Heritage flower brand deploys conversational AI across WhatsApp, proving that traditional SMEs can lead, not follow, in technology adoption

SINGAPORE, April 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore Florist, a heritage flower brand established in 1987 and acquired by Jim Ng's team in 2024, has launched an AI-powered sales chatbot that handles the workload of a full-time customer service employee at a fraction of the cost.

The chatbot, nicknamed "SingBee" after the brand's mascot, handles the full customer journey on WhatsApp, from product recommendations and occasion-specific suggestions to order placement and delivery scheduling. It operates 24/7 across both Singapore Florist and its sister company, 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd, which together serve over 15,000 customers annually.

"This brand has been arranging flowers since 1987. That is 39 years of customer knowledge baked into the business," said Jim Ng, who acquired Singapore Florist in 2024. "After the acquisition, we noticed a clear pattern. A large volume of customer enquiries were coming in after office hours, between 9pm and midnight. By the time the team responded the next morning, many of those customers had already ordered elsewhere. The average response time was sitting at 4 hours. That was the pain point that pushed us to build the chatbot."

Key results from the first month of deployment:

• Average customer response time reduced from 4 hours to under 25 seconds
• 24/7 availability captured orders previously lost during off-hours (11pm to 8am accounted for 18% of AI-assisted orders)
• Reduced full-time customer admin costs in excess of $4,500 monthly, replacing what would require a salaried employee to perform at the same level of output
• Google Reviews improved from 4.7 to 4.8 stars for both 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd and Singapore Florist, driven by faster response times and consistent service quality

The AI infrastructure is a joint venture between 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd and Singapore Flower Delivery Pte Ltd. The system is trained on nearly four decades of florist domain knowledge, including flower care instructions, cultural gifting etiquette across Singapore's multi-ethnic communities, and real-time inventory from the company's Eunos studio.

What makes this story remarkable is who built it. The entire system was developed by a two-person team with no formal engineering background. Neither holds a computer science degree. Neither had built an AI product before.

"Most SMEs think AI adoption means hiring a tech team and spending six figures," said Ng. "We built this with two non-technical people in under 90 days. With how far AI tools have advanced, you do not need to be a developer to build something that works. You just need to understand your customer well enough to teach a machine how to help them."

The deployment is part of a broader digital transformation at both Singapore Florist and 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd, sister companies that share the same AI infrastructure, supply chain, and Eunos-based studio. The shared technology stack allows both brands to offer identical AI-assisted service quality while maintaining distinct brand identities. Singapore Florist focuses on direct-to-consumer gifting, while 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd specialises in wedding florals, corporate events, and large-scale installations.

The companies plan to extend the AI system to handle post-purchase follow-ups, loyalty programme management, and proactive reorder suggestions based on customer purchase history.

About Singapore Florist and 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd

Established in 1987, Singapore Florist is a heritage flower brand operating from its studio at Eunos, acquired by Jim Ng's team in 2024. The company offers free same-day delivery islandwide with no GST, and maintains a 4.8-star Google rating across 195+ reviews. Singapore Florist and 1 Mayflower Pte Ltd are sister companies that jointly invest in shared AI and logistics infrastructure, collectively serving the full spectrum of floral needs from everyday bouquets to large-scale event installations.

Media Contact: 
Singapore Florist
Singapore Flower Delivery Pte Ltd
Jim Ng
jim@bestmarketing.com.sg
+65 9231 3757

Note to editor: Jim Ng is available for interview. High-resolution images of the AI chatbot interface, the Eunos studio, and the SingBee mascot are available on request.

Source: Singapore Flower Delivery Pte Ltd