10 Pros and Cons of Online Flower Delivery Services – 2024 Guide

The Internet has become a worldwide store of everything and anything under the sun. Florists recognized the opportunity right away opening flower shops online and offering delivery services. At first, people were shy of ordering flowers online without being able to see how they look like. Soon after flower shops took off and today ordering bouquets online is flourishing. Still, there are some advantages as well as downsides of buying flowers online.

Pros

1. Convenience

Like with every online purchase, convenience is the strongest reason why people buy flowers on the internet. You can save the trip and time of physically going to the local florists. A few clicks in a couple of minutes is all it takes to choose the bouquet and fill in the delivery address. Nothing can beat the comfort of ordering flowers from your home or office. Online stores usually have long hours; some are even open well into the late evenings for all last-minute surprises.

2. The variety

There is a wide variety of flower arrangements and bouquets to choose from, much more than what you would often find in the shop. Flower shops have limited inventory, while online stores often have whole warehouses full of different plants. It’s so much easier to scroll up and down the website instead of going to the shop and comparing the prices and arrangements. Check out cutflowers.net.au for a large variety to choose from. The process is quicker and some florists have a live chat available in case you need help choosing.

3. The prices

If you’re looking for a good deal the best place to look are online stores. They usually have lower costs and can offer the best prices to the customers. Flower shops have a huge overhead, so naturally, the prices are going to be higher. Online flower shops often have fantastic sale prices depending on the volume of the purchase and some additional gifts and discounts on the delivery charges.

4. The delivery

Another great advantage of online shops is the delivery service. You can order online flowers for your friend who lives across the world. Local shops will usually have same-day delivery which is a bonus. If you want to surprise someone or wish a happy anniversary or a birthday, you can customize your flower arrangements and the delivery.

Cons

Admittedly, these are some great advantages. It’s so easy to make the last-minute arrangements if you forgot some important dates, or sent it across the world to your friends and family members, so it seems like there are no drawbacks. However, there are a few, and it’s completely up to you which ones are going to tip the scale. Let’s see some of the disadvantages.

1. The quality issues

What you see is what you get doesn’t apply here. The photos of the flowers online are taken when they were in full bloom, and you can never be sure what kind of flowers will be delivered. They might be still budding or be half-dead, there is no way of knowing beforehand. The flowers’ quality is always an issue in the flower business and generally with online purchases.

2. Lack of personal touch

When buying locally, over time you form some relationship with people owning the shop. Every time you come the florist already knows what you like, and can give you some personalized advice. That personal touch is missing when you’re buying online and some people are not willing to trade that experience with impersonal, generic service.

3. Waiting time

When going to the local florist you choose the bouquet, pay, and you’re on your way. When ordering online there is a waiting period from when you order the flowers when they’re going to be delivered. The delivery is one of the many convenient features, but it’s not instant. The online service takes time to organize, making the arrangements regarding the bouquets and the delivery. So, if you need them right away, purchasing online might not be the best choice.

4. Shipping

Flowers are cheaper online, there’s no doubt about that. However, shipping costs can quickly cancel out the excellent deal you were getting on the flowers. Depending on where you need them delivered shipping fees can be almost half the flower arrangements’ price. So, be careful when ordering and read their delivery fees and times. Sometimes it might be cheaper to take that trip to the flower shop after all.

5. Wrong order

Mistakes happen in every business. Delivering the wrong flowers to your wife, for example, might set off the storm once you get home, right? Still, mistakes happen all the time, whether by the people in the flower shop or by the delivery service. Sometimes they can deliver the wrong arrangement, or they can be very late, so much so that the flower delivery makes no sense anymore. You have to think about this if flower delivery is for some important life events, like weddings, baby showers, birthdays and so on. Imagine getting the flowers the day after your birthday – kind of beats the purpose.

6. Security issues

When purchasing flowers online, you have to leave a lot of your personal information and the information of the person you’re buying the flowers for. Namely, you will have to leave your name, credit card number, phone number, the delivery address and the name of the person, and perhaps her phone number. This is an overwhelming amount of personal data for a simple flower purchasing. Again, this is totally up to you. If you still find it worth it or how to protect your data, this still might be the best choice for you. If you’re not familiar with online purchases, a local florist could be the best solution instead of putting your personal information online.
In either way, purchasing flowers online is blooming. The main reason is the lack of time to shop around the local stores. However, considering the drawbacks, it might be worth visiting the local florist if you do have the time.