1-800-FLOWERS.COM`s Business Process Blooms with Esker

Leading gift retailer picks Esker Fax on Demand to deliver increasing volume of fax documents; especially during peak periods

Madison, WI, July 17, 2006 – Esker, the leader in business document delivery solutions, today announced its Fax on Demand technology has been implemented by 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R), to manage the delivery of all outbound fax communications with customers and florists in addition to supporting their peak holidays that include Mother`s Day, Valentine`s Day, Christmas and Easter.

According to Marc Grzeskowiak, the Director of Logistic Services at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, the company chose to implement Esker Fax on Demand because it is a pay-as you go, hosted fax service that provides the company with the additional capacity needed to answer peak holiday demand without requiring a large capital investment in fax resources that will not be tapped during other periods of the year. Esker Fax on Demand also fully integrates with Esker VSI-FAX a comprehensive, multi-platform fax solution that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been using for over six years. During demand peaks, instead of outgoing faxes waiting in a queue, they are automatically routed to hosted fax boards at the Esker On Demand Center, where they are immediately forwarded to their recipients.

The challenge 1-800-FLOWERS.COM was facing during the periods of high volume was getting all the faxes out in a timely manner, according to Grzeskowiak. To solve this problem, the company initially considered purchasing additional fax boards and modems but soon decided that investment would be too costly. Esker Fax on Demand was a more affordable solution that also integrated seamlessly with the existing infrastructure.

"With Esker Fax on Demand in place by Mother`s Day, we delivered a record number of faxes in a record amount of time," Grzeskowiak reported. "The vast majority of the faxes were delivered in less than 2-3 minutes. The ability to provide an efficient communication process for all of our customers and florists is crucial to our business. And the fact that we did not have to invest in additional hardware or phone lines just to accommodate peak periods makes it that much more of a value."

"This project is an example of how slightly modifying a document delivery process can result in tremendous time and cost savings, as well as improving customer satisfaction," said Mike Wenzel, Vice President of Americas Sales for Esker. "Esker Fax on Demand provides the flexibility and scalability that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM needed and will continue to require as their volumes of outgoing documents change. We give our customers peace of mind to know that we will take care of the technology so they can pay attention to their businesses."

About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R)
For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc. - "Your Florist of Choice(sm)" - has been providing customers around the world with the freshest flowers and finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods and confections, and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) offers the best of both worlds: exquisite, florist-designed arrangements individually created by some of the nation`s top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and spectacular flowers shipped from our growers to your door fresh. Customers can shop 1-800-FLOWERS.COM 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the phone or Internet (1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com) or by visiting a Company-operated or franchised store. Sales and Service Specialists are available 24/7, and fast and reliable delivery is offered same day, any day. As always, 100 percent satisfaction and freshness is guaranteed. The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM collection of brands also includes home decor and garden merchandise from Plow & Hearth(R) (1-800-627-1712 or www.plowandhearth.com); popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); exceptional cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co.;(R) (1-800-443-8124 or wwwcherylandco.com); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May Confections Brands(R) (www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); gourmet foods from GreatFood.com(R) (www.greatfood.com); children`s gifts from HearthSong(R) (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic Cabin(R) (www.magiccabin.com); wine gifts from the WineTasting Network(R) (www.ambrosiawine.com and www.winetasting.com); and gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM(R) (www.1800baskets.com). 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. stock is traded on the NASDAQ market under ticker symbol FLWS.

About Esker
Esker is a recognized leader in helping organizations streamline manual, paper-intensive processes and reduce the use of paper by automating the flow of documents into, within and outside the organization. With patented document delivery automation software (Esker DeliveryWare) and hosted document delivery services (FlyDoc), Esker offers a total solution to automate every phase and every type of business information exchange. Customers gain significant and immediate operational efficiencies, cost savings and measurable ROI in as little as three to six months. Founded in 1985, Esker operates globally and has over 80,000 customers and millions of licensed users worldwide. Esker has global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.esker.com or www.flydoc.com.