Why Your Business Should Consider a .AI Domain Extension

In today's increasingly digital world, businesses must keep up with the latest technological advancements to remain competitive. One such advancement is the use of .AI domain extensions, which can bring many benefits for businesses seeking to establish a strong online presence.

With a .AI domain, businesses can project a modern and innovative image, enhance their branding efforts, improve their website's search engine visibility, and provide 24/7 customer service through chatbots. As a result, businesses can attract and retain more customers, boost their revenue, and stay ahead of the curve.

What is a .AI domain extension?

.Ai domain extensions are top-level domains that are recognized as the country code top-level domain for Anguilla. However, in recent years, the domain extension has gained popularity as a way for businesses to brand themselves as innovative and tech-savvy. By using a .AI domain extension, businesses can show their customers that they are forward-thinking and up-to-date with the latest technology.

Branding with .AI domain extensions

Small local businesses, such as restaurants, can benefit greatly from using a .AI domain extension. For example, a restaurant called "Sally's Seafood" could register sallysseafood.ai. This not only looks more professional and modern, but it also makes it easier for customers to remember the website address. In addition, using a .AI domain extension can help businesses stand out from their competitors and create a unique brand identity.

SEO benefits of .AI domain extensions

Using a .AI domain extension can also provide SEO benefits for businesses. Search engines like Google consider domain extensions when ranking websites. By using a .AI domain extension, businesses can signal to search engines that they are a tech-savvy and forward-thinking company. This can improve their search engine rankings and help them reach more potential customers.

Let Bloomerang Solutions handle the process

While registering a .AI domain extension may seem simple, it can be time-consuming and confusing if you are not familiar with the process. That's why it's recommended to let Bloomerang Solutions handle it for you. Bloomerang Solutions has the expertise and experience to ensure that the process is smooth and seamless. By letting Bloomerang Solutions handle the registration process, you can focus on what you do best - running your business.

Bloomerang Solutions owner, Art Conforti, has over 35 years of experience as a retail florist and a digital marketing expert. He understands the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and providing businesses with the tools they need to succeed. Art and his team can be reached at (941) 806-1911.

In addition to providing .AI domain registration services, Bloomerang Solutions also stays up-to-date on the latest technological advancements, including the use of chatbots. Chatbots are becoming an increasingly important part of website engagement. These automated tools provide instant access to information and assistance, improving the user experience and increasing customer satisfaction.

By analyzing the conversations between the chatbot and visitors, businesses can identify areas where they need to improve their offerings or where visitors may have questions or showing interest in a product. Bloomerang Solutions stays up-to-date on the latest technological advancements, including the use of chatbots, to ensure that their clients are ahead of the curve and provide the best possible user experience.

In conclusion, using a .AI domain extension can help businesses create a unique brand identity, improve their search engine rankings, and signal to their customers that they are a tech-savvy and forward-thinking company. However, the registration process can be time-consuming and confusing. That's why it's recommended to let Bloomerang Solutions handle it for you.

With their expertise and experience, they can ensure that the process is smooth and seamless. Additionally, Bloomerang Solutions stays up-to-date on the latest technological advancements, including the use of chatbots, to provide their clients with the best possible user experience.

If you're considering registering a .AI domain extension, let Bloomerang Solutions help. Our team of experts can guide you through the process and ensure that your website is up and running smoothly. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you establish a strong online presence for your business.

How Local Florists Can Prepare for an Economic Downturn

Implementing Unique Gift Card Programs for Loyal Customers Will Help Increase Sales and Strengthen Your Business During Economic Uncertainty

In a year that could be full of economic challenges, florists must be prepared and plan ahead for the upcoming changes! Florists cannot simply sit back and assume that orders will show up. This is not the safety net that any business should want! Any downturn in the economy will affect the gatherers first. Job losses will affect the holiday flower buyers, as flowers are never really needed, they’re non-essential. What we need are MORE CUSTOMERS!

The best plan to secure these customers starts today! At Bloomerang, we’re focused on securing customers and the orders will follow. Our founder, Arthur Conforti, says that this is the biggest realization florists should have. Getting customers and improving service is the key to success.

