ABOUT PROJECT
Sometimes, change is so vast and dislocating that it is hard to tell disaster from opportunity. In 2019, YourLocalFlower saw it’s time to digitalize the experience of buying floral bouquets while still being able to choose a vendor. To accomplish these goals, the startup partnered with a development company to create a wholesale flower supplier marketplace where visitors could browse florists’ listings and their works, enter into long-term partnerships with wholesale suppliers, and return to those from whom they previously purchased.
Following the solution’s launch, YourLocalFlower sellers could remotely manage their orders, and potential buyers were not lost among many offers. Roobykon delivered a scalable e-commerce solution for florists that fully supports its direct-to-consumer strategic vision.
Key Challenges
With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic at one point, most medium and small businesses became easily vulnerable to bankruptcy – as well as driving unemployment, and systemic implications followed. Significant role played the change in supply chains – aware of them, YourLocalFlower attempted to buoy up suppliers as well as local florists by offering them more opportunities to merchandise bouquets. In addition, the monopolization of the industry forced such specialists to work within the framework of standardized orders, delivering the same and unremarkable compositions. That’s why our client initially set the goal of selling unique items with no analogs on the market.
The increment included options for vendor listings, sub-listings with their bouquets, the ability to buy with no registration on the flower vendor platform, and the implementation of powerful filters. During the product review process, YourLocalFlower also discovered the need to create unique URL addresses, which became a part of the brand’s marketing strategy. Given the upcoming release of an innovative venue, it also wanted to move quickly to market before its competition did the same.
TECHNOLOGY STACK
core API
Solution Highlights
Sharetribe Flex was selected as the primary solution for building a powerful next-gen floral marketplace that can scale as your business grows. It provided all the necessary infrastructure out of the box, and its headless architecture gives total freedom to customize the user experience. Its cost, rapid implementation period, flexibility, and contributed module ecosystem were decisive factors in choosing the solution. The front end is based on Flex Templates for Web (FTW) using the React open-source library. The backend is made with Express.js (framework for Node.js).
Digital Ocean has laid the foundation for hosting with a powerful API, strong data security, and excellent performance due to its microservice architecture. The new florist partnership website, with its community, listings, easy shopping, filters, and attractive UI/UX, was completed and launched on time and within budget in May 2020.
THE PROCESS
01
Discovery and kick-off: The Roobykon marketplace solution commenced with an intensive discovery phase, where our team and YourLocalFlower laid the groundwork for the marketplace. We conducted meetings to align goals, discuss the marketplace concept in depth, and plan the initial development sprints, setting the stage for a cohesive and targeted development process.
02
Mapping and design workshops: This step involved outlining the user journey, defining core functionalities, and designing the user interface and user experience of the digital floral website. The scope of work was meticulously broken down and prioritized, ensuring a clear and focused approach to marketplace development.
03
Active development phase: Over the course of 12 weeks, the active development phase unfolded with daily updates from project managers and developers, maintaining transparency and ensuring any issues were promptly addressed. The team worked in sprints, allowing for iterative development and the flexibility to incorporate feedback and changes requested by YourLocalFlower.
04
Ongoing improvements and sprint reviews: During the sprint cycles, the focus was on continuously enhancing the platform’s functionality and user experience. Each sprint concluded with a review, where the work was evaluated, and feedback was integrated into future sprints. This iterative process ensured that the platform met the predefined requirements and adapted to any emerging needs or challenges.
05
Regression testing and User Acceptance Testing (UAT): This 4-week period was focused on ensuring the platform’s stability and fine-tuning the user interface and user experience. Rigorous testing ensured that new changes did not impact existing functionalities and that the flower supplier platform met all user requirements and expectations.
06
Stabilization and production setup: After completing the development phase, the team focused on stabilizing the platform and setting up the production environment. Any remaining issues were addressed, ensuring a seamless transition to the live environment.
07
Hyper care and MVP launch: Our team offered comprehensive assistance during the MVP launch of YourLocalFlower to ensure a successful introduction to the market. They also provided post-launch support to address feedback and resolve issues, while setting the stage for future enhancements based on user experiences.
Main Features
Geolocation and delivery estimation
Understanding the significance of convenience and accuracy for our users, Roobykon developed a bespoke geolocation feature. This lets customers visually locate florist shops on a map, bridging the gap between online browsing and physical locations. Our delivery time estimation tool provides valuable insights into the expected bouquet delivery time, enhancing the overall user experience.
Advanced search and sorting capabilities
To streamline the shopping experience, Roobykon introduced advanced search and sorting features on the YourLocalFlower platform. With these tools, users can effortlessly filter through the myriad of florist offerings and bouquets, guided by intuitive lists and powerful sorting options. The product and specialist slider on the homepage helps customers browse and engage with the marketplace’s selection more effectively.
Customization and personal touch options
Roobykon recognized the importance of personalization in the gifting process. As a result, we integrated options for adding personalized greetings and envelopes, allowing customers to convey their sentiments in a more meaningful way. This feature caters to the desire for individualized gifts and enhances the emotional value of each purchase made on the YourLocalFlower marketplace.
Monetization strategy
Our monetization model for YourLocalFlower case study is ingeniously crafted around florist subscriptions and commissions from sales, ensuring a sustainable income stream while accommodating the flexibility florists need. Roobykon streamlined the buyer registration process, making it easier to make purchases without an existing account, broadening the platform’s accessibility.
Dynamic blog
Engagement and SEO Strategy: To attract and retain a dedicated audience, we developed a strategic content marketing plan centered around a dynamic blog. Highlighting popular articles on the homepage not only serves to engage visitors but also significantly improves the platform’s search engine optimization. This approach has successfully increased site traffic, prolonged user engagement, and positively impacted conversion rates.
RESULTS
Under the guidance of Roobykon, the YourLocalFlower direct-to-consumer floral marketplace swiftly transformed from a concept into a fully functional platform, uniquely positioned within the European market. This digital marketplace succeeded in uniting Denmark’s finest florists with a wide audience of buyers, offering unparalleled access to unique floral compositions, competitive pricing, and fast delivery options. This achievement is a testament to the effective collaboration between YourLocalFlower and Roobykon, showcasing our expertise in marketplace development and rapid deployment.
The resulting marketplace uniquely connects Denmark’s best florists and buyers through one platform that offers distinctive floral arrangements, optimal pricing, and fast delivery. After nearly a year of working together, YourLocalFlower founder Nils Smed highly praises Roobykon: “I’ve been working with Alexander and his team for almost a year. It has been a good collaboration, and Alexander and his people have shown great interest in our vision and what we want to do. I appreciate the high flexibility that Alexander has. And his great understanding of, and respect for, how hard it can be to build a new business.
Lessons from YourLocalFlower
As a development team, building the online flower marketplace for YourLocalFlower put some new skills to the test for us at Roobykon. One major challenge was implementing a tight delivery timeline for the minimum viable product (MVP). However, adopting an agile approach with flexible sprints allowed us to focus efforts on the essential features and frequently reassess priorities. Clear communication with YourLocalFlower also helped balance an ambitious timeline with functionality needs.
Another significant challenge was implementing the geolocation and delivery estimation features that were crucial for the marketplace’s functionality. These features required sophisticated integration to ensure accuracy and user-friendliness. Through innovative problem-solving and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, we successfully incorporated these features, enhancing the user experience and setting YourLocaFlower apart from competitors. This endeavor improved our team’s skills in working with complex APIs and location-based services, broadening our expertise in creating feature-rich, user-centric platforms.
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