UrbanFlorist.com blooms with a multi-channel marketing campaign

Once literally a local mom-and-pop operation, UrbanFlorist.com has blossomed into a prolific online merchant. By leveraging a marketing mix that includes sponsored links on search engines, e-mail campaigns and print advertising, the Vancouver, BC-based flower seller in 2004 attracted 10 million visitors to its site—up 50% from a year earlier—while recording three consecutive years of 1,000% revenue increases.

CEO Alif Somani won’t disclose transaction volumes or sales figures, but says the company is “extremely profitable” and that he expects site visits in 2005 to double. Originally a brick-and-mortar outlet called Vancouver Flower Co. that was opened in 1998 by Somani’s mother, the company’s online business took root after his father created a web page containing store information.

Somani began targeting Internet shoppers when online orders started escalating after the company appeared on search engines. The site initially featured just photos of a dozen flowers—not all of which were available for purchase—and buyers sent e-mails containing credit card numbers.

The company now sells about 800 styles of flowers, most of which are sent by more than 600 dealers across North America, and operates distribution centers in Vancouver and Miami that have the capacity to handle 2,000 and 12,000 daily orders, respectively.

UrbanFlorist.com last year spent $3 million on advertising—including placement of ads in more than 60 newspapers and magazines across North America—and in 2005 plans to advertise for the first time on radio, Somani notes. Yet, he says the free listings on search engines are the most effective means for generating new sales because they give the company added credibility in the minds of consumers.

To strengthen its recurring business, UrbanFlorist.com regularly transmits e-mail messages to customers that remind them of an upcoming event that might necessitate the sending of flowers, such as birthdays and anniversaries.

About 25% of customers are repeat buyers, and 36% of site visitors arrive at the destination by entering the company’s web address rather than clicking on links, demonstrating the growing strength of the UrbanFlorist.com brand, Somani says.

He adds that the company employs 60 full-time customer service representatives to further attract repeat business. “Our prices are average, so it is the level of service that drives the retention,” he notes.