Casey Ryan from Irene Pate Flowers in Birmingham, Alabama, says that “Art and his team at Bloomerang showed me how to execute his unique gift card program I now use to secure corporate business. They come to my store to check the value and I set them up an account.” Florists must realize that customers are available everywhere. It’s no longer unique to sell flowers, so we must focus on our service! Make it so easy to order that customers will never want to go anywhere else. Address customers by name and not account numbers, and at the end of the order, ask them if there’s anything else they need.

If you’re dealing with out of town requests, take the orders and never allow them to leave or direct them elsewhere. This is especially important today with the improved technology available. You have the edge because you’re part of a community, so get involved with reward points, account cards, surprise gift cards, and charity programs with local schools and churches. We can help you set everything up. Smart retailers will be increasing their marketing efforts, so don’t rely on anyone else to do it for you. If you need help, you can email us and we’ll help you for free!

At Bloomerang, we’re here to help you succeed. We can show you how to execute unique gift card programs to secure corporate business. You’ll be able to keep customers coming back to your store and they’ll check the value of the gift cards. Don’t let the potential of a recession affect your business. Take the steps today to ensure that you’re prepared and have the right plan in place! With our help, you’ll be able to secure more customers and increase sales!

Click here to join our Facebook group where we discuss the industry with florists from across the country and around the world.

Google’s Birthday Is September 27: But We Know When They Really Started

Art Conforti was one of Google’s first partners. He has been working with Google since (the real) Day 1: September 8, 1998.

Google is celebrating its 24th birthday on September 27. But that isn’t really their birthday. How do we know? Because we partnered with Google on their very first day - September 8 1998.

September 27, 1998 is the date that Google now recognizes as its birthday, but that isn’t the actual day they first appeared online. In fact, they seem to have changed their own birthday several times over the years.

One of the best examples of this was Google’s fifth birthday, which was celebrated on September 8, 2003, instead of September 27 as it was the year before. But, on Google’s sixth birthday in 2004 they chose to celebrate on September 7.

One year later in 2005 they celebrated their 7th birthday on September 26. By the next year they were back to September 27 where it has remained ever since.

Why does Google celebrate on Sept. 27?

Despite first appearing online September 8, 1998, Google now recognizes September 27, 1998, as their official birthday and has done so since at least 2005. So how did the date get changed to the 27th?

Good question! If you want to get technical, Google was officially incorporated on September 4, 1998, so they could have selected that date. Alternatively, they also could have chosen September 15, 1997 - the day that the Google.com domain name was registered for the first time. But instead Google selected September 27 as their birthday in order to celebrate the number of pages that were being indexed on the search engine - it was a marketing strategy!

We’ve been there since the beginning

While Google may not be able to narrow things down to one specific day, we sure can! Why do we vividly remember that day more than 20 years ago? Because that’s the day business marketing changed forever.

Back in the day Google was not the biggest nor the only search engine out there. You had Yahoo, Lycos, Infoseek, and a handful of others with Overture making it possible to advertise and manage them all.

Do you remember those names? It's okay if you don’t, but online experience reaching that far back is what you get with Bloomerang Solutions. That’s how Art Conforti was able to grow Beneva Flowers from a small retail flower shop ranked somewhere in the 20,000's into one of the top 20 florists in the nation.

We’ve been there since the beginning and have never wavered in our focus to remain at the forefront of online marketing. We know from over 30 years of experience what works in our industry, and we customize our marketing strategies to enhance the profiles of each and every shop. Unlike others in the industry, we work exclusively with YOU and never with your competition.

Click here to join our Facebook group where we discuss the industry with florists from across the country and around the world.

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

What Should Florists Do About Soaring Delivery Costs?

Delivery costs are soaring out of control, but it is important to look at the big picture before making rash decisions

For retail florists, delivery is a necessary service we provide to help achieve the delivery of a bouquet and ultimately, the card message. When we put too much focus on the service, we could deter clients who may look for other ways to achieve what they need.

Let's face it, although we create such beautiful designs with a gift from nature, in most cases the flowers are simply the vehicle for the message delivery. Our delivery service is the vehicle for the flowers. That being said, it's more important now to focus on working SMARTER, not harder!

