When Farbod Shoraka noticed that his aunt, a local florist, was struggling to make her flower shop successful online, an idea was hatched. Shoraka pulled in two of his childhood friends Gregg Weisstein (COO) and David Daneshgar (Head of Sales and Business Development) and BloomNation was born. The company launched in 2011 as a solution for independent florists who wanted to build their online presence and created a marketplace that allowed flower buyers to shop directly from local florists by delivery zip code. Now, BloomNation has grown into a nation-wide platform with over 3,000 of the best local flower shops and independent floral designers participating in the world’s largest online flower marketplace.
But BloomNation doesn’t just benefit consumers who want to shop transparently and locally– it’s a smart business decision for flower shops who want to take control of their online business. BloomNation provides a whole suite of tools to help florists achieve online success, including website hosting, SEO features, PR placements, email marketing, and custom graphic design for no additional cost. Each BloomNation website is unique and customizable, allowing each florist to color their site with their own personality and aesthetic.
With BloomPro, BloomNation’s newest offering, the company only enhances the tools available to local florists. BloomPro is a new initiative that allows local florists to have an e-commerce floral expert at their disposal without having to hire one internally. Florists who choose to take advantage of this product have the opportunity to invest in resources that will take their online business to the next level. In addition to their dedicated account manager, BloomPro clients will receive high-touch support and priority attention from all other departments within BloomNation headquarters, including SEO, design, and marketing.
“If BloomNation is a gym for florists, BloomPro is the personal trainer,” says COO Gregg Weisstein. Account managers can track each florist’s performance and provide in-depth monthly reviews, allowing for unique strategies tailored to the business’s strengths and weaknesses. The floral industry can change from city to city, depending on style, inventory, and demand, so an outside expert who can work for each individual instead of providing a cookie-cutter solution can be extremely valuable.
“After living and breathing in the local floral industry for a few years, we realized that some small businesses don’t have the time or resources to focus on growing their online commerce– even though that’s the fastest growing part of their business,” says CEO Farbod Shoraka. “BloomPro was the perfect solution to give these businesses the dedicated effort to focus on getting both new customers and more repeat customers. Instead of hiring someone, they can leverage the power of the BloomNation account managers to essentially be their outsourced team member that focuses on growth”
BloomPro was just recently rolled out, but florists on the platform have already started to see the value. Owner of Palm Springs Flower Mart VJ Mkrtchian says that what sold him on BloomPro was an increase in sales and exposure, but the day-to-day value is in having the account manager. “Having an account manager is a great tool. If I ever need anything I can pick up the phone and call them, whether it’s a new picture or website changes. It works for me because I’m so busy and not as computer savvy— it comes in very handy.”
