What are Delivery Policy & Best Practices?

Delivering the arrangement or gift someone chose to order from you is one of the most mysterious and therefore nerve-wracking parts of the flower buying process for your customer. Bring peace of mind and clarity to this last, but certainly not least important step. Because customer satisfaction and even their ability to make a decision to purchase is at stake here, glossing over this part of your business could cost you more than just wasted gas money!

By meeting the standards below you not only increase the potential for your customer to become a lifelong client, you decrease the risk of inciting negative reviews or violating our Terms of Service, which will hurt your ranking on, or ability to participate in, the BloomNation.com Marketplace.

Setup

When creating delivery zones, only include the areas to which you are capable of hand delivering arrangements. Be sure to adjust your settings if that area changes at any time, for example, due to scheduled road closures or high volume holiday seasons.

BloomNation is all about keeping local, local, and has absolutely no tolerance for order gathering (accepting orders you have no intention of delivery and for the purpose of sending to another florist for profit). Reselling orders originating from the Marketplace is not permitted and will result in immediate removal from the Marketplace.

Communication

Confirm your delivery by changing the order status within an hour after drop-off, never before. This will trigger an email letting the sender know their gift has been delivered. Call the recipient, sender, or (as a last resort) BloomNation if you:

• Are running late (past 5:00 p.m. local time).
• Attempted delivery but were unsuccessful.
• Cannot comply with the directions in the special instructions.

Pricing

Keep your fees reasonable. This cannot be overstated (Would you pay $40 shipping fees when buying something online? Your customers won’t either). Those who perform most successfully on the BloomNation platform prove that customers generally will not pay more than $15.00 for delivery. If you cannot deliver to an area for less than $15.00, consider eliminating that zone from your list of options. Consolidating routes and lowering your fee will not only drive sales volume up and reduce your costs, it will help you appear higher in BloomNation Marketplace result pages.

Service

As described in the BloomNation Customer Service Standards, service is one of the main differentiators of a successful business. Time and again florists tell us that service is their top driver of repeat business and that these three actions save them a lot of time, money, and lost sales:

• When setting up your delivery schedule for the day, prioritize time-sensitive deliveries (funerals, schools, office), as customers sending to these areas tend to be the most nervous and likely to call (repeatedly) for an update.
• Only hire or contract professional, courteous and presentable delivery drivers. They are your representative in the field and, in some cases, the only staff member your customer will ever meet.
• If you missed a delivery or were unable to leave the arrangement with the recipient, call* right away so your customer can help you get their gift to its final destination.

*Customer contact information is included on every order page.

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FAQs

When should I mark an order as delivered?

Update the order status after you have completed the drop‑off. Do not mark orders delivered before fulfillment; the delivery confirmation email should reflect the actual delivery.

What delivery fee should I charge?

Keep fees reasonable to encourage conversions. Many customers resist paying high delivery fees; if you cannot deliver to an area for less than your target fee, consider removing that zone or consolidating routes.