1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) Picks Mercent
The World's Leading Florist and Specialty Gift Retailer Adopts Mercent's Online Marketing Software Services to Grow Online Sales
| Source: Mercent
SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - February 5, 2008) - Mercent™, a provider of online marketing
technology and services for retail merchants, today announced that
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ : FLWS ), the world's leading florist and
multi-channel retailer, has selected Mercent's hosted software service to
increase online sales.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM® joins the growing list of top retail brands that
utilize Mercent's on-demand platform, Mercent Retail, to maximize online
sales, profits, and merchandising control through leading online marketing
channels. Mercent is responsible for all shopping feed marketing programs
for the company's family of brands.
"Mercent demonstrated superior technology and industry-leading talent
during our product feed management vendor selection process," said Michael
Kildale, Director of Interactive Marketing at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "We
closely evaluated alternatives in the online product marketing space, but
Mercent's capabilities made our decision easy."
For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been providing customers
around the world with the freshest flowers and finest selection of plants,
gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections and plush stuffed animals perfect
for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers the best of both worlds:
exquisite, florist-designed arrangements individually created by some of
the world's top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and
spectacular flowers shipped overnight from its "Fresh From Our Growers(SM)
Collection."
1-800-FLOWERS.COM ranks No. 34 in the Internet Retailer Top 500
Guide to Retail Web Sites. During the 2007 fiscal year,
1-800-FLOWERS.COM generated net income of $17.1 million on sales of $912.6
million, with web sales accounting for approximately 55% of total sales.
More than 6.6 million e-commerce customers placed orders during the fiscal
year, with repeat customers representing 47.7% of the total. The company
also attracted approximately 3.5 million new e-commerce customers in fiscal
2007.
"Mercent looks forward to increasing 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's online customer
reach and advertising efficiency," said Eric Best, CEO of Mercent. "Mercent
ensures that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's offers are visible and competitive
everywhere that shoppers evaluate and purchase products online."
Mercent Retail allows e-tailers and multi-channel retailers to effectively
promote and sell products to more than 200 million shoppers through the
Mercent Shopping Network, an advertising program that connects merchants to
50 leading shopping channels through one low-cost, single point of
integration. Mercent-integrated transactional online marketplaces include
Amazon.com, Buy.com, eBay Express, SHOP.COM, and the Shopping.com Cart
Program. The Mercent Shopping Network also includes leading referral-based
shopping portals such as Shopping.com and Shopzilla, and affiliate
marketing programs such as LinkShare and Performics. Mercent Retail
provides turnkey data integration with leading analytics and paid search
platforms including Coremetrics and Omniture. Mercent offers technology and
services through a pay-for-performance pricing model.
Information regarding Mercent
Retail shopping feed management technology, Mercent Performance marketing
services, and the complete list of online marketing channels in the
Mercent Shopping Network are available at www.mercent.com
For an in-person demo next week, stop by Mercent Booth #83 at eTail 2008,
February 11 - 14 in Palm Desert, CA. Contact 206 832 3900 or
sales@mercent.com for more information.
About Mercent
Founded by veterans of Amazon.com, Mercent provides online marketing
technology and services to help retail merchants optimize performance
across online channels. Mercent's on-demand platform, Mercent Retail,
increases revenue and gross margins by promoting the right products with
the right merchandising offers and placement. Mercent Retail provides a
single point of integration between existing retail management systems and
more than 50 leading online marketing channels including transactional
marketplaces such as Amazon.com and SHOP.COM, shopping portals such as
Shopping.com and Shopzilla, and affiliate marketing programs such as
LinkShare and Performics -- making it easy for merchants to automate,
measure, and optimize online product merchandising campaigns through these
channels. Mercent customers include Benefit Cosmetics, REI, GUESS?, Bass
Pro Shops, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Redcats Group, Celebrate Express, Levenger,
and other leading retailers. Mercent is an Amazon.com Certified System
Integrator, Buy.com Gold Certified Partner, and SHOP.COM Certified Data
Feed Provider. Mercent is venture-funded and based in Seattle, WA. For more
information, visit www.mercent.com.
About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the world's leading florist and a provider of
specialty gifts for all occasions. For more than 30 years,
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has been providing customers with fresh flowers and
the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections
and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM®
(1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com), named one of the top 50 online
retailers by Internet Retailer and the recipient of ICMI's 2006 Global Call
Center of the Year Award, offers the best of both worlds: exquisite,
florist-designed arrangements individually created by some of the nation's
top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and spectacular flowers
shipped overnight from its "Fresh From Our Growers(SM) Collection." As
always, 100% satisfaction and freshness are guaranteed.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. collection of brands also includes Gourmet
Gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory®
(1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); exceptional cookies and
baked gifts from Cheryl&Co.® (1-800-443-8124 or www.cherylandco.com);
premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May® confections brands®
(www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); gourmet foods from
Greatfood.com® (www.greatfood.com); wine gifts from Ambrosia®
(www.ambrosia.com); gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM®
(www.1800baskets.com) as well as Home Decor and Children's Gifts from Plow
& Hearth® (1-800-627-1712 or www.plowandhearth.com), Wind & Weather®
(www.windandweather.com), HearthSong® (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic
Cabin® (www.magiccabin.com); and the BloomNet® international floral
wire service, which provides quality products and diverse services to a
select network of florists. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. stock is traded on the
NASDAQ Global Select Market under ticker symbol FLWS.