Why It Matters Who You Order Flowers From Online

When you order flowers online, do you always know who you're really ordering from? After almost 20 years as an Auckland florist, we've seen first-hand why it matters. Here's what to look for — and why we'd rather help you find the right florist than take an order we won't make ourselves.

By Jo-Ann Moss | Best Blooms Florist Auckland

Ordering flowers online should be simple. You choose something beautiful, write your message, enter the delivery address and trust that a florist will take care of an important moment for you.

But do you always know who you are actually ordering from?

For us at Best Blooms Florist Auckland, that question has become increasingly important. After almost 20 years as an Auckland florist, we have seen first-hand how confusing online flower shopping can become when search advertising, similar business names and nationwide flower delivery websites make it difficult to tell who is actually behind an order.

When Customers Thought They Were Ordering from Best Blooms

Concerns about online flower ordering and customers knowing who they are actually buying from are not new in New Zealand.

Over the years, consumer programmes and news organisations including Fair Go, Chris Lynch Media and Stuff have reported on customer experiences with online flower retailer Bloomex, which operates several flower-delivery brands in New Zealand, including NZ Blooms.

In 2026, Stuff's Solving Stuff team reported on complaints from customers who were unhappy with flower orders they had placed through Bloomex. The reporting prompted further responses from customers and raised another side of the issue: the impact on established New Zealand florists whose businesses could be confused with some of the brands and advertising customers were seeing online.

Best Blooms was one of the florists interviewed for Stuff's follow-up investigation, and our particular concern related to NZ Blooms.

This became personal - We had been contacted by unhappy customers who believed they had ordered from Best Blooms when their orders had actually been placed elsewhere. We had also received negative Google reviews from people whose orders we had never made or delivered.

After almost 20 years building the Best Blooms name in Auckland, that was incredibly frustrating.

Stuff reported on our concerns about NZ Blooms advertising appearing in searches for Best Blooms, including a Google result where "NZ Blooms" appeared with the wording "Best Blooms Auckland" linking through to its website.

Screenshot shows an example of the Google advertising that caused confusion between NZ Blooms and Best Blooms. This issue was included in Stuff's investigation.

Stuff went further and conducted its own Google searches for flowers and florists in several New Zealand towns, looking at the sponsored results customers encountered and speaking with florists about their experiences. The article also included Bloomex's detailed response to the concerns raised.

You can read the independent investigation here: Florists claim Google star ratings hurt competitors with similar branding.

For us, though, this isn't simply about competition between flower businesses.

It's about customers knowing who they are trusting with their flowers.

Flowers Are About Trust

There was something I said during the Stuff interview that really gets to the heart of why this matters to me.

"Flowers are about feelings and making people happy."

People don't usually send flowers because they need another thing delivered. They send them because somebody has had a baby, lost someone they love, reached a milestone, had a terrible week, fallen in love, turned 80, or simply needs to know somebody is thinking about them.

When you order flowers, you're trusting a florist with that moment.

Jo-Ann and Donna, senior florists at Best Blooms, making bespoke orders for customers.

A disappointing experience doesn't only affect one order. It can change how someone feels about sending flowers at all. That's not good for customers, florists, growers or the New Zealand flower industry.

That's why we believe customers should be able to understand who they are ordering from, where their flowers are being made and who they can talk to if they need help.

What Should You Look for When Ordering Flowers Online?

You don't need to conduct a forensic investigation every time you buy a bouquet. That would rather take the joy out of sending flowers.

But there are a few simple things worth checking.

• Look at the florist's website and About page. Is there a real business behind it? Can you see who the florists are, where they are based and how to contact them?
• Check the delivery information. Look for clear information about where the florist delivers and how its delivery service works.
• Read recent independent customer reviews. They can give you a useful picture of other customers' experiences.
• Check where the florist is actually located. A florist can genuinely deliver flowers to many different suburbs or towns without having a shop in each location. What matters is that the website makes it clear where the florist is based, where the flowers are being made, and how the delivery service works.
• Look for clear guarantees and contact details. If something goes wrong, it should be easy to know who you are dealing with and how to contact them.

None of these things requires much detective work. They simply help you make an informed choice about who you're trusting with your order.

What Happens When You Order Direct from Best Blooms?

Best Blooms has been an Auckland florist since 2006. We are a family-owned business based at our flower studio and shop on Rosebank Road in Avondale, and our flowers are made here by our own experienced florist team.

We specialise in flowers and gifts delivered throughout Auckland. When you order directly through bestblooms.co.nz, you know who is taking care of your order.

You See the Flowers We Actually Send

With our Photo Guarantee, we photograph your completed flowers or gift before it leaves us for delivery.

That means the sender gets to see the actual gift we've created on their behalf. It's something our customers particularly appreciate when they're ordering from overseas or simply can't be there themselves.

A real photo sent to a Best Blooms customer before delivery, together with their response.

Your Order Is Backed by Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

We stand behind our flowers with our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

If something isn't right, you can contact Best Blooms directly and our team will take care of it.

We Tell You Where We Deliver

Best Blooms provides flower delivery throughout Auckland, with free same-day delivery to most Auckland suburbs Monday to Saturday when orders are placed before our delivery cut-off times.

We're Auckland florists. This is our patch, and we're very happy with it.

There Are Real People Behind Best Blooms

Best Blooms was founded by Jo-Ann Moss and Philip Selwyn in 2006, and more than 100,000 online orders have now passed through our Auckland florist shop.

You can meet Jo-Ann and learn more about her floristry experience, read about our team, contact us directly, visit our shop, collect your flowers from us or simply pick up the phone and talk to somebody who knows flowers.

Those things may sound rather old-fashioned in the world of online shopping.

We quite like them.

The Best Blooms Florist Team

What If You Need to Send Flowers Somewhere Else in New Zealand?

This is where our philosophy is very simple.

If you want to send flowers in Auckland, we'd love to make them for you.

But if you're sending flowers somewhere we don't deliver, we'd rather help you find a genuine florist in that town than take an order we aren't going to make ourselves.

That's why we created the New Zealand Local Florists Directory.

It lists local florists in towns and cities around New Zealand so you can find a florist near the person receiving your flowers and contact them directly.

Best Blooms doesn't process those orders and we don't take a commission from the florists listed. The directory is simply there to help people find them.

Find a Local Florist in our New Zealand Florist Directory.

Nearly 20 Years of Being Best Blooms

The way people find and order flowers has changed enormously since we opened Best Blooms in 2006.

Google changed. Advertising changed. Online shopping changed. Even the way customers communicate with florists has changed.

But the important part of our job really hasn't.

Somebody trusts us to make something beautiful for another person.

We make it. We photograph it. We deliver it. And we stand behind it.

If your flowers are going somewhere else in New Zealand, we'll happily point you towards a florist who can do the same.

Because ultimately, we'd rather help you find the right florist than take an order we're not going to make ourselves.

Jo-Ann Moss is the Creative Director at Best Blooms, an Auckland florist providing fresh flower delivery across the city. Jo-Ann writes about flower gifting, floral care tips, and how to choose the right bouquet for every occasion.

24 September 2026, 01:19 PM