Bangalore florists review FNP vs Tilia vs BloomsVilla

Hi Friends!

Today we will find out which is the best florist in Bangalore city. Before we start, I would like to tell you that I personally do not endorse any of the above three brands. I will try to give an independent and impartial review of all three florists- FNP, Tilia and BloomsVilla.

There are lot many options for online florists in Bangalore. But still, we will try to stick to these three- FNP, Tilia and BloomsVilla since these are the three brands prominently used by Bangloreans. Another reason to stick with these three is I have personally used all the three :)

Since this post is a comparative study of three brands, we will try to judge each of them based on certain parameters. Those parameters will be:

• Physical infrastructure- showrooms/shops
• Flower procurement methodology
• Quality control
• Delivery method
• Delivery timings
• Staff friendliness

Now, keeping the above points in mind, we will start our review process.

1. Physical Infrastructure

This is a very important factor as many customers prefer to directly walk in to the showrooms and select the flowers. But since in this post we are focusing mainly on online florists, so the weight-age of this point will be comparatively less in our discussion.

FNP: Fnp works on the Franchisee model in Bangalore. They do not have their own showrooms. They provide a fixed rate for the online orders they forward to the showroom owners. Their rates will vary from 12 Rs to 15 Rs per rose stem. So, lets say you placed an order for 20 roses bouquet online. In this scenario, fnp guys will provide their franchisee showrooms just 240 Rs (12 x 20 = 240). These are the annual contractual rates they have with the franchisee owners. The weird thing is that they will charge you around 950 Rs. So, their margin is huge: 950 - 240 = 710 Rs.

Why I showed you all these calculations because imagine they are paying just 240 Rs plus some delivery charge to the franchisee own for 20 Roses bouquet. How are you supposed to provide quality flowers at such a low cost? This is the main problem of fnp franchisee stores.

Tilia: These people have their own showrooms in Bangalore. They had many small outlets in Bangalore, which I see most of the time closed. I can give reference of one such small outlet near Cosmos Mall, ITPL Main Road near my house, which remains closed majority of the times. However, their main showrooms are nice. They provide quality flowers since they do not work on the franchisee model.

BloomsVilla: These guys started recently and scaled up quite fast. They have their showrooms in Yelahanka New Town, Wilson Garden and Marathahalli. From these three locations, they cover entire Bangalore city. The good thing about them is that they have their delivery fleet. Since they do not work on the franchisee model, they have their own cost and quality advantage.

FNP:6/10

Tilia: 8/10

BloomsVilla: 7/10

2. Flower Procurement methodology:

This is the most important factor in my view. This single step decides the quality of flowers, costing as well as pricing and customer retention in the long run. We will try to go deeper in this section.

FNP: The fnp franchisee owners in Bangalore procure the flowers locally from the early morning flower market or from wholesalers in Bangalore. This single step of procurement is problematic. The reasons-

• All best quality flowers are exported from farm itself or from major exporters in Bangalore. The remaining good quality flowers are supplied to cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, etc. The reason only good quality flowers are sent is that those flowers has to sustain long hours in a cramped box during the transportation.
• Remaining left over flowers as well as the old stock is sent to the flower market for disposing off. Also, the flowers which remain with the wholesalers are of the same quality.

So, we have seen that procurement of flowers locally in Bangalore is not a good strategy. This increase the cost which in turn increases the pricing for customers.

Tilia: Tilia also works on the same model. They procure flowers from good wholesalers in Bangalore. This again has the similar problems discussed above.

BloomsVilla: It seems BloomsVilla has a very unique flower procurement method. They bring flowers directly from farms near Bangalore. They have this advantage since that have two sister subsidiaries- One caters to the export of fresh flowers to different countries. The other sister concern caters to the supply of flowers to different cities in the domestic market.

Since BloomsVilla has direct access to the export quality flowers, that too on the same costing as of farms, they really have some advantage costing wise, which they pass directly to the customers.

I got a chance to talk to Mr. Amit- Procurement Manager of BloomsVilla. He told me that all flowers of BloomsVilla comes daily from farms in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore. This method is beneficial since the flowers lasts longer even after customer purchase them. This makes the customers happy, as Mr. Amit informs.

FNP: 5/10

Tilia: 5/10

BloomsVilla: 8/10

3. Quality Control:

This is an important step for all florists. Quality of flower bouquets will entirely depend on the quality of flowers and other accessories. Its florists responsibility to reject bad flowers and use only the best flowers in a bunch. I think this single step is followed by all three- FNP, Tilia and BloomsVilla.

4. Delivery method and timings:

FNP: Bangalore fnp franchisee stores use different modes of delivery such as their own showroom helper goes with the delivery, or they have some fixed Autorickshaws who does the delivery for them. They do not have a dedicated delivery fleet. This is a negative step for them as it might risk the deliveries being delayed since its done with a third party delivery person- who is not even a professional delivery guy.

Tilia: I am not sure what delivery method they use. But last time when I ordered a flower bouquet online, one person delivered it. He was not wearing any professional clothes(although it doesnt matter, but I simply pointed this out since I was unable to make whether he was from Tilia or not). Also, the delivery was a bit late. But still I was quite happy with the flowers quality.

BloomsVilla: These guys are having the advantage in terms of delivery. They have their own delivery fleet. Since they have their own delivery persons, it becomes easier for them to manage the orders and ensure on-time delivery of all orders. As I am staying nearby to their showroom, I order frequently. They always deliver on time. I also like the way they carry the flowers similar to food delivery companies. I never found any damages during the delivery.

FNP: 6/10

Tilia: 6/10

BloomsVilla: 8/10

5. Staff friendliness:

FNP: I am not generalizing this fact, but I had a bad experience with one particular franchisee store. I requested for a same day delivery on this year's Mother's Day. But the store manager rudely refused claiming that they are already full for the day. That order was successfully completed by Tilia. I was quite thankful to them.

Apart from the single bad experience, my overall experience with the FNP stores are positive.

Tilia: These guys have good and friendly staff, who are also helpful.

BloomsVilla: These guys are friendly and helpful. Their florists are much experienced and will help you on choosing the right flowers as per the occasion. Another important thing which I should write here is that- their stores are equipped with big tablets, where you can select any design of flower bouquets/arrangements and place your order. This makes them my first choice for flower delivery in Bangalore.

FNP: 7/10

Tilia: 8/10

BloomsVilla: 9/10

Conclusion:

Now coming to the conclusion. All three of these online florists are good. FNP has its own advantage. Similarly Tilia also has its own advantages.

If you want send flowers to Bangalore, then you may visit BloomsVilla.com They have quality flowers which are best priced. You may yourself compare the prices from BloomsVilla, FNP and Tilia and take your decision!

FNP: 6/10

Tilia: 7/10

BloomsVilla: 8/10