Compare 11 online flower delivery websites based on their product accuracy, customer service, value for money, delivery, ease of site navigation, plus their floral and non-floral ranges, with Canstar Blue’s 2019 review & ratings.
See our Ratings Methodology.
FreshFlowers.com.au has captured Aussie hearts, with five-star ratings for product accuracy, customer service, value for money, deliveries, floral range and overall satisfaction.
There’s nothing more universal than sending flowers to show someone you care and love them. Whether you’re sending it locally or to family overseas, fresh flowers can reach a special someone almost anywhere in the world! But finding the right florist to get the job done is not an easy task. So which website can you really trust?
We’ve surveyed hundreds of Aussie consumers to ask about their experiences with a wide range of online florists. This year, 11 different online flower delivery services have featured in the results, with FreshFlowers.com.au being the only to receive the maximum five stars for overall customer satisfaction. It also earned five stars on product accuracy, customer service, value for money, delivery, and floral range. It got four stars for ease of site navigation.
The 11 florists in our 2019 review of online flower delivery websites were rated in the following order for overall customer satisfaction:
Inter Flora, Florist, Petals, Easyflowers, 1300Flowers, Edible Blooms, Roses Only and Direct2Florist all scored four stars for overall customer satisfaction, while Flower Sales and Bloomex were left with three stars apiece. Aside from this year’s winner, we saw a few more five-star ratings, including Petals being the only brand with top marks for ease of site navigation. Both Fresh Flowers and 1300Flowers got five stars on customer service, while Petals also got five stars for delivery, along with this year’s winner.
The world of online flower deliveries can get quite complicated. It’s important to understand that the website you order through won’t necessarily be the same company that actually delivers the flowers to your door. This is because online retailers usually work with local suppliers on the ground to ensure timely and fresh deliveries. While sourcing flowers locally means you could get the freshest bunch within hours, it can also lead to some major problems, such as certain flowers not being available in a certain area or region, leading to alternatives that may not be what you wanted. It also means retailers are less accountable for delivery problems.
Nevertheless, 77% of respondents to our survey said they would buy flowers online again, so that’s a good sign that things generally go smoothly. But that leaves a not insignificant 23% who wouldn’t do it again!
Read on for an overview of the 11 retailers in this year’s review to help you pick the best online florist for your next special occasion.
This year’s winner, FreshFlowers.com.au, is Australian family-owned and has been running since 1920. Its delivery options include the major metropolitan areas such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth, among others, but it also caters to many of their surrounding suburbs. It offers an array of flowers from roses and lilies to sunflowers and chrysanthemums. It also does native flowers and fruit hampers.
Fresh Flowers offers same day and urgent flower delivery Australia-wide on all orders placed before 2pm on weekdays (Monday-Friday) and before 10am on Saturdays.
To help reach family around the world, Interflora.com.au delivers to 150 countries including the UK, New Zealand, Canada, US, Germany, Ireland, and France. It’s claimed to partner with 50,000 florists worldwide, which includes more than 750 florists in Australia. It offers native and wildflowers as well as traditional flower bouquets and a basket range.
For same day delivery, orders must be placed before 2pm Monday to Friday and before 10am Saturday. Delivery is usually available within 24 hours, with the exception of restricted delivery areas which may take up to 48 hours.
Florist.com.au has a range of flower types from natives to roses, as well as arrangements in boxes and baskets. It aims to provide affordable prices, receiving four stars on value for money. Deliveries can be made to almost every metropolitan and regional area, plus more than 100 other countries worldwide, giving you the ability to share a special occasion with a loved one.
Same day delivery requires orders to be placed by 2pm Monday to Friday and before 10am on Saturday, in the recipient’s time zone. Most deliveries can be made within 24 hours but in restricted areas it may take up to 48 hours.
The Petals Florist Network boasts a net of more than 20,000 florists, delivering to over 90 countries. Wherever you are in the world, it’s quite likely you can send a fresh floral gift to one of your loved ones through Petals.com.au. It has an easy to navigate website where you can select by occasion or by flower type. There are also a number of gift baskets and hampers available. In the flower range it offers native flowers as well as potted plants.
The standard cut-offs for same-day delivery are before 2pm on weekdays and before 10am Saturdays (in the recipient’s time zone). There are no deliveries available on Sundays and public holidays, but with the exception for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas.
Easyflowers.com.au partners with independent florists across all capital cities, as well as major regional centres to guarantee fresh and local bouquets, it claims. It delivers Australia-wide and across the globe, with the exception of some particularly remote areas. However, plants and hampers are still able to be delivered to most areas.
