Flower delivery marketplaces and relay networks: a guide for florists

Flower delivery marketplaces give a florist orders from people who do not know the shop yet: the platform shows your bouquets, takes the payment and passes the order on, and you make and deliver it. In return it keeps a share of every order, so a platform pays off as an extra channel next to your map listing and your own website, not as the only source of revenue.

Why a flower shop uses delivery platforms

Someone ordering a bouquet for their mother in another town rarely looks for a particular shop. They open an app or a flower delivery site, choose by photo, price and delivery time, and pay there. The platform gathers that demand and hands it to shops that have a suitable bouquet and deliver to the right area.

For the shop there are three benefits. Orders come from people who would never have walked past your window. The platform takes the payment, so for these orders you do not need your own payment setup. And on peak days the platform brings volume that is hard to build with your own advertising in a short time.

The price of those benefits is just as clear. The platform keeps its share of each order. The customer sees dozens of other shops next to your bouquet and may pick another one next time. And the rules for ranking, ratings and penalties are set by the platform and can change. So flower delivery marketplaces are part of your marketing, not a replacement for it. How to split effort between maps, ads and social media is covered in the guide to flower shop marketing.

How flower delivery marketplaces work for the shop

The basic flow is similar on most flower platforms. Details differ, so check them against the current terms.

1. You build a catalogue: bouquet photos, contents, size, price, delivery area and times.
2. The customer chooses a bouquet, gives the address and time and pays on the platform.
3. The order appears in your seller account; you confirm it and make it up.
4. Many platforms ask for a photo of the finished bouquet before dispatch so the customer can see what they will get.
5. Your courier or a delivery service takes it out, and you mark the order as delivered.
6. The platform pays you the order value minus its commission on its own payout schedule.

Ratings and reviews strongly affect how often you are shown. A late delivery, a bouquet that does not match the photo or a cancelled order lowers your rating, and your position in the list with it. So list only what your florist can make every day from your normal stock, not complex designer arrangements built on flowers you may not have on a Friday.

How to join a platform

It usually starts with an application in the seller or partner section of the platform's official website. You are typically asked for business details, your company or sole-trader registration and VAT number, address, contacts and delivery area. Then you fill in the catalogue and the platform checks the listings and your details. Which documents are needed and how long approval takes, check in the terms at the time you apply: requirements change.

Before applying, prepare 10–15 bouquets you can make on any day, with your own photos on a plain background. Photos taken from the internet are a common cause of disputes and bad reviews.

Your seller account and notifications

Log in from the platform's official site or the link in your registration email, and bookmark it. Search ads for "seller login" sometimes lead to unrelated or fake pages. Most platforms have a web account and a seller app.

The account usually shows new and current orders, the catalogue and prices, delivery statuses, reviews and payouts. In practice, notifications matter most: platforms set a time limit for confirming an order, and a missed order at rush hour hurts your rating. Make sure the person on shift has the app on their phone, not only the owner.

Relay networks: orders from other florists

Relay or wire networks are an older model that still matters in Europe. A customer orders flowers in one town for someone in another; the shop or website that takes the order passes it through the network to a member florist near the recipient, who makes and delivers it.

How the money usually works: the shop that took the order keeps part of the order value, the network takes a fee, and the florist who makes and delivers receives the rest. Membership often carries joining or monthly fees on top. The exact split, fees and settlement schedule differ by network and country, so read the member agreement, not the sales brochure.

What to expect as the delivering florist:

• Fixed-value orders. You get an order for a set value and must deliver a bouquet that matches it and the description as closely as possible.
• Substitution rules. If a flower is unavailable, the network's rules say what you may swap and how to tell the sender.
• Same-day pressure. Many orders arrive in the morning for delivery that day, especially for birthdays and funerals.
• Two-way flow. You can also send your own customers' out-of-town orders through the network and keep your share.

For a shop in a mid-sized town, a network can fill quiet weekdays. For a busy city shop, the share you receive on incoming orders may be too low to justify the florist's time on a peak day. Count it before you commit.

