Brief:

• 1-800-Flowers redesigned its app and mobile website to add features including augmented reality (AR) experiences and an integration with payment app Venmo as Valentine's Day approaches. The flower delivery service's redesigned mobile app has one-tap buying in its new "Trending Gifts" section, a newsfeed called "Blooms for You" and a gift finder that was once available only on its website, among other features, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
• The new AR shopping feature shows a 3D digital image of flower bouquets, along with a seamless checkout feature that's integrated with Apple Pay. The company also will accept payment from PayPal's Venmo for all mobile transactions. Shoppers for the first time can use Venmo and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay in continuity programs such as the Bloom of the Month Club.
• 1-800-Flowers relaunched its desktop website as a progressive web app (PWA) to make it easier to view on a smartphone. The website has streamlined checkout forms, a seamless shipping information page and an auto-complete feature from Google Maps to input order delivery addresses, among other features. The company integrated an intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) with its call center to handle voice-based self-service.

Insight:

1-800-Flowers has continually adapted its platform to changing consumer habits, including shopping on smartphones and voice-enabled devices. This year, the company added AR features to its mobile app to provide a more immersive view of its products, and made the experience more shoppable by integrating the feature with Apple Pay. AR showcasing among retailers has surged in popularity over the past few years, especially among companies selling beauty products and home furnishings.

By accepting Venmo payments, the flower delivery service can provide a more seamless shopping experience among younger, tech-savvy adults who have been early adopters of the peer-to-peer (P2P) payments app. Venmo touts more than 40 million users and plans to introduce a credit card this year to make its payment platform more versatile. Retailers like Williams-Sonoma and Abercrombie & Fitch have added Venmo payments as more consumers shift toward non-physical card payments to make purchases.

1-800-Flowers typically introduces new features before Valentine's Day, which last year was estimated to generate $20.7 billion in consumer spending, per the National Retail Federation. Valentine's Day shopping habits have changed dramatically in the past 10 years, with fewer people planning to celebrate the occasion than in the past. Only 53% of U.S. consumers ages 18 to 34 planned to celebrate Valentine's Day last year, down from 72% in 2009. Many young adults have changed the way they celebrate, including splurging on themselves or getting together with groups of other single friends, per the NRF.