The holiday season is approaching, and many of us are looking for a special yet affordable way of expressing their feelings of care, love or appreciation to their friends and family abroad. There are many good ideas for a special gift, but a nice flowers bouquet is always a good solution which will surely be appreciated.
Recently, there seems to be an abundance of new online Israeli flower shops, all aiming at the target market of Americans who wish to send flowers to their friends or family in Israel. At the same time, a new study shows that in nearly 70% of online flower deliveries, the item did not match the order, and a different bouquet was received. Being an online florist in Israel for the past few years, I believe there are a few points to emphasize for anyone who is looking to shop for flowers and get their money’s worth.
So… following are the things you should pay attention to when you send flowers to Israel, the safe way…:
Picture quality and realism – In order to make the bouquets appealing, you will find that at close look some of the bouquets images have been manually processed in a picture editing software. It is not an easy thing to notice, but if you look closely at the image of the bouquet, it will seem “unnatural" in a way. Of course that in this case, there is not a chance that the same bouquet will be delivered because it does not exist.
Picture uniqueness – Some of the online flower shops are just online merchants who have a deal with an off-line flourist. In those cases, you will find the same pictures in more than one website, and the bouquet price will usually be higher since there are more “mouths to feed" in the chain.
Who is the shop owner – as in any online deal, one should check and see that the flower shop owner identifies himself (usually in the “about us" section), and is willing to support the transaction in an accessible customer service phone number.
Those three are the main items you should look for when sending flowers to Israel. Follow those and you’re pretty safe.
Although there are many barriers to online shopping, it is a fact that shopping is much easier and less time consuming when done online. One of the most difficult things to buy online is flowers, bouquets and flower arrangements. It becomes even more difficult when shopping for a gift in a different country than yours – in the case when the online flower shop is foreign, and the shipping address in not yours.
As an online flower shop owner who does have some experience in Israeli online flower shops, I have put together a few points I find as important to pay attention to when sending flowers to Israel:
Product images and descriptions - See that the product images are in good quality, and that the product description or specs describe the given image perfectly.
Product image Liability - The shop should emphasize the exactness of the images, and relate to any possible changes on delivery.
Delivery Areas - Some of the shops do not deliver to the occupied territories. In that case, it is important to note what the alternative is, and how the item will be shipped (the post office, no other option etc.).
Cost of Delivery - Some of the online flower shops in Israel offer free delivery, some have a fixed rate, and some have a delivery rate based on location. Before you submit your offer, check and see what the exact full amount will be.
Flowers costs - Flowers are cheaper in Israel than they are in most of the world, So it is wise not to compare costs to online flower shops in general, but only to Online Israeli flower shops.
Who is the shop owner - Like any other online purchase, see that the shop owner does not try to hide himself, and makes himself or the shop’s customer support available for consumers.
Currency and conversion rate - Are the flowers priced in dollars or sequels. In case there are two currencies – check which conversion rate is used, and what the current rate is. It is sometimes cheaper to make a foreign currency purchase.
Shay P has sinced written about articles on various topics from Strategic Planning, Flowers Delivery and Wine and Spirits. Shay p. is the owner and operator of the Israeli online flower shop: We ship flowers anywhere in Israel. Don’t forget to check us. Shay P's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.