Interflora launches voice commerce Alexa skill
Flower retailer Interflora has launched an end-to-end voice commerce offering that makes it possible for customers to order and pay for flowers via Alexa.
The retailer’s customers can now ask Alexa to ‘open Interflora’, place an order, check out with Amazon Pay and send the flowers all through one voice interaction.
The Interflora voice assistant will also play the role of personal shopper and recommend flowers based on the occasion or season. In addition, it will provide flower care advice, factual information and suggest a recommended message for a card which will then be personalised with the recipient’s name.
Jim Clark, head of ecommerce at Interflora, said: “As market leaders we’re delighted to be first to market in the UK with such great technology, alongside Amazon. Our passion lies in connecting people and helping them to share a moment or emotion with someone special. To make that possible with just your voice feels really exciting. People lead such busy lives so we have developed our skill with our customers in mind, making it as quick and easy as possible to order flowers. It feels like a natural step for us to be there when it’s convenient for people.”
Customers who know what they want to send can state their preferences on colours or types of flowers and opt to send their own custom message using voice recognition. If using a screen device such as the Echo Show, the products will be available to browse on screen.
The Alexa skill has been designed by Vocala, the team behind voice titles Pointless and Deal or No Deal.
The skill was launched in London with an election-themed brand activation. An Interflora “pollen station” embarked on a tour of the capital which included a stop outside The Houses of Parliament. Once inside the booths, people were invited to send a free bouquet of flowers to a person of their choice courtesy of Interflora.
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