1-800-Flowers.com Inc. is blossoming as it heads into one of its busiest times of the year: Valentine’s Day. The flowers and gifts retailer reported massive ecommerce growth of 59.7% for its fiscal second quarter 2021, ended Dec. 7, 2020. That figure includes revenue from PersonalizationMall.com, which it acquired in August 2020. Excluding PersonalizationMall.com, the retailer’s ecommerce growth was still a big uptick at 34.6% growth for the fiscal second quarter.
The total revenue for the quarter increased 44.8% to $877.3 million, up from $605.6 million in the prior-year period.
The retailer says it credits its growth in ecommerce to the shift in consumers shopping more online and wanting more ways to connect with friends and family amid the pandemic.
“Our strong ecommerce growth, combined with excellent operational execution, enabled us to drive record… results, despite the significant headwinds that we faced in the year-end holiday period, including with the increased labor and product shipping costs as well as operating inefficiencies related to the ongoing pandemic,” said CEO Chris McCann in an earnings call transcribed by SeekingAlpha.
Based on its current ecommerce growth momentum that has carried into January, McCann said, 1-800-Flowers.com anticipates revenue will keep growing—up 45-50% for its third fiscal quarter 2021 compared with the prior-year period.
“As we enter the second half of our fiscal year, we have built significant momentum across our business by leveraging our expanded product offering and our focused customer engagement to build relationships,” McCann said. “While we are cognizant of continuing uncertainty in the overall environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe we are well-positioned to deliver solid results for the current fiscal third quarter and the full year.”
1-800-Flowers.com is optimistic, considering Valentine’s Day—one of its peak time periods—is quickly approaching. The retailer says it plans to deliver approximately 22 million stems for the Valentine’s Day season, including about 14 million roses, but declined to elaborate on how that translates to sales. 1-800-Flowers.com uses up to 95 different floral varieties and offers more than 90 rose products, the retailer says.
To capitalize on the holiday, 1-800-Flowers.com has launched some new services, including:
- Multi-day delivery: Shoppers can purchase from any or all of 1-800-Flowers.com Inc.’s brands, such as Shari’s Berries, Harry & David and the Popcorn Factory, and have the items delivered on different days of the shopper’s choosing. Its HCL ecommerce platform enables customers to choose which products they want, from any of its brands and customize the delivery through its unified checkout.
- Floral subscription: 1-800-Flowers.com’s new subscription service enables shoppers to choose a bouquet for monthly delivery. For the first delivery, shoppers can choose the delivery date and add a greeting card or other additional items, while subsequent deliveries will be approximately 30 days apart and will not include any personalized gifts.
- Video chat backgrounds: Shoppers can download Valentine’s Day-themed virtual backgrounds from 1800Flowers.com for Zoom and other video chat programs.
- Digital content: The retailer has added digital content, such as downloadable coloring pages, how-to guides, do-it-yourself projects and virtual workshops, to engage consumers stuck at home during the continuing pandemic.
“The ongoing health crisis has limited us all in many ways, preventing us from traveling, seeing loved ones, or enjoying a special night out,” says Amit Shah, president, 1-800-Flowers.com. “This Valentine’s Day, we wanted to give our customers even more thoughtful and easy options for celebrating their love and connecting with the important people in their lives.”
1-800-Flowers.com is No. 64 in the 2020 Digital Commerce 360 Top 1000.
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