A Chat with Slava Bodgan, СEO & Co-Founder at Global Gifting Marketplace: Flowwow

Tell us about Flowwow

Flowwow is a global gifting marketplace that connects customers with local shops around the world. We work with more than 18,000 partners in over 1000 cities and operate across 40+ countries, including the UK, UAE, Spain, Turkey and Brazil. People use Flowwow to surprise their loved ones with flowers, confectionery, craft & handmade items, and jewellery from local shops. Our focus is on expanding into new markets and helping local shops reach customers internationally through a simple, reliable platform.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

The idea grew out of our earlier experience building and testing different projects. My co-founder Andrey and I had tried several projects before and learned a lot from what didn’t work. One of them showed clear demand for platforms that bring similar offers together in one place, and at the same time, we were watching how services like Booking.com and Skyscanner changed customer expectations around choice and convenience.

Around then, I remembered struggling to organise a birthday gift for my mother while I was abroad. Finding something suitable, paying for it, and making sure it arrived on time was far more complicated than it should have been. We spoke to friends and small local businesses and saw the same gap from both sides: customers wanted an easy way to send gifts remotely, and shops were open to online orders. That gap became the foundation for Flowwow.

Tell us about your core service of Flowwow

The crucial part of our mission is to make the process of gift-giving more personalised and enjoyable for people worldwide. 

For customers, Flowwow works as a single place to choose a gift, arrange delivery, and manage key dates, with practical features like same-day delivery, product photos before delivery, a calendar of important dates, and curated lists of products from local shops. We equally want to help a friend from London, surprise their loved ones in Abu-Dhabi, or a student in Dubai, send a Birthday gift to his grandma in Madrid.

For sellers, Flowwow provides access to an international audience and tools to manage and grow online sales. We work with over 18,000 local shops, offering technology and marketing support that helps small businesses promote their products, handle orders, and reach customers both locally and globally.

What most excites you about the ecommerce industry?

For me, the most compelling aspect of ecommerce is how it allows local businesses to reach a global audience without losing their identity or craftsmanship. The online gifting market is growing steadily, with forecasts extending to over $100 billion by 2030-2034, showing the scale of opportunity for platforms like Flowwow.

Advances in technology make it possible to overcome traditional barriers in gift-giving, from finding a personal gift to arranging reliable delivery across borders, turning a previously complex process into something simple and accessible. People will always want to give meaningful gifts, and as that demand continues, our business has the opportunity to grow alongside it. 

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome along the way?

One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is raising the standard for online gifting, which has lower digital penetration than other e-commerce categories. Customers often worry about order quality and delivery speed, and many existing players lag behind in technology. Our focus has been on improving trust and convenience, making the process of sending flowers, gifts, and sweets simple and reliable while bringing the overall experience up to modern standards.

To tackle this, we balance innovation with stability. New features are first tested with a small group of users and scaled only if successful, ensuring the platform remains reliable. Transparent collaboration between developers, marketers, and customer support helps minimise risks. At the same time, we work closely with local shops, providing tools and conditions that let them thrive online, so we grow the market together rather than compete against them.

What is your number one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Running a business has taught me to focus on what really matters: taking care of yourself, building a strong team, and trusting your intuition. Early on, I tried to manage everything myself, which led to burnout and slowed progress.

Learning to delegate and rely on a capable team not only freed up my time but also empowered others to take ownership and contribute their best work. At the same time, it’s important to balance optimism with realism because growth takes time and results rarely happen overnight. Finally, trusting your gut, whether it’s about hiring, launching a project, or taking a strategic risk, can guide you through the uncertainty of building a sustainable business.

What can we hope to see from Flowwow in the future?

Flowwow is continuing to grow and develop. We aim to expand both our geographic reach and the range of products we offer, while keeping the quality of our service high. In 2025, we were already active in over 40 countries, and this is only the start. Our platform connects local brands and businesses with customers worldwide, giving people practical ways to send gifts to their friends and family.

We are keeping pace with technological advances. Flowwow already features a Gift Assistant powered by GPT, and we use AI for marketing and processing seller photos, ensuring the platform contains clear and appealing content.

Our focus is on combining efficient technology with a human approach so that each gift feels thoughtful and the experience of using the platform remains straightforward. We want to make gift-giving easier, help customers save time, and let businesses concentrate on what they do best — their products. Our team is committed to this mission, and we aim for Flowwow to be the first choice when someone wants to surprise a loved one.