Flower and Gift Delivery

Sending flowers of the best quality direct to the door of a loved one, friend or colleague has never been easier. With so many flower and gift delivery choices out there it can be a mine field trying to pick the best one!
The four big delivery services in the US include FTD, Florists' Transworld Delivery, Teleflora, 1-800 Flowers and of course any good local florist. Let's take a look at what each has to offer :

Services/Company	FTD	Teleflora	1-800-FLOWERS	Local Florists
Delivery Rate Across US	99%	99%	99%	99%
Same Day	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Florist Network	16000 across US and Canada	18000 across US and Canada	N/A	Local
Worldwide Florists	40,000 worldwide	20,000 florists worldwide	N/A	Local
Flowers/Gifts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Packaging	No vase unless requested	All come with vases	All options available	All options available

FTD (Florists' Transworld Delivery)

Choosing the biggest...
(Founded in 1910 and with flower delivery rates to nearly 100 percent of the US population it's no wonder FTD is one of America's oldest and most popular flower delivery choices. Here's why...)
It can be hard to decide how to send flowers to a friend, colleague or more often than not a loved one. Picking the correct floral gift can be difficult enough with so much choice out there, but even trickier is how to ensure your sentiments reach the recipient in the best condition possible.
FTD.COM otherwise known as Florists' Transworld Delivery is perhaps one of the most iconic flower delivery companies ever known in American history. The iconic image of Mercury the Messenger God has become synonymous with FTD. The image of Mercury in flight brandishing a bunch of flowers adds gravitas and credibility to this well known delivery company.

What FTD do?

FTD.COM is an Internet and telephone marketer of flowers and other related speciality gifts. It is believed that FTD is one of the world's oldest floral services organizations. As a consumer you can send flowers and gifts to whoever you wish directly through its website www.ftd.com and also through its telephone 1-800-SEND-FTD. The flexibility of the online and telephone service makes FTD a popular choice for many wishing to send floral gifts.

Working in the US and through its subsidiaries Interflora in the UK and Ireland FTD is a global company. FTD works by utilizing independent FTD florists who have to maintain and stick to the highest quality and service standards. FTD florists can be recognised by the iconic Mercury in flight image.

Delivery to nearly 100 percent of the US population

To understand just how big FTD.COM are, is to understand that they provide same-day delivery on floral orders to nearly 100 percent of the U.S. population. The company also offers a wide variety of unique floral arrangements and specialty gifts for holidays and other occasions, from Valentine's to Mother's Day from Holiday's to Birthdays FTD has all of life's events covered.

Early Roots

Founded in 1910, FTD is one of the largest floral companies in the world and believes itself to be a leader in quality, artistry and dependability. FTD has network connections with around 16,000 retail florists in North America. Beyond the US, FTD has worldwide connections with 154 countries through around 45,000 different florists. It is this networking that allows FTD to deliver products to nearly 100% of the U.S. population. FTD also stands by its Satisfaction Guarantee on all orders sent through FTD for delivery within the U.S. and Canada.

History

FTD has been around since the early twentieth century. On August 18, 1910, fifteen American retail florists agreed to exchange orders for out of town deliveries. Originally called "Florists' Telegraph Delivery", FTD was the world's first flowers-by-wire service. Just over half a century later, FTD expanded to include international transactions. The company was renamed "Florists Transworld Delivery" to reflect its growing worldwide presence. In 1914, FTD adopted the classic figure of Mercury as its official logo. With worldwide visibility, the gold "Mercury Man" is one of the most recognized logos in the world and is seen as an emblem of quality.

Picking FTD to send floral and other gifts is a choice steeped in history and international presence.

Teleflora

(Customer satisfaction, speed and a unique presentation style makes Teleflora an informed choice for both the flower giver and receiver.)

Once you’ve chosen your floral gift the next most important thought is how to ensure your gift arrives in the best possible condition. Teleflora like to pride themselves in providing the best flowers in the best condition.
For more than three quarters of a century Teleflora have been connecting customers with the nation’s best florists. Based on the west coast in Los Angeles Teleflora boasts over 18,000 member florists throughout the US and Canada. Beyond the North American border Teleflora has an additional 20,000 member florists worldwide.

Customer Service

Teleflora likes to boast that with its extensive network of high quality florists sending with them is a confident choice and one that ensures the best quality flowers are reaching your friend/lover/relative.

Why Teleflora?

As a service organization rather than a florist, Teleflora believe that the investment in modern technology methods they use makes it easy to select beautiful florist delivered products. Teleflora aim to seek continuous innovation and improvement in services, and provide the best people in the business. They hope that this standard of service will help to provide complete customer satisfaction.

The Teleflora Guarantee

Like most flower delivery service providers Teleflora guarantees satisfaction with every gift order. If you are not satisfied Teleflora will want to know why and urge customers to contact them. With a network of florists committed to hand-making bouquets using the freshest flowers available, Teleflora lets you send flowers with confidence. Nearly every arrangement is personally delivered and as a result same-day delivery is available on almost every order.

