Facebook users can send pretty, virtual bouquets to each other using the new Virtual Flowers application from online Irish florist Flowersmadeeasy.ie and developed by Irish web development company Webstrong Solutions.
The Virtual Flowers application allows user to send digital replicas of the real-life bouquets on offer from the florist’s online store, and already has had over 1,200 Facebook users saying it with flowers.
As a Net Visionary Award nominee for best internet entrepreneur and marketer, Eamonn Grant, owner of Flowers Made Easy, said: “Creating this application allows us to connect directly with our targeted audience. A large percentage of our business is from our online website, therefore this application is enabling us to interact with potential customers.”
Grant has already experimented with using the social networking sites Bebo and Facebook as a means of connecting with its customers and said that an application like Virtual Flowers was “the next logical step to grow our brand whilst expanding our network of customers both nationally and internationally”.
Apart from flowers, Grant said that in the next few weeks the company also hopes to add chocolates and teddy bears to its line of virtual gifts.
Grant feels that it is still early days to say whether or not Facebook applications such as Virtual Flowers are having a big impact, but feels that they will have a big impact going forward when it comes to branding a company.
“We think that brand awareness is the biggest benefit. For online users to see our www.flowersmadeeasy.ie brand on their profile or a friends profile, will hopefully put us first in their mind when they do want to send flowers to someone.
“However, since launching it we have had over 300 click-throughs directly from Facebook, some of which have lead to direct sales,” adds Grant.
By Marie Boran
