In 2014, flower delivery startup UrbanStems launched on a snowy Valentine’s Day in Washington, D.C. In two short years, UrbanStems has bloomed into an established name in the District, and expanded operations into Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
And now the 16-person team is gearing up for their third Valentine’s Day, or as co-founder Jeff Sheely refers to it: “our Super Bowl.”
Feb. 14, as you may expect, is the busiest day of the year for florists and flower delivery companies across the country. While Sheely wouldn’t disclose exact numbers, he says that Valentine’s Day means order volumes will be five to 10 times higher than a normal day at UrbanStems.
This year, with the holiday falling on a Sunday, Sheely also predicts that Friday the 12th will be just as busy as the big day itself, as beaus hope to score brownie points by sending flowers to their valentines at work. To handle the three day influx, UrbanStems is bringing on temporary staff to help handle orders and deliveries.
So what can customers look for from UrbanStems this February?
UrbanStems has already launched its Valentine’s lineup, “inspired by our favorite style icons and leading ladies. Customers can choose from a range of bouquet styles and sizes including the affordable $35 “Ava,” with seasonal mums, roses and dianthus, up to the $150 “Double Marilyn,” which features 48 red roses. Preorders, which Sheely says account for about 90% of Valentine’s sales (nice job planning ahead everyone), are already available.
As with all of UrbanStems’ flowers, the stems are freshly sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified and Veriflora Certified farms.
UrbanStems is also taking the opportunity on its third Valentine’s Day to roll out a cheeky microsite for people whose significant others may need a helpful hint. The site, sendflowersto.me, lets a user choose from several ways to nudge their hopeful flower-sender (‘expectant stare,’ ‘loving nudge’) and even tell him or her which bouquet they would like and where to send it. The site then generates an email to their admirer, dropping a not-so-subtle suggestion.
UrbanStems has also worked in the past to establish partnerships with other complementary products, and this Valentine’s Day is no different. In addition to the lineup of flowers, customers can also order Mast Bros. chocolate bars, a hot chocolate kit and Valentine’s cocktail box. And as part of a new partnership with local startup Veluxe, UrbanStems customers will be able to snag a package deal for their valentine that offers flowers and an hour-long massage.
And how will UrbanStems be pampering their own employees during the mad Valentine's rush? “It’s obviously a stressful time for the team,” says Sheely. He is looking into getting some pour-over coffees in the office to keep the crew caffeinated. And there will be some well-deserved vacation time once all the Valentine's stems are out the door.
