Aruba's Blooming E-commerce: How Jardin Caribe Flowershop Pioneerd the Online Shopping Experience for Buying Flowers in Aruba

Established long before the digital age, Jardin Caribe has a rich history in the floral industry on Aruba. Initially, customers could only purchase flowers by visiting our brick-and-mortar store, but as technology evolved, so did our business.

We began our digital journey in 2001 by creating our first website. It was a simple page that provided basic information about our business. We didn’t make many changes to it and it stayed the same for over 10 years. Then, in 2015, we made a big improvement by launching a new website. This new site allowed customers to place orders online for the first time. Although it took some adjusting, our clients slowly realized the convenience of this new option and those who did, never looked back. We knew that embracing this change was essential for meeting the needs of both our business and our customers.

As we were gradually expanding our online services, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and emphasized the need for a robust online presence. This was because a larger number of individuals began relying on e-commerce while remaining indoors. In response to this growing demand, we made a monumental move in early 2021 by creating a fully functional e-commerce platform in Aruba. This involved months of meticulous planning, designing, and testing to ensure a flawless user experience. Always striving to innovate, Jardin Caribe became the first company in Aruba to offer iDEAL (the Netherlands’ most popular payment method), as an online payment option. We also take pride in being the first local florist with a fully operational e-commerce platform. Our commitment to excellence has led us to consistently adapt and evolve, allowing us to provide the best possible service for our local and international customers. As we continue to grow, we remain dedicated to offering fresh, quality products and an unparalleled online shopping experience with great customer service.

The start

As digital technology continues to advance across the globe, we were eager to explore the ways it could benefit our company. Industry giants like Amazon have demonstrated the immense potential of e-commerce and online shopping, shaping the future of business. Our company, based on the island of Aruba, faces several unique challenges in successfully implementing an e-commerce strategy, including a limited market size, technology adoption hurdles, and regulatory obstacles, such as online payment methods. Additionally, a significant portion of our customers were accustomed to either placing orders over the phone or visiting the store in person. Our greatest challenge was convincing these customers and explaining why ordering online represents a win-win scenario. Undeterred by these challenges, we pressed forward and developed a website with simple features. This platform enabled our clients to complete a form, providing us with basic order information. This seemingly small step proved to be a significant milestone, as it allowed us to process orders more accurately and efficiently than ever before.

The progress

As online shopping slowly gained popularity in Aruba, customers began to appreciate its simplicity and convenience. During the beginning phase of online ordering, the process was far from perfect. Payments were processed manually (credit card information had to go via forms, phone or bank transfers), which could take hours to several days to sucessfully complete a payment. The desired e-commerce experience for customers was not yet fully realized.

Determined to offer customers a better online shopping experience, we dedicated ourselves to researching the available options and possibilities for improving our website. Our goal was to create a platform that embodied our vision for a user-friendly and secure e-commerce experience. By early 2021, we had figured out the necessary improvements and launched our redesigned website. The upgraded platform offered a comprehensive e-commerce experience, allowing users to

• Browse & search a wide range of flower products;
• Select additional products like greeting cards, chocolates, and balloons;
• add items to their shopping cart;
• create an account which stores previous orders and receipts;
• Complete their purchases securely using various payment methods, including credit cards and iDEAL.

The actuality

Despite being a small local business, located on small island, we’ve proven that adapting to technology and embracing change is within our reach. Our journey has been challenging, paved with external and internal hurdles. In our infancy, constructing a fully operational e-commerce website in Aruba was a daunting task, yet we explored our boundaries with the resources available to us. As emerging technologies surfaced, we aimed to be early adopters, investigating their potential to positively impact our business.

We also confronted significant internal challenges. Long-standing employees, some with us for over two decades, were suddenly required to utilize tools and programs that were unfamiliar to them. Adapting to new work methods is a time-consuming process, but fostering a mindset that embraces change within our company culture is crucial. The pace of change is constantly accelerating, creating a world where change itself is the norm.

Now, the prospects for small businesses in Aruba to thrive are more promising than ever before. Our growth and adaptation serve as a testament to the limitless potential that embracing change can bring.