Flooz.com

The Gift Money You Sent by Email

Forgotten Internet · 1999–2001

Archived on

Region

United States

Associated With

Whoopi Goldberg - advertising partner and campaign personality

Defining Feature

Gift dollars sent by email and redeemed at participating online shops

Status

Closed - operations ended in August 2001

Overview

Flooz.com was a New York-based service for sending gift dollars to recipients directly by email.

Buyers chose an amount and could add a personal message or online greeting card. Recipients retrieved the gift through email and spent it at participating online shops, choosing their own purchase. Whoopi Goldberg fronted a major advertising campaign.

Public beta use was documented in February 1999, although the exact formal launch date is unclear. Flooz suspended operations and closed in August 2001, after merger talks failed.

Why It Mattered

Choosing a present did not have to mean choosing the item itself. Flooz’s Father’s Day advert used “Father still knows best” to make that its selling point: send Dad the gift dollars and let him pick what he wanted.

Launch and Service Model

  • A dated 26 February 1999 report documented Flooz in public beta; Mediaweek later described it as launching in February, without establishing a formal launch day.
  • Flooz was centrally operated and redeemable only through participating online shops; it was not legal tender or a blockchain currency.
  • The January 2001 homepage advertised more than 60 participating shops, including J.Crew, TowerRecords.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Godiva.com and Starbucks.

Advertising and Reported Use

  • Mediaweek reported more than 64,000 accounts in September 1999 and an announced $8 million advertising push; neither figure was independently audited.
  • A report published on 27 October 1999 said Whoopi Goldberg’s campaign had rolled out during the week of 18 October, after an earlier plan named 4 October.
  • Seven spots directed by Ted Demme were announced, but the available campaign report does not establish that all seven aired.
  • A TowerRecords.com marketing director said Flooz brought new shoppers and accounted for a substantial share of its business on some January days.

Suspension and Closure

  • Flooz suspended operations in August 2001 while seeking a merger partner; later that month it said the talks had failed and operations were closing.
  • The company attributed the closure to changed capital markets, the wider economic slowdown and unsuccessful merger discussions.
  • Closure reporting described alleged stolen-card fraud and processor holdbacks, partly through an unnamed source; the FBI declined to confirm an investigation, and no completed criminal finding is established.
Sources & Records

  • Flooz.com — archived homepage

    The company’s homepage presents email gifts, participating shops and corporate rewards for employees, customers and partners. Its promotional testimonials and security assurances were not independently verified.

  • Flooz.com — archived gift guide

    The guide explains sending an email gift with a personalised greeting and spending it at participating merchants. It describes a restricted gift network, not money accepted by every shop, cash withdrawal or a decentralised cryptocurrency.

  • Mediaweek — Flooz.com Names Guru, Revamps Site

    Sloane Lucas’s 13 September 1999 report on page 46 covers the February launch, accounts and an October campaign plan. The scan is an aggregate despite its June filename; the planned date is not proof of the first airing.

  • InternetNews — Whoopi Goldberg stars in Flooz commercial

    Beth Cox reports the campaign’s rollout during the week of 18 October 1999, seven spots directed by Ted Demme and Goldberg’s wider promotional role. This is campaign reporting, not a broadcast log or audited spending record.

  • The New York Times News Service — Flooz closure reporting

    Bob Tedeschi’s report, syndicated by the Taipei Times on 28 August 2001, includes company and merchant interviews. Fraud and payment-reserve claims attributed to unnamed sources remain allegations; the FBI declined to confirm an investigation.

  • Chief Marketer — Flooz.com shuts down

    The closure reports distinguish suspended transactions, unsuccessful merger talks and the winding-down plans. A stated intention to seek bankruptcy protection does not establish a completed filing or one exact shutdown date for every service.

  • Flooz — Father’s Day print advert, preserved by a seller

    The surviving advert promotes email gifts, greetings and recipient choice among participating shops. Its original magazine issue and date remain unidentified, and the cropped copy loses fine print; the seller cannot grant rights to the advertisement.

Gallery

An orange and blue Flooz.com Father’s Day print advert features Whoopi Goldberg in orange-tinted glasses, the headline Father still knows best and copy explaining emailed gift currency; the photographed page cuts off at the right edge.
Source
Credit

Original Flooz.com Father’s Day advert featuring Whoopi Goldberg. Surviving scan/photo: Chlerbie’s Clippings and Books, eBay item 394128696964. Original publication, photographer and rights holder unverified.

Caption

Whoopi Goldberg’s Father’s Day pitch for Flooz: let Dad choose his own gift instead of guessing what he wants.