The delivery fee is determined by the delivery postcode you enter, the time in which you need it delivered and the type of gift (flowers, hampers etc). Same day delivery for flower products to major Australian cities must be placed before 2pm on weekdays (Monday – Friday) and 10am on Saturdays (local time of the city concerned). Plants and hampers require extra time to be arranged and in turn, orders must be placed before 1pm for hampers and 2pm for plants for next business day delivery. For remote regional areas, these orders can take 2 – 3 business days. There may be surcharges applied in peak periods. It doesn’t deliver during national public holidays and Sundays, with the exceptions of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
To provide a ‘boutique’ florist experience, 1300flowers.com.au handpicks its florists for experienced local knowledge. It claims to use Australian flowers grown and cut by local farmers wherever possible. Although it has fewer florists compared with some other online flower retailers, it aims to maintain a close relationship with its partners. It offers a range of bouquets categorised by occasion or price. It also has a classic fruit box where additional chocolates can be added.
Same-day delivery is available Monday to Saturday Australia-wide, with orders taken before 2pm on weekdays and before 10am Saturday. The Standard delivery flat rate is $12.95 to most areas across Australia. You can even order 12 months in advance, so if you’ve missed someone’s birthday this year, you’re ready for the next one.
Edible Blooms is an Australian-owned business run by two sisters, delivering across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Switzerland. It’s a rather unique floral experience, offering edible flower bouquets that feature a range of chocolates, donuts and fruit, as well as beer and wine gift baskets. However, it also provides traditional flower bouquets. It has an easy to navigate website allowing you to search by price, occasion, fruit and donuts, chocolate bouquets and gift baskets.
Edible Blooms delivers Australia-wide Monday to Saturday. Same day delivery for CBD and neighbouring suburbs costs $15.95 (order by 10:30am EST). For outer metro areas it costs $22.95 (order by 10:30am EST). You can choose a three-hour express delivery that costs $25.95 if you’d like to guarantee a specific delivery time for particular metro areas. Following day delivery is available for most areas in Australia if you place your order by 4pm.
Despite the name, Roses Only has a large range of flowers such as gerberas, lilied tulips and a mix of seasonal flowers, along with boxed long stemmed roses. Additionally, it offers other ranges within the website including – Hampers Only, Fruit Only and Wine Only – for any occasion, whether it be for a baby shower or simply a ‘thank you’ gift.
Its delivery fee starts from $12.95. Deadlines for placing an order vary based on delivery location. It’s suggested to place an order in the morning the day before you want it delivered. Same day deliveries are available Monday – Saturday, but are stated to cost more and are required to be ordered before 9am.
Direct2Florist.com.au has a large range of flower bouquets, with a selection of add-on items such as chocolate boxes and teddies. With an easy to navigate website, you can select by occasion, by sentiment as well as the Luxury Collection tab. It’s claimed to have 3,500 florists in 14 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK, USA and Canada. It also allows you to select a local florist when you order, even if you’re delivering to another country, and offers same day international delivery.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, with Saturday hours being between 9am and 2pm. Most of its local florists aren’t available on public holidays, as well as on Sundays, but it may be possible for a Sunday delivery if you order by Friday afternoon, with Direct2Florist able to check with the florist on your behalf.
FlowerSales.com.au is owned by Ribbons and Blooms, who are Australian owned and operated. It delivers flowers Australia-wide and internationally. Its common delivery locations include major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Perth, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Sunshine Cost to name a few.
Delivery charges are incorporated in its pricing, so you won’t face any surprises at the checkout. Some remote areas may have a minimum spend enforced by the florist in that area to cover long distance to do a delivery, however Flower Sales states this is a very rare instance.
Bloomex was originally founded in Canada and has expanded to Australia, now delivering to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Geelong. Along with traditional bouquets, it offers gourmet gift hampers, fruit baskets and other gifts including balloons.
With a motto of “fresh, fast and fair”, it aims to deliver low prices with same day delivery available for orders placed before 1pm (with a delivery fee of $19.95) and next day delivery is available for orders placed before 3pm (with a delivery fee of $14.95). No deliveries are available on Sundays except for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Days.
Buying flowers online can be a bit hit and miss, so it’s important to shop around and find a website that ticks all those boxes. On average, Australians spend $82 on their online flower orders. Since flowers are not cheap, shopping around is a wise idea, with half of survey respondents (51%) saying they have tried more than one online flower delivery service.
We also asked respondents to our survey about their main reasons for buying flowers online:
Our research also identified the following insights:
Buying flowers online and having them delivered right to your front door – or someone else’s front door for that matter – is certainly convenient, but with perishable gifts, it’s inevitable that something will go wrong from time to time. If you search around the internet you will likely find the odd negative review for every one of the 11 flower delivery services in this comparison report. However, the key is to watch for the trends and not just the one offs. That’s where our ratings are helpful because they reflect the real-world experiences of Aussie consumers who have recently used one of these websites.
So, whether you have a big anniversary coming up, or are simply looking for a small gift for someone special, be sure to think carefully about your choice of flower delivery website and keep our review in mind.
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased flowers and/or another type of gift (e.g. chocolates, balloons, teddy bears) via an online flower delivery company in the last 12 months – in this case, 619 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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