1-800-Flowers.com launches online third-party marketplace

1-800-Flowers.com is expanding its product selection by directly connecting customers to third-party sellers of handmade gift items.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the specialty gift retailer is introducing Gifts & More, an online marketplace featuring curated items from local sellers across more than 15 new product categories, including home décor, spa gift baskets party supplies, and DIY activities. The marketplace features more than 200 brands which are new to 1-800-Flowers.com, including Luca + Dani, Naturally Gifted, and more.

“This addition will help us continue to bring new trends to market as we support local independent sellers, providing them with an innovative platform to sell their goods on a national scale,” said 1-800-Flowers.com president Abhay Patel. “Giving is truly the gift, and we’ll continue to look for opportunities to broaden our product offerings as we seek to solve more of our customers’ gifting needs.”

Other online services 1-800-Flowers is providing Valentine’s Day shoppers include:

• Digital content including gifting advice and tips on expressing love to a partner.
• Complimentary themed e-cards and digital backgrounds.
• A gift bundle and Instagram contest offered in partnership with Princess Cruises.
• More than a dozen “Duo” paired gift bundles that arrive packaged together for special delivery.
• A themed online countdown to Valentine’s Day across all 1-800-Flowers.com brand sites, with giveaways including downloadable coloring pages.

Digital offerings sprout at 1-800-Flowers

1-800-Flowers has been transforming into a more digitally oriented company in the past couple of years. In addition to its January 2022 purchase of the floral livestreaming platform Alice’s Table, the retailer unveiled several new digital offerings for Valentine’s Day 2022. These included a new loyalty app, checkout with a mobile or desktop BNPL option provided by Klarna, as well as checkout with digital payment solutions including Apple Pay, PayPal, Click to Pay, and Venmo.

1-800-Flowers also provides a variety of floral subscription offerings, enabled customers to contact customer care agents through two-way SMS text messaging, teamed up with astrology app Sanctuary to curate a special collection of floral bouquets, and has partnered with TikTok creator and influencer Eros Miranda.

In October 2021, the retailer launched a new business-to-business solution called Hero, based on technology from SmartGift. Hero, an intelligent enterprise engagement and gifting platform. The solution also provides features including same-day delivery and address-less shipping capabilities, customization offerings, and white-glove service. The retailer also migrated its e-commerce platform and other services to Google Cloud.