A Telegram bot for a flower shop in Armenia pays for itself on the days when the phone does not stop ringing: March 8, April 7, February 14, September 1 and the last school bell in May. On those days a florist answering every chat by hand loses orders, mixes up addresses and forgets card texts. A bot takes the order in a fixed order of questions and hands the team a clean card.
Why flower orders break in normal chats
A flower order looks simple, but it has more details than most orders in small business:
- what to send (a specific bouquet or "something pink for about 20,000 dram");
- when (date and a time window, sometimes "before 9:00, she leaves for work");
- where (address, entrance, floor, intercom code);
- to whom (recipient name and phone, often different from the buyer);
- what to write on the card, sometimes in Armenian, Russian and English in one order;
- whether it is a surprise, so the courier must not say who it is from.
In a chat these details come in five messages over an hour. On a quiet Tuesday a good florist can keep track. On March 8 nobody can.
The order, question by question
| Step | What the bot asks | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Language: Armenian, Russian or English | Many orders come from relatives abroad |
| 2 | Bouquet from the catalog or a budget | Lets the florist pick if stock runs out |
| 3 | Date and time slot | Couriers plan routes by slot, not by "afternoon" |
| 4 | Address and recipient phone | Courier calls the recipient, not the buyer |
| 5 | Card text | Typed by the customer, no spelling mistakes from retyping |
| 6 | Anonymous or not | Courier knows what to say at the door |
| 7 | Payment | Card or Idram by link, or cash on delivery for local buyers |
The order lands in the shop's Telegram group as one message with buttons: "Accepted", "Send photo", "Out for delivery", "Delivered". Each tap sends the matching update to the customer.
The photo before delivery
Customers who order remotely are nervous: they cannot see what will arrive. The simplest fix is a photo. The florist assembles the bouquet, taps "Send photo" and uploads it. The customer gets the picture with two buttons: "Looks great" and "Change something". This one step removes most complaints and is easy to build.
Preparing for peak days
A bot helps most when you prepare it a week before the holiday:
- Limit the menu. On March 8, show 8 to 12 bouquets that you can assemble quickly, not the whole catalog.
- Cap time slots. If two couriers can deliver 15 orders per slot, the bot closes the slot after 15 orders and offers the next one.
- Set a cut-off. Same-day orders stop at a fixed hour, and the bot says so before the customer fills in everything.
- Pre-orders. Open orders for the holiday a few days early, so you know how many tulips to buy.
- Prepare a short status message for the evening before: "Your order for tomorrow is confirmed, delivery 10:00-12:00".
If you deliver across Yerevan with different fees for Center, Arabkir, Nor Nork or Avan, set the zones once. The logic is the same as delivery zones in an online store.
Payment in the bot
For local customers cash or transfer on delivery still works. Buyers abroad need to pay online, otherwise the shop takes a risk on every order. The bot can send a payment link to a card or Idram page right after the order is confirmed, and mark the order as paid when the payment goes through. How this works with Armenian providers is covered in how to accept online payments in Armenia.
Repeat customers and dates that come back
Flowers are a repeat purchase tied to dates. With the customer's permission, the bot can remember "mother's birthday, 14 June" and send a reminder a few days before with a link to order. Unlike a mailing list, this message arrives in the app people already open every day. Keep it to dates the customer chose to save, and always include a way to turn reminders off.
What the bot should not do
- Pretend to be a person. Say clearly that it is the shop's order assistant.
- Hide the florist. Keep a "Talk to a florist" button on every step.
- Ask for things you do not use. If you never ask for the occasion, do not add the question.
- Show bouquets that are out of stock. Update the catalog before every peak.
Bot, website or both
If most of your customers already write to you on Instagram or Telegram, a bot is the fastest way to bring order to that flow. A website helps a different audience: people searching Google for "flower delivery Yerevan", often from abroad. Many shops start with the bot and add a catalog site later. The general case for bots is in why your business needs a Telegram bot.
Prices and timing
| What | Price at Kinto |
|---|---|
| Telegram bot with order flow and statuses | from $500 |
| Online payment (card, Idram by link) | from $600 |
| AI assistant for free-form questions | from $1,200 |
| One-page site with catalog and "Order in Telegram" button | from $700, about 6 days |
The bot is registered to your account and stays yours. You can see how we build bots on the Telegram bot development page.
If you want the bot ready before the next March 8, send us your bouquet list and delivery zones on Telegram at @kinto_am.