What to check in the terms

The terms are more than the commission. Go through this list and find the answer to each point in the contract or rules, not in the marketing aimed at sellers.

Pricing a bouquet after commission

Work from what is left after every deduction. Say a bouquet sells for €60, the flowers and wrapping cost you €22 and delivery €8. From the remaining €30, subtract the platform's commission. As a rough indication only, commissions in the range of 15–30% of the order value are common across delivery platforms, but the real figure depends on the platform, the country and your agreement. At 20% that is €12, leaving €18 for the florist's time, rent and waste. If what remains does not cover them, that bouquet sells at a loss on the platform. How to build waste and wrapping into the price is in the article on flower markup.

General marketplaces and quick-delivery apps

Large online marketplaces and quick-delivery apps for groceries and meals sometimes list bouquets and potted plants from local shops. Customers already order everything else there, so some of them order flowers the same way: by photo, price and delivery time.

For a shop, joining works much like a flower platform: an application, a catalogue, a delivery area, checks. Business models, fees and delivery requirements differ and change, so take them from the platform's own terms. Ask specifically how they handle a product with a short life: what happens if a bouquet is not delivered on time or nobody opens the door.

Potted plants, pots, planters and flower food can be a separate line with ordinary shipping, without the time pressure of cut flowers. If you send plants for planting to customers by post, check the plant passport requirements in your country before you start: online sales are treated differently from selling over the counter.

Classifieds: equipment, wholesale offers and shops for sale

Local classifieds sites are a noticeboard rather than a bouquet shop, and they help with other tasks.

Used equipment. Display coolers and cold rooms often appear when shops close. Before buying, ask to see the unit running and check that it holds +2 to +8 °C. The full checklist is in the article on choosing a flower cooler.

Wholesale offers. Growers, traders and surplus stock appear there too. Prices can be below your usual supplier, but check everything as on a first order: invoices, how damaged stems are credited, temperature in the van.

Shops for sale. Listings for flower shops with equipment and a customer base exist as well. Buy after checking till records, the lease and the suppliers, not on the strength of photos.

Surplus plants. Selling extra potted plants or large specimens that have stood in the shop too long is a fair way to free up space. Cut flowers rarely sell this way: the listing lives longer than the flower.

Pros and risks of flower delivery marketplaces

The main practical risk is stock that does not match. The shop sells over the counter, on WhatsApp, on its website and on two platforms, but there is only one cooler of roses. If a platform listing is not updated by evening, an evening order arrives for a bouquet you can no longer make, and the cancellation hits your rating. Make one person responsible for checking platform listings against the cooler in the morning and at midday.

Combining platforms with your own website

A platform is good at bringing the first order; your own website keeps the customer. Someone who liked your bouquet is more likely to order directly next time if you have a site with a catalogue, prices and clear delivery terms. Invite them within the rules: platform orders usually may not carry your card or contacts, but every bouquet sold in the shop, on WhatsApp or through your website can.

A website without a commission on orders can run on a ready-made platform. Petala runs the website and app on your own domain with your logo, takes the catalogue, prices and stock from the Petala CRM or your own system, and sends orders to a manager in the CRM. Petala has no marketplace integration: you keep platform catalogues separately, while your own site's stock stays in one place. See it from the customer's side on the demo website, and the subscription terms on the Petala pricing page. What else a florist's site must have is covered in the article on a flower shop website.

Your first month on a platform

1. Work out the numbers for your three best-selling bouquets including commission and delivery. If one loses money, do not list it.
2. Apply to one platform, not all of them, so you can get making and delivery right.
3. List 10–15 bouquets you make from your normal stock, with your own photos.
4. Decide who on each shift accepts orders and checks stock, and give them access to the seller app.
5. After a month, compare: how many orders came in, what was left after commission, how many cancellations and what reviews. Only then decide on a second platform.

Do not join a week before Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. A first peak on a new platform without practised making and delivery usually ends in late orders and a low rating that takes a long time to repair.