Bouquet businesses bloom

Gregg Weisstein had good intentions.

He went online and ordered a gorgeous bouquet filled with lush blooms and sent them to that special someone.

But when the recipient took a picture of what arrived on the doorstep, Weisstein was the one disappointed.

That lifeless floral arrangement?

Not his fault.

His two friends of 10 years knew the same feeling.

Special women in their lives also received a sparse or wilted assemblage.

The flowers each one ordered online may have looked colorful and in magnificent bloom in a photo, but that was far from what was delivered.

“We all had sent flowers before through various websites but we were always let down,” Weisstein said. “The flowers never looked like what we had ordered.”

So he and the two buddies, David Daneshgar and Farbod Shoraka, founded BloomNation, an online marketplace based in Santa Monica, where customers may choose floral designs created by florists around the country.

Unlike other websites, BloomNation shows the actual design created by the florist rather than something similar.

Customers can compare over 45,000 designs, prices and reviews while paying local prices with no service fees. Founded in 2011, the company now features over 3,000 florists.

To ensure the arrangement you picked out online is the one received, the website sends “BloomSnaps,” photos of the arrangement, before it’s delivered.

BloomNation, Weisstein said, is shaking up the online floral business by becoming the reliable source in helping the consumer save time in the ordering process.

It’s a service that not only brings business back to local florists, but also allows customers to purchase a unique design, he said.

And with Mother’s Day on Sunday, the website comes at a handy time when sons and daughters everywhere are selecting that perfect something to show mom just how much she means to them.

In 2009 alone, Americans spent $1.9 billion on floral arrangements, and according to a spending survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics for National Retail Federation, three in 10 shoppers will buy Mother’s Day gifts online, spending an average of $25 on flowers.

Weisstein wants to simplify the online shopping experience.

“You can go on Google, but it’s going to take you 30 minutes to read reviews on Yelp while choosing a florist,” Weisstein said. “We are basically streamlining that process.”

One detail the website features is same day hand delivery. Also, arrangements are never delivered in a box. Flowers are already cut and designed so the recipient can avoid prep work.

To get started, shoppers may go to the site and enter the recipient’s address to reveal pictures of arrangements posted by nearby florists. They can hunt for one they like and proceed to order it for hand delivery by the florist or its employee. BloomNation charges a 10% commission.

“We’re helping give exposure to florists that they never had before,” Weisstein said. “This site is very location-based because then you know who the local florist is.”

Galit Brem, owner of Irvine-based Flower-Synergy and a featured member on BloomNation, said the website has expanded her business. Shoppers in Singapore and China located her designs on the webpage and ordered arrangements for friends and relatives in Irvine.

“It’s very convenient for the buyer,” said Brem, who opened her business in 2009 and began collaboration with BloomNation in 2011. “The website is a wonderful service because they are always there for the florist and the customer.”

Alex Lemus, owner of Newport Florist, said he joined BloomNation four months ago after a colleague introduced him to the site. He has since made a new customer every day.

“It’s been really beneficial because I’ve increased my sales 40 to 60% in the last four months,” said Lemus, who bought the 53-year-old business from his uncle eight years ago. “We have customers from around the world.”

Lemus, who particularly caters to Newport Beach and Newport Coast residents, estimated that he has sold $76,000 to $80,000 in flowers since becoming a featured member.

BloomNation’s system, Weisstein said, is a step up from online retailers because a competitor’s website selling stock images of perfect-looking arrangements doesn’t know how the florist will execute the order.

The picture may advertise, say a dozen pink tulips, he said, but the florist may only be able to deliver half if they’re out of stock. They then fail to connect with the purchaser, resulting in a dissatisfied customer.

“There’s no incentive for them to do a good job because there’s a huge disconnect,” Weisstein said. “But with BloomNation, there’s transparency. They become a good source for you to save for future orders.”