Simply Chocolate Encourages Social Customer Engagement at 1-800-Flowers

Satisfying the palates of chocolate lovers everywhere, coupled with a major opportunity to encourage social sharing, led to the creation of Simply Chocolate at 1-800-Flowers.com.

Loyalty360 talked to Steve Druckman, President, Midwest Gourmet Food Group, 1-800-Flowers.com, about the launch of Simply Chocolate and company goals for it.

What factors prompted the launch of the new online destination, Simply Chocolate, and what are the company’s goals for it from a customer engagement perspective?

Druckman: The company identified a strong opportunity to develop a destination for chocolate lovers, while broadening its range of distinctive offerings, as part of its strategy to provide a one-stop shop for all celebratory occasions. Along with finding a curated assortment of gifts for all preferences and palates from the best chocolatiers in the world, chocolate enthusiasts are encouraged to share their experiences with #simplychocolate. 

The featured and socially curated content serves to celebrate, and be a resource for, all things chocolate, including gift ideas, inspirational imagery, recipes and expert insight. This selection of quality products found on Simply Chocolate, along with the strong emphasis on social sharing and community, will allow us to continue to develop deeper connections with our customers. 

It seems like this fits perfectly with the holiday season?

Druckman: Yes, we’re excited to launch Simply Chocolate during the busiest gift-giving time of the year, while inviting shoppers to join our passionate community celebrating the love of chocolate. Our holiday products include exclusive baskets from Neuhaus and Godiva as well as a variety of gift boxes, tins, and select offerings from our own exclusive Simply Chocolate collection.

Can you talk about the Celebrations Passport loyalty program, when it launched, how it works, and what the results have been?

Druckman: Approximately three years ago, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. launched Celebrations Passport, a loyalty program that provides members with free standard shipping and no service charge on all purchases for one full year available across our family of brands, including Harry & David, Cheryl’s Cookies, Wolferman’s, The Popcorn Factory, and Moose Munch.

We also offer Celebrations Reminders, which allows shoppers to set reminders for the important gifting occasions in their life. Celebrations Passport members benefit from cross-brand merchandising and marketing efforts designed to enhance the customer experience, while deepening relationships and building loyalty. The result has been increased shopping frequency, growth in customer retention and historically high consumer satisfaction.

How can Simply Chocolate expand brand loyalty?

Druckman: Simply Chocolate joins our growing portfolio of brands−all featured on one website−where customers can effortlessly shop for all their gifting and entertaining needs, including flowers, gourmet food, gift baskets, popcorn, specialty fruit, and much more. The ease and convenience of all these brands in one place provides customers with the benefit of being able to connect with us whenever, wherever, and however they choose. Simply Chocolate gives consumers yet another reason to shop with the company and gives us the opportunity to engage with them, broaden our relationships, and build strong brand advocates. We look forward to interacting with our loyal customers and connecting with new ones as they experience Simply Chocolate and its passionate community of chocolate lovers.

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