The UAE online gifting market is projected to grow at a 15.9% CAGR through 2029, while MENA’s gifting market is on track to reach $6.38 billion by 2030. Flowwow is relaunching as Udora, having raised $10M and with a decade of local gifting expertise behind it.

[Dubai, UAE – April 29, 2026] Udora, the global gifting marketplace formerly known as Flowwow, has closed a $10 million private round and relaunched under a new brand. The round will go toward market expansion, with the Saudi Arabia launch scheduled for Q3 2026, including product catalogue expansion, deep localisation, technology, and AI-powered personalisation.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Dubai, the platform connects customers with local florists, confectioners, and artisan makers across 50+ markets and 1,500+ cities. With a 6% share of the UAE online gifting market and $3.32 million in GMV in 2025 alone, the platform is ready to take the same model across the GCC. The raise and rebranding are part of the same move to accelerate the platform’s global rollout while going deeper into each local market it serves.

The model scales across the country, reaching sellers in big cities, smaller ones, and regional markets. In the UAE alone, the seller network grew 66.5% in 2025, and all orders on the platform are fulfilled exclusively by local SMEs.

The platform gives SMEs the digital infrastructure to reach customers online that they couldn’t access on their own. Udora handles orders, marketing tools, and access to a paying, repeat audience through a single, tech-ready platform, without the overhead of building it in-house.

The company sees this as both a business model and a contribution to the GCC’s broader push to bring independent local businesses into the digital economy. This aligns directly with the UAE government’s strategy to grow the digital economy’s share of GDP to 19.4% by 2031, with SME digitalisation as one of its key drivers.

“More than a decade ago, we started with a simple idea: help people reach their loved ones, no matter the distance. That idea grew into 50+ markets without borders. Now we’re ready to go deeper, to build the end-to-end gifting experience – to do for gifting what Airbnb did for hospitality. But in the GCC, where gifting carries real cultural weight, technology is only part of the story. The real value has always been in local hands: florists, confectioners, artisans, and creators who care and know their communities – that’s where our mission hasn’t changed. Udora will help people across the region stay close and express care through meaningful gestures as long as people love each other,” said Slava Bogdan, CEO & Founder of Udora.

What’s new: localisation and product

As general marketplaces scale, niche platforms with category depth are capturing their segments, driven by demand for local knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and same-day delivery. Udora has been building these since 2014, and the platform’s current scale reflects this: 150,000+ products across 25+ categories, with verified seller networks in every market it operates in.

Udora tailors its product assortment to local tastes, cultural context, and price expectations in each market it enters. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, this means expanding the premium segment with high-demand, high-AOV categories: perfumes, premium chocolate, and confectionery, alongside curated gift bundles suited to the region’s gifting occasions.

The company is building toward one thing: a complete gifting experience tailored to local demand and occasion. The platform already offers personalised recommendations, AI-assisted gift discovery, and automated customer support.

The roadmap includes gift subscriptions, wishlists, and deeper personalisation tools, including a product catalogue tailored to each customer’s browsing and purchase history. Corporate gifting tools round out the updated feature set for business buyers.

Company’s 2025 results and future plans

Last year, Udora processed orders up to 123% YoY, with gross merchandise value reaching $9.84 million (+129%) globally. In the UAE, the platform’s most established market, GMV reached $3.32 million (+95%), driven by 41,500 orders (+89%). The UAE seller network expanded to 398 active shops, with 61.3% of orders placed by returning customers. While customer satisfaction held at 92.4% positive reviews, well above the 80-85% benchmark for e-commerce platforms.

With the relaunch and new investment in place, Udora projects 100% growth across active markets in 2026. This puts company’s growth rate at roughly twice the projected pace of the UAE online gifting market, which is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.9% through 2029.

About company

Udora is a fast-growing gifting platform connecting customers with local florists, confectioners, and artisan makers across 50+ countries and 1,500+ cities, including MENA, the UK, Spain, and LATAM. The startup combines personalized technology with a human touch to modernize one of the world’s most traditional retail verticals. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE.