A Flourishing E-commerce Solution for Interflora

Interflora is a leading player in the floral industry, processing thousands of orders daily. To maintain its competitive edge, the company required a robust and flexible e-commerce solution while also strengthening its presence across digital channels.

As part of this initiative, the new interflora.no was launched in October 2024, featuring a fresh design by Metro Branding and a cutting-edge technical platform developed by 99x Digital Solutions. We built a tailored e-commerce platform based on Craft Commerce and Craft CMS 5, ensuring seamless operations and an optimized shopping experience for Interflora's customers.

 

A Custom E-commerce Platform for Unique Needs

Interflora needed an e-commerce solution capable of handling complex integrations and functionalities. A standard off-the-shelf solution was insufficient, yet building an entirely custom system from scratch was not feasible.

 

The choice fell on Craft CMS 5 and Craft Commerce, offering a balance of flexibility, high performance, and seamless integration capabilities.

Selling flowers is a gift-based business with significant seasonal fluctuations. The holiday season, especially Christmas, is the most critical sales period for Interflora, necessitating a scalable and high-capacity platform. The e-commerce solution has been tested and scaled to handle up to 5,000 orders per hour, with a theoretical capacity of approximately 20,000 orders per hour on the current architecture.

An e-commerce solution unlike any other

Unlike traditional online stores where customers order for themselves, Interflora operates a gift-based service where purchases are often sent to multiple recipients. Product availability varies by location and store inventory, requiring specialized system adaptations.

Craft Commerce enabled these customizations, and through advanced integrations, we created a dynamic and efficient shopping experience.

Nearly all products sold through Interflora’s e-commerce platform are made to order by more than 400 professional florists across the network. Each florist can independently manage opening hours, delivery capacity, and product availability. During peak seasons, this results in hundreds of real-time product availability updates per hour across the 5,000+ Norwegian postal codes Interflora serves.

Seamless integrations for an optimal user experience

Much of the business logic related to product selection, availability, and delivery options is managed through external systems. 99x Digital Solutions developed integrations with various external platforms, enabling real-time data exchange through APIs.

Key integrations include:

Interflora’s Business System

• Manages products, availability, orders, and other business logic.
• Live updates via webhooks ensure product information is always accurate.
• Time-sensitive data, such as delivery options, is fetched in real time to provide customers with the most accurate information.
• Completed orders are sent directly to the business system, ensuring immediate notification to the responsible florist.

International Flower Trade with Floristgate

• As a global operator, Interflora offers a diverse product selection across different countries.
• The e-commerce platform is integrated with Floristgate, managing a catalog of over 9,000 products across multiple markets.
• API-based real-time updates ensure accurate product availability information globally.

Seamless Payment Solutions

• Integrations with Nets (handling most credit and debit cards) and Vipps ensure a secure and smooth payment process.
• The system verifies payments before order completion, providing clear error messages in case of issues.
• Additional payment options, including gift card payments via PayEx, support both partial and full payments.

Membership and Discount Solutions

• Interflora offers a membership program with exclusive benefits.
• Customers gain access to useful content and discount vouchers.
• Integration with Voyado manages user consents and coupon availability.
• Craft Commerce’s built-in coupon system provides a flexible setup for customized discount structures.

The Result: A Modern and Efficient E-commerce Platform

Flowers are more than just products - they carry profound emotions of love, gratitude, and care. With its new e-commerce solution, Interflora has simplified the process of spreading joy and warmth to loved ones, regardless of location.

Want to see the new platform in action? Explore Interflora’s online store.