What’s different with Teleflora

Teleflora believe that some flower companies pre-package their flowers in nondescript cardboard boxes, which are loaded onto trucks and dropped at the door of the recipient. Once in the home, the flowers may be damaged or dehydrated. But a Teleflora bouquet is different.

Teleflora believe that exceptional flowers need the expertise of exceptional florists. As a result Teleflora believe that their floral arrangements are artistically arranged by a local florist using only the freshest flowers available. Unusually each gift is personally delivered in a vase. More often than not they are received on the same day the order was placed, this they hope ensures the flowers are both presented and received in the best possible condition to be enjoyed for as long as possible by the recipient.

The “Flowers in a Gift” Collection

The co-owner of Teleflora, Lynda Resnick pioneered the concept of collectible vases and containers for floral deliveries. The original “Flowers in a Gift” collection has expanded over the decades to include everything from coffee mugs to serving pitchers. Wherever you see the “Flowers in a Gift” symbol, you know your recipient isn’t just getting flowers, he or she will also receive a keepsake they can treasure for years.

Teleflora have also partnered with renowned artists and big name brands. This has meant that over the years, Teleflora has offered bouquets with themes ranging from M&Ms Candies to Waterford crystal to the Teleflora Kinkade collection.

Teleflora like to pride themselves on quality and satisfaction and with so many deliveries arriving in their own vase freshness and uniqueness is a key selling point of this flower delivery service and is why its popularity it sure to continue.

1-800-FLOWERS

(With over thirty years experience and a dazzling array of floral and non-floral gifts on offer 1-800-FLOWERS is an exciting choice.)
1-800-Flowers believe themselves to be the world’s leading florist and gift shop for more than thirty years. What separates them from their competitors is their products. 1-800-Flowers despite their namesake also focus heavily on non-floral gifts or indeed ‘add ons’ to floral gifts.
This company likes to deliver smiles and satisfaction to customers with gifts for every occasion, including fresh flowers and the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, candles, balloons and plush stuffed animals.

Award winning

1-800-FLOWERS pride themselves on customer satisfaction which is why they believe that a 100% Smile Guarantee backs every gift. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's Mobile Flower & Gift Center was named winner of the 2010 "Best Mobile App for E-commerce". Furthermore, 2010 saw them receive the Mobile App of the Year Award in the "Best Shopping" category. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM was also rated number one versus other competitors for customer satisfaction by Stella Service.
1-800-FLOWERS.com has been honored in Internet Retailer's "Hot 100: America's Best Retail Web Sites" for 2011. The Company's BloomNet international floral wire service provides a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses too.

Flowers and other special gift delights!

The 1-800-FLOWERS.com has unlike some of its competitors more options when it comes to sending gifts. In fact the variety is staggering. The 1-800 FLOWERS "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory, cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl's premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May confections brands and Harry London. There are also other options including gift baskets and towers from 1-800-Baskets.com and wine gifts from Winetasting.com.

Let’s Celebrate!

The company is also into selling you great parties! The Company's Celebrations brand is a new premier online destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips.
Whatever your desire from flowers and cookies to cakes and wine 1-800-Flowers is more than just a way of sending blooms to loved ones, friends and colleagues. It is a great way to send inspirational new and exciting gifts to people everywhere. So if you are looking for a special gift away from the norm then despite its name it would seem 1-800 Flowers has it covered.

Local Florists

(Supporting your local florist is a great way to ensure your personal floral gift really is just that...personal.)
If you want a more personal approach to your floral gift then look no further than your local florist. There are many pluses to staying local. You can see the flowers first hand that you wish to send, you can learn from a professional about what’s in season, what’s appropriate for the recipient and what to avoid.

There are many ways to say you care to those around you and making sure your floral gift is the best it can be and that it arrives in arrives in as good a condition as it can is important. That is why for all the guarantees the three big delivery companies offer there is not greater security than trusting in your local florist.

Check out your local florist when you can if you don’t already know. Building up a bond with them can help make sure that you get exactly what you want when you want it. You’d be surprised even if you thought you might have to use one of the big three flower courier services out of town it’s always best to check. Your local florist maybe able to deliver just what you want to exactly to who you want, personally!

Your local florist will be glad to build a relationship with you. They will learn to understand your tastes, budget and of course the preferences of those to whom you plan to send flowers. Even if you think they might not deliver across town be sure to check, you’d be surprised what a great florist will do for valued customers.

Only recently a hand delivered bunch of flowers was delivered way across town by a loved one who knew exactly what she wanted to send and knew her florist would understand and not a stranger. This made the gift even more special because of the distance travelled and the thought that went into making a special day even more special.

A local florist will always be happy to compete with some of the bigger companies, you just have to give them the chance. It is always good to know where your floral gift comes from, the style of your local florist and his/her know how is a great way to ensure that your gift is an extra special one, whatever the occasion.