But even better than their individual success is the collective vision they represent. The e-tail arm of the famous national florists network just came off its second profitable quarter and is on track to stay in the black. It's not the blessing of Saint V., says CEO Michael Soenen. The name FTD has been synonymous with flowers for 90 years. We can deliver a great product, and customers know this.
Brand is a tremendous driver of online behavior.
That wasn't as clear in the early days of the Internet, when many online merchants were pure plays. But now, as the rest of the retail community has caught on to the new technology, consumers are voting, and brand matters. And that's not going to ease up anytime soon. It has a second important lesson for the e-commerce community. The online channel simply offered a new army of customers he was already prepared to serve.