Flower delivery is a popular service in the floristry industry. Traditionally ordered via telegraphs, and the telephone nowadays, in many cases, flower delivery is conducted through websites which allow consumers to browse online catalogues of flowers upload the delivery details of the recipient and pay with a credit or debit card online. 

Flowers are usually under a flower delivery service banner are usually delivered to a third party, who is the recipient of the gift on a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary.

But how do these operations operate and how did they begin? 

Across the globe flower delivery is a popular service from florists in Covent Garden to a florist in Parramatta. The flower delivery market size is to set to grow from USD 6.89 Billion in 2023 to USD 12.76 Billion by 2033, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.36% during the projected period according to Globe Newswire. As families and social groups are living further away from each other and amid travel restrictions during the Covid19 epidemic more people are having locally sourced gifts delivered to their loved ones on special occasions.  

History

The first floral wire service was established in 1910 and consisted of a group of 15 US florists. The Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Service (FTD). The group was mutually owned and formed as a cooperative by its members. Orders were exchanged via telegraph messages and hence the name ‘wire service.’

In 1965, with the introduction of international order sending, FTD changed its name to Florists’ Transworld Delivery. By this time the telephone was a more popular method of placing orders.

A group of British florists in the 1920s formed a group named “Flowers by Wire” affiliated with the FTD, and switched in 1953 to the now recognizable trade name of Interflora. By the 1970s most European nations had their own Interflora operations delivering flowers within the continent. 

Later, types of floral design sprung up in Europe, Japan, and China. This led the way for floristry to become an official business. In the East, the oriental style of floral design emphasized the lines of flowers, bringing the business into somewhat of an art form.

Operations

Like travel agents, wire service affiliates’ main functions are to act as agents and sell products and services on behalf of local florist suppliers. Sellers are not required to keep flowers on hand. Flower arrangements and other floral gifts are not purchased from a supplier unless a customer order is placed. The flowers are supplied to the affiliate at a discount with the agent typically earning 20% of the product and local delivery price, plus service charges.

Additionally, many florist wire services pay performance rebates to affiliate resellers. Florists are equipped to deal with large bulk-style orders for weddings and other events with deals with delivery services making up only a part of their overall operations. So, the next time you receive a gift of flowers spare a thought for the lines of communication, and logistics involved in the whole flower business worldwide.