Digital Transformation in the Pacific: Fleurs et Flammes, Vanuatu
Anne Pheu, owner of Fleur et Flammes, Vanuatu. Source: Pacific Digital Transformation Consulting.
Through the BLP Subsidy we connect small and medium sized businesses in Vanuatu in need of digital marketing advice with Pacific Digital Transformation (PDT) Consulting Ltd, who specialise in providing quality digital marketing strategies to growing businesses.
Each of these partnerships highlights the exciting digital transformation taking place in the Pacific. Here is