkout Experience

Recipient Details: Logged-in users often struggle to find where to enter recipient details, resulting in orders that incorrectly list the sender’s billing / delivery information instead.

Express Payment Issues: Using PayPal or Shopify’s “Shop” express payment options can result in the wrong delivery address being used because these buttons hide the delivery address and recipient fields.

3. Inadequate Delivery Date Confirmation

Lack of Confirmation: From a user perspective, there’s no way to verify that the correct delivery date has been selected during checkout.

App Limitations: While some apps offer delivery times, they don’t function within the checkout process. This means that all crucial calculations regarding delivery dates, locations, and products happen before reaching the checkout, leaving room for errors.

How Does Flower Store In a Box Do This Better?

Flower Store In a Box is purpose-built for florists, addressing all the issues that Shopify struggles with. It ensures that critical details like delivery dates, recipient information, and business rules are seamlessly integrated into the checkout process. You won’t need to worry about lost data or incorrect deliveries, making it a far more reliable solution for your florist business.

Key Features of Flower Store In a Box:

Selling flowers online is a unique business that requires specific features your website must provide:

• User-Friendly E-Commerce Platform: A mobile-optimized website that makes ordering flowers online easy.
• All-In-One Solution: Everything you need is included—no plugins or apps required.
• Purpose-Built for Florists: Custom delivery dates, surcharges, cut-off times, inventory notifications, delivery run sheets, suburb-specific charges, and florist-specific checkouts.
• Constant Updates: Regular feature updates to keep your store ahead of the competition.
• AI Tools: Now with AI tools to polish product images, update content, and write SEO content.
• Free Support: Free email and phone support from our team—we’re committed to your success.
• Industry Expertise: Over 20 years of experience in the florist industry.

Florist Websites Require Special Features:

Florist websites have unique needs for selling flowers online. Here are some crucial features that Flower Store In a Box includes as standard:

Delivery and Pickup Options:

• Charge different amounts per suburb
• Set suburb visibility
• Restrict same-day ordering
• Customize delivery schedules
• Add surcharges for weekends or specific dates
• Holiday mode to block specific dates
• Set different cut-off times for distant suburbs

Ordering Management:

• Add card messages and recipient phone numbers
• In-store pickup options and times
• Manage orders with delivery run sheets
• Allocate orders to drivers or multiple stores
• Add notes, edit orders, and send invoices

Product Management:

• Manage multiple price points and stock levels
• Add product options and upsell products
• Remove backgrounds from product images
• Automatically notify when products are out of stock

Marketing & SEO:

• Members' loyalty programs with discounts
• Automated Google reviews
• Inbuilt email marketing
• SMS notifications for orders and deliveries
• AI-generated metadata
• Discount coupons for promotions