MIA: Upscale Florist Olyve

Once upon a time there was a much beloved, very artistic florist. They were a cool new company, conceived by Hani Yassin and Addie Flynn as an upscale brand for ProFlowers—FTD’s biggest competitor. Last November, FDT bought out Provide Commerce, the company that owned ProFlowers, Red Envelope, and many more brands, including the one they owned. Unfortunately, to help the bottom line and streamline their offerings, FDT cut it not long after the big corporate take over and the beloved brand died almost as quickly as it had risen to popularity.

But Hani, who ran the day-to-day, and Addi, who designs the bouquets, signature vases, delivery boxes and all, didn’t want to see such good concept go down the tubes. After all, they had put in two years of R&D into the brand, and just knew they had a good thing. So they launched the concept as Olyve, named after one of Hanni’s daughters.

Things are a tad different this time around, they are embracing something they are dubbing a “360 approach”, which gives gift-givers the chance to be a part of the entire bouquet creation process including status updates, photos and delivery confirmation. No more having to call up and ask if the recipient received the bouquet, or worry about the size.

That’s not the only way they are embracing 21st century technology. Olyve is offering a “Olyve You” interactive video service that allows bouquet buyers to upload a personal video message which is emailed to recipients at the time of their delivery. Of course, traditional notes are just fine too.

In addition to these fun touches, there are a few creative hold overs customers have come to recognize from the team, including the artful (limited edition) delivery boxes, fun vase designs and fully open arrangements. Each bouquet has a different personality too, which were designed to celebrate the recipient’s unique character, offering a more personable way to give and receive flowers.

Yassin explains, “What sets Olyve apart from competitors is simple: beauty, brains and the box. Think designer bouquets delivered in a stunning gift box. We like involving customers in the gifting experience every step of the way. To build confidence, we snap a picture of your exact bouquet the minute its arranged and send it to you before it leaves for delivery.  It’s as if you had picked the flowers alongside us that morning.”

Olyve florists are in the process of relaunching in Miami, and are poised to roll out New York in October and Los Angeles in November. And after that? “We’ll be launching into other major cities across the country in 2016,” says Yassin. Find them on Olvye.com