The Approach

Van der Plas Group, a leading player in the flower and plant trade, faced a significant challenge: the webshop of its largest subsidiary, Van der Plas, needed to become more flexible and user-friendly. Subsequently, another subsidiary, Greenflor, also transitioned.

Although the webshop functioned well overall, the frontend—the visible part for users—had become somewhat outdated. Additionally, the underlying system lacked the flexibility to easily adapt to user needs and the demands of a rapidly changing market.

The key areas for improvement were:

• An intuitive and enhanced search function.
• Increased user-friendliness for end users.
• Greater control for the marketing team over content and product presentation.

Van der Plas Group (VDP Group) opted for a Composable Commerce approach. This involved decoupling the frontend from the backend (headless architecture) to create a future-proof webshop.

Since the backend of the webshop system, Florisoft, is highly industry-specific and performed well, it was retained while the frontend was completely rebuilt.

This solution enables Van der Plas to implement new features more quickly, enhance the user experience, and maintain webshop flexibility for future developments.

The Solution

To arrive at the right solution, input was gathered from various stakeholders. Before designing the UX/UI, discussions were held with customers and stakeholders from different departments within VDP Group. Additionally, so-called scoping sessions took place, mapping out the webshop’s processes and functionalities. These sessions helped the project team better understand user needs and technical challenges while defining the project scope.

To gain a complete picture, personas were created to represent different types of users. Customer journeys were also analyzed to understand how users would interact with the webshop.

Based on the research phase, it was decided to implement a Content Management System (CMS) for managing content and a search and merchandising system to enhance search functionality in the new frontend. The CMS allows for a multilingual webshop and efficient management of content such as images, texts, and banners. The search and merchandising system optimizes the search function, enabling users to find products faster and more easily.

To seamlessly integrate these systems with the existing backend, a new API (Application Programming Interface) layer was developed to facilitate communication between the frontend and backend. Additionally, an API Orchestration Layer was introduced. Initially, this software package monitors and manages the API, but in the future, it can also integrate data from other systems.

Data security was also a key focus. To ensure secure user authentication and management, Auth0 was implemented. This system provides a reliable and secure login experience without compromising the webshop’s speed or scalability.

Realized solutions

The composable approach has made Van der Plas' webshop future-proof, user-friendly, flexible, and scalable.

In the new setup, Van der Plas can manage content more efficiently with the CMS, including multilingual support and the reuse of visual elements. This saves time and enables the marketing team to respond more quickly to trends.

Thanks to the significantly improved search functionality, users can find relevant products faster. Additionally, managing product categories has become easier. To ensure optimal visibility, popular products can be strategically placed at the top.

The API Orchestration Layer guarantees a stable connection between systems, while Auth0 provides a secure and user-friendly login experience, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.

The revamped webshop combines technical advancements with a fresh, visually appealing design that seamlessly aligns with Van der Plas' new brand identity.