BloomNation CEO Gregg Weisstein: 'We Are The Etsy Of Flowers'

In an exclusive interview with Benzinga, BloomNation COO Gregg Weisstein explained how the flower delivery company is differentiating itself from its peers.

BloomNation developed a web platform for florists to post creations online for consumers to view and order their products. Weisstein explained, “We’re a marketplace for the local florist. If you are familiar with Etsy, we are basically the Etsy for flowers. If you want to send flowers to Chicago, we show you the actual florists in Chicago.” Weisstein also likened the company to an online travel agency.

Customers could check each individual airline and hotel, but with an online travel agency, that information is compiled for the customer with other value adding features.

BloomNation currently has about 2,500 florists on its platform although the site has been up for only 1.5 years. “That explosive growth on florist expansion has been completely organic. We have not spent any money on marketing, its all through word of mouth.”

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One of the reasons florists want to work with BloomNation, according to Weisstein, is that the platform does not have fees and takes only about 10 percent of florist sales versus 40 percent that is taken by competitors. 10 percent is inline with other online marketplaces, such as Amazon.

Weisstein went on to explain the commitment to the consumer. “We actually have a feature called BloomSnap, which lets the florist usually send a picture of the arrangement before we deliver it… What you see is what you get.”

“At the end of the day we are about doing things locally and providing local delivery.”