NetFlorist defies tough economy with launch of sister site NetGifts

Dec. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- South Africa’s largest flower and gifting service and one of its most established e-commerce businesses, NetFlorist, has just launched its second online retailing arm, www.netgifts.co.za. This is no mean feat given the tough trading conditions facing most retailers throughout the country.

Although NetFlorist has offered gifts on its site for the past four years, now numbering over 450 items, the company felt it was time for a new gifting site with its own distinctive brand.

“While our gifting business has shown terrific growth, many customers continue to associate NetFlorist with flower arrangements only,” said Ryan Bacher, Managing Director of NetFlorist.  “Hence the decision to separate the product offerings into two separate sites with their own distinctive identities.”

As the name suggests, NetGifts is dedicated to all of the company’s gift offerings, while the original site www.netflorist.co.za will continue showcase all its floral bouquets and arrangements.

Bacher emphasised that while there are now two web sites, customers can expect the same service and delivery commitments from NetGifts as they have come to know from NetFlorist.

“Because flowers and gifts are an expression of emotions, people want to know that our order fulfillment is reliable. We offer same-day delivery within the Gauteng area if orders are placed before noon each day, and within 24 hours to anywhere else in the country,” he said, adding that this was a service commitment unique to NetFlorist.

“I don’t believe any other local online retailer can match our delivery time lines,” he said.

With its year-on-year growth exceeding 30 percent since inception (with exception in 2009 when growth was at 20 percent) NetFlorist has flouted the dot bomb pundits.

“We are among only five remaining local e-tailers who started out in 1999 ahead of the dotcom crashes of 2001 and 2002,” Bacher said.

NetFlorist started off as a proof of concept designed to demonstrate how e-tailing could work but its performance far exceeded expectations and thus a business was created. The site’s continued success can also be attributed to Bacher’s savvy business decision to choose flowers and gifts as his company’s products.

“Flowers and gifts are ideal products to sell online as it is not necessary to see them in real life. This is unlike clothes, for example, which have to be fitted before they are bought and other goods like furniture that people also like to inspect before buying.”

Over the last 10 years, NetFlorist has expanded its reach into the furthest corners of South Africa, while in the process building two regional business hubs – one in Tshwane and one in Gauteng – to house its stock and centralise its business operations.  Deliveries number over 180 000 annually.

NetFlorist’s knack for selecting delightfully unconventional gifts, ranging from spa treatments, personalised gifts and freshly baked goods, to “experience” gifts such as abseiling packages and the Valentine Sensory Feast Cooking Experience, has made it the online gift store of choice to its regular customers.

Bacher is confident that those who already shop at NetFlorist will quickly adapt to using the new site. “Obviously, the new site will also attract more potential clients who search the internet for gift stores, so we are expecting our improved SEO (search engine optimisation) to yield more sales and increased profits,” he said.

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About NetFlorist
NetFlorist is South Africa’s largest flower and gifting supplier and was recently awarded the Leisure Options Best of Jo’burg Reader’s Choice award for best florist in 2010. Having delivered in excess of one million items since its inception in 1999, http://www.netflorist.co.za is in the business of delivering emotions and encouraging customers to connect with the important people in their lives, in the most convenient way.

About NetGifts
Thinking about a gift and how you’re going to send it? Think NetGifts, brought to you by NetFlorist. Developed to house the company’s ever-expanding range of gifts, which currently stands at over 450 options, http://www.netgifts.co.za offers top-quality gifts that are speedily delivered anywhere in South Africa. With its finger on the pulse of the latest trends, NetGifts has something to suit every taste and occasion, so you’ll never battle to choose or send a gift again.