Fresh Flowers Never Smelled Better

by Denzel Shull
http://www.floristbuddy.com

When you picture the golden Mercury Man, what company comes to mind? The business FTD is just as recognizable by its logo as by its name. For almost 100 years, FTD has been delivering fresh flower arrangements to people's doorsteps.

First known as "Florists' Telegraph Delivery", FTD began in 1910 by using a unique system to deliver floral arrangements to customers. Fifteen American retail florists devised a system to swap orders and get these deliveries to as many out of town customers as possible. Now known as "Florists Transworld Delivery", FTD delivers to just about anywhere in the United States and throughout many other countries.

Why is the golden man so widely recognized throughout the world? FTD is the top florist in the United States as well as throughout the world. The Mercury Network, FTD's electronic network, wires orders and personal messages throughout the floriculture market; most of this market own
floral or gift shops. Then, a network of 20,000 North American retail florists who participate in the Mercury Network work together to get these orders ready for pick up or delivery to your doorstep. Overseas, around 50,000 FTD florists in 154 countries are also poised to fill your order
and deliver.

FTD Corporation (FTDI) is based in Downers Grove, Illinois. Call centers in America for FTD are in Illinois, Oregon and Connecticut. The corporation is owned by Leonard Green & Partners and provides the technology necessary for florists to hook up to its system. FTD Group, a subsidiary of FTDI, operates through two venues: FTD.COM and 1-800-SEND-FTD. Each venue offers over 400 floral arrangements and over 800 gift items. As of June 2004, FTDI has brought in $397.1
million in revenues, which is a steady incline since June 2002. FTD has international headquarters in several countries such as Germany and Brazil.

To become a member or affiliate, an operation simply fills out a form. The shop is then able to collect income or commission through FTD.com~s partnership with LinkShare Corporation, a leading e-commerce technology organization. By linking to FTD on the member's website, orders are automatically registered with FTD and LinkShare. Orders that exceed $25 send a commission to affiliates. Affiliates receive this commission by logging into LinkShare.

Why place an order with FTD? FTD guarantees flower arrangements to be fresh. Also, all eliveries inside the U.S. and Canada are guaranteed on the same day. While this is a tall order to fill, FTD sells hundreds of fresh flower arrangements and gifts for almost any occasion. If you feel lost about what gift or floral arrangement to select, an FTD Gift Advisor can provide suggestions appropriate for nearly any special or everyday occasion.

Today, if you see the Mercury Man or woman at your doorstep, you can still bank on getting the highest quality service in the floral industry and some of the best arrangements and gifts in the market.