1-800-Flowers.com is leveraging technology in a variety of ways to take advantage of Valentine’s Day, including upgrades to voice ordering and to its mobile app and website.
Customers can now place smart orders via Samsung’s voice-powered digital assistant, Bixby, and have the option of using Samsung Pay to complete purchases. Users of Apple products can place orders over text with Apple Business Chat and Apple Pay. There is also a personalized concierge to track orders and help look up products or services.
Customers can use Google Assistant voice technology to search and shop across devices, place orders for delivery using Google Express and use Google Pay at checkout. 1-800-Flowers.com already has an integration with Amazon’s Echo voice platform.
“Voice shopping is really just getting started and we know we’re ahead of the consumer in terms of adoption,” said Amit Shah, CMO of 1-800-Flowers.com.
Shah said voice, mobile and other digital technologies are helping the company recreate the types of one-on-one personal relationships at its first florist shop, opened 40 years ago, only at scale. He added 1-800-Flowers.com taps big data and analytics, combined with conversational commerce, to better understand shoppers on a personal level.
The company has also upgraded its online search capabilities with a bot for Facebook Messenger, including a “track my order” integration.
“We know that changes in consumer behavior are driven by technology, so it’s always important for us to embrace new innovations early on to learn along with the customer,” Shah said. A third of U.S. consumers use a voice assistant, and the number is expected to grow to 50% this year, according to Adobe.
1-800-Flowers.com has also revamped its mobile site, including a full-width design, better optimization and smart functionality. The enhanced mobile website is responsive, which means the same experience can be served on bigger screen sizes, such as tablet and desktop.
A streamlined checkout process across desktop and mobile includes the ability to bypass formal checkout and use Google Payment Requests, transacting directly from the product page. There is also new filtering and refinement options on the desktop site to make search and shopping easier.
Another new feature is SmartGift for customers who order late, notifying the recipient via text, email or other messaging that the gift is on the way. It also lets recipients modify their delivery preferences.