1-800-Flowers Uses Data to Create a Deeper Connection

Many of us have used 1-800-Flowers for special occasions and flower gifting. This company has a history of embracing new technologies and platforms early. According to the article, 1-800-Flowers was one of the first companies to purchase a 1-800 phone number; one of the first companies to power a keyword on AOL; and one of the first to partner with Verizon's data-marketing operation, Precision Marketing Insights.

As we all have learnt from our digital marketing class, the data associated with these platforms could be leveraged to understand the marketing returns. In reality, the enthusiasm for new platforms and new information streams gave 1-800-flowers a head start in the race to keep up with the torrent of data marketers have to think about today. These partners and data sources have the ability to revolutionize customer relationship management operations. In the years to come, Mr. Shah from 1-800-flowers said, cold, hard data will have the ability to create much more involved, more intimate connections. 

For other industries that could leverage such platforms and networks, Mr. Shah noted that as those platforms and networks continue to diversify, it will be important for marketers to understand what they do for a brand's customers. For 1-800-flowers, they really spend time and efforts to understand the customers' preferences and what platforms they tend to gravitate towards. For example, core customer segment for 1-800-flowers includes a lot of younger cohorts in the U.S., who tend to use mobile platforms more than older generations. Therefore, being able to leverage the m-commerce platform and truly connect with the customers is one key area of development.