UrbanStems, On-Demand Flower Delivery | Start-up Story

Who doesn’t like to receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a thoughtful message from someone special? I definitely do! Be it Valentine’s day, Birthday or somebody’s Farewell, we have flowers for every occasion. They convey the message which even we humans cannot express properly in words. Where Red Roses radiate one’s love, Chrysanthemums indicate friendship. It is interesting to note that there are flowers to show hatred as well. In short, we had-have-and-will-always look up to flowers to help is put across our

feelings in the most wonderful way. Sadly, even in this time of technology and internet, not many genuine flower delivery services are out there. Either the prices are too high or the delivery is never on time. But on-demand flower delivery startup, UrbanStems, is on its way to bring the much needed revolution in the flower industry. Their beautifully made signature bouquets along with speedy delivery (within one hour!) makes them the most sort after flower delivery brand in the US. In conversation with Jereme Holiman, Co-founder and Head of Operations of UrbanStems.

About UrbanStems

Q: Tell us something about UrbanStems, and how it works. A: We are a flower delivery service that works directly with farms to craft our bouquets – and we deliver them by bike when you want it. Q: What inspired you to start UrbanStems? A: Our founding team – as frequent flower purchasers – viscerally felt the consumer pain points that exist with flower ecommerce today and decided we could do it better. Q: What is your secret ingredient behind on-demand delivery of flowers within an hour? A: Wouldn’t be a secret if I told ya. 😉 Q: What is your marketing strategy for making UrbanStems a reputable brand? A: Having customers tell their friends about us. And that starts with building trust with our customers through endless attention to the whole customer journey and experience. We set out to create a process that is as fun for the sender as it is for the recipient, and I believe we have done that!

UrbanStems and On Demand Flowers Delivery

Q: In your opinion, what is the major drawback with the incumbent Flower Delivery Companies? A: Lack of transparency. The current flower delivery incumbents have a disparate setup that is the root issue here. The customer has no interaction with the actual fulfiller (the florist) of their order, and surprisingly less visibility to the delivery process. Their ends up being no trust in the experience, and even less so when inevitably what you ordered looks nothing like what you purchased on their site. Q: According to you, why is there a need to revolutionize decades old flower industry with On Demand solution? A: On demand isn’t just about immediacy, but maybe even more so about when you want something. When you get an 8 hour window selection for a delivery there is a lot of room for error, missed deliveries, and also the expectation that someone is going to be there to receive the flowers during that whole time. We don’t like that and neither do consumers who are trained more than ever that they can get things when they want it. Q: How is UrbanStems contributing towards this transformation? A: By building out a whole operation around meeting and exceeding customer expectations in the flower delivery game. Q: On Demand Flower Delivery sector holds lot of potential. How is UrbanStems positioning itself against prospective Competitors? A: By creating a loyal customer base through a superior experience.

Future Plans

Q: Where do you see UrbanStems in the next 5 years? A: We would love to be the go to resource for gifting needs when someone is on the go – in as many markets as possible. Q: Any word of advice for all the startups out there, who are trying to make it big like UrbanStems. A: Don’t do flowers. Haha, just kidding…kinda. But seriously, the startup life has an incredible amounts of ups and downs and it can be difficult to see the big picture when you are caught up in the minutiae all the time. So the biggest piece of advice would be to try and take the time every day to take a few steps back and get perspective. Success or failure, you have taken control of your life and are doing something that takes a ton of courage and that says a great deal about the kind of person you are. Taking the time to do that everyday is a large part of what gives one resilience to tackle such a large endeavor. Want to create a similar business? Don’t worry, Jungleworks is here for you. Jungleworks offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) system, such as Online Marketplaces, Delivery Optimization software, and Marketing Automation software that allows users to create a new product using the SaaS’s abilities and features without writing even a single line of code, designing, and testing. To read more start-up stories and other updates follow our resources page and get yourself inspired!