It's not uncommon for someone in a particular industry to think that their industry is unlike any other. Someone trying to sell a business product to that person will often believe that things are really the same in all industries. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle – they share lots in common with other industries while still retaining some unique quirks.
There are however times when an industry really does need a product custom built specifically for that industry. One of those situations is retail floral ecommerce websites for flower shops.
Sometimes a florist that needs a website will go to a local web developer or a standardized ecommerce platform. In each case the vendor will assure them that all ecommerce is essentially the same, and that a website for a florist is no different than any other online store.
That really isn't the case. The flower business and retail floral really is different, very different, when it comes to ecommerce...
Look at almost any ecommerce website out there and you'll notice something about the checkout process. You get to specify where you want the product delivered, but not when. Most online stores assume "as soon as possible" and do not let you select a delivery date in the future. This simply does not work for a flower shop website. In retail floral someone buying flowers needs to be able to specify a delivery date.
A good flower shop website will let the customer pick the fulfillment date, but not any date. There are dates you don't deliver, and a florist website needs to give you the ability to admin those dates. Otherwise people will order online for dates when you can't deliver. You then have to call them and explain why you can't.
In most ecommerce it is assumed that the person placing the order is the person that will be taking delivery. The ability to add a different recipient is almost an afterthought. A florist needs something completely different –in floral sales almost all purchases are made for someone else, and the focus needs to be on that kind of order. Otherwise buying flowers online is going to be frustrating for the customer and they're going to choose another website, one that really was designed specifically for the flower business.
Same day delivery is one of the few places where a small local florist has an advantage. It's something they can offer that dropshippers and most other retailers can't. A good floral website has to allow the customers to place a same day order, but only when same day delivery is possible. That means that your flower shop website has to let you specify cutoff time for each of your delivery areas. Otherwise customers will be placing orders, and expecting same day delivery, long after same day delivery is possible. That means you have to call each one and explain.
When people send flowers they usually want to include a card. A good flower shops website has to let them do that. And it can't be an afterthought – the card message is vital, often even more important than the flowers. It needs to be a key part of the process.
The flower business really is different. And if you really want to sell flowers online you need a website that was designed for the flower business.
