The website is intended as a “one-stop shop for all celebratory occasions” according to a release from the company.
Boxed chocolates, truffles and bars from brands such as Godiva, Fannie May, Ghirardelli, Harry & David, Neuhaus, Norman Love and Vosges are available on the platform, as well as 1-800-FLOWERS’ brands such as Moose Munch premium popcorn.
Gifting and seasonal
In the US, around 16% of total candy sales are for seasonal items.
Seasonal confectionery generated $3.5bn in sales for the 52 weeks ending April 30, according to Nielsen data, with Easter the biggest selling season followed by Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Halloween respectively.
Gift box chocolates recorded $150m in US sales in the first half of 2017, according to IRI data for the 26 weeks ending June 25, 2017.
Gift box chocolates outpaced the overall US chocolate category, growing dollar sales +4% compared to +2.5% for the total chocolate category.
Social media and loyalty program
1-800-FLOWERS has setup Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages as it aims to create a community of chocolate lovers that share gift ideas and recipes with the hashtag #simplychocolate.
Simply Chocolate also has a ‘Celebrations Passport’ loyalty program, which offers free standard shipping and no service charges for a year on 1-800-FLOWERS brands.
The company’s portfolio includes its namesake brand, Harry & David, The Popcorn Factory, Cheryl’s cookies, 1-800-Baskets.com, Wolferman’s, Moose Munch premium popcorn and FruitBouquets.com,
In May this year the online gifting retailer sold chocolate business Fannie May Confections to Ferrero for $115m.