Here are a few examples of simple changes you can implement to make your deliveries more efficient (thus saving money);

• Divide your delivery area into grids and zones. Plan the times of the day you will go there. Stick to this and only vary is a priority service has been selected. What's that? When a customer is asking for you to get somewhere within a 2 hour window or maybe 3, instead of saying, "it's be an extra, as if you are punishing them" Try, " I can offer you a priority service and that would guarantee to deliver within the time you expected since our drivers have already delivered to that area. If you wish, we could deliver tomorrow to where we would not need to priority service". Always show the client you have their best interest in mind. Be sure your staff is informed what the RUSH (or Priority) service cost is.

• Remember that we can only charge so much for delivery. Please be cognizant of that. Make t as affordable as possible, when a priority service is requested, charge a good amount for that.

• Please consider adding vehicle tracking devices like Network Car. I am not sure what they have now. BUT we paid between 20-25.00 a month and were able to see our vans at any given moment, track all the stops and the idle time. That is when the van could be waiting outside to be loaded. We were running 48 minutes a day and we got it down to around 15. The fuel costs are WAY to high now to do this. Be sure you get the devices that are INSTALLED in the vehicle so there is no way for mistakes to occur, battery dies or whatever. I think you all know what I mean...

Just because the cost of fuel and completing a delivery has increased, you don't have to lose money trying to perform your service. Let's get ready and make the next few holidays the best yet!

Click here to join our Facebook group where we discuss the industry with florists from across the country and around the world.

Relationship Building: Pioneers in the Process of Buying Flowers Online

The first Beneva Flowers website - built by Rick Swier of Sarasota Online in 1996.

Way back in 1996 I had my first website created by Rich Swier of Sarasota Online. Rich was a true innovator and regular customer at Beneva Flowers. Rich would always tell me about his web development and built a website for Beneva Flowers before most people even knew what a website was – it was a very exciting time!

His company was soon bought out by Comcast, so I moved on to Coastal Web. The owner, Vince, was quickly overwhelmed in a few years as I was learning of all the ways I could retail. Soon it was too overwhelming, and it was time to move on. As I was searching, I also came across a contact in Japan who was looking for a way to sell flowers in the USA. Beneva was soon international as we were brokering orders daily into the USA form Japan!

As my needs were growing, I was getting frustrated by the lack of available options. I heard about a new local company that was just starting up in 1998 called Gravity Free. Owner Scott Heaps and Ray Villares were very innovative and looking to learn more about my needs. Considering I was all retail, Scott seemed eager to learn all he could. I was happy to teach him as Scott was eager to grow.

We quickly found a synergy together as we bounced ideas constantly for many hours and days on end together. I had ideas like reward points we turned into Petal Points and many groundbreaking ideas that Scott assisted. I partnered with Ken Young who helped with the reward points systems and Walter Knoll with operations of the website. It was an exciting time as we integrated with 3rd party sites and Scott and his team at Gravity Free were very helpful in building what we created.

I realized what we had was very special. I had committed to sign up and pay for the development of the floral retailing site called Flower Manager. It was my idea to build a group of the very best of the best florists across the country and so I offered an exclusivity. Scott wasn't thrilled because he was hoping to build his tech company and I was looking to build a user group.

Well, every shop ended up flying myself and my daughter Tina to every location where I personally met with the owners and understood their business in great detail so we could continue growing the application to compliment all sizes of use. We had shops like Griffins that was doing just two orders a day to shops doing 100 orders a day. They all quadrupled their sales and they grew on and on.

I wanted to continue creating new development and moved on to Floralapp. This was a mobile application that was not where Gravity Free excelled. They focused on traditional development as I was needing app development.

We created Floralapp and sold it to Teleflora who now owns it and will hopefully integrated it with the Teleflora retail florists.

In 2015 my company was bought out and I decided to shift gears and pursue web development by invitation. I was looking to align myself with retail florists with an eye for growth. There is so much opportunity to grow that I thought was a good time to pursue that. Leading technology that is still leading the way 21 years later!

As a pioneer in online marketing for the floral industry, Art Conforti has spent his entire career looking for opportunities that others miss. Now Google will translate entire web pages to dozens of different languages, but back in 2001 that was not the case. Undeterred by the barriers of time, language, and distance, Conforti partnered with florists from Japan to create a Japanese version of his website that produced orders for his flower shop in Florida. These types of partnerships, or affiliate programs, are more common today as florists continue to discover new and innovative ways to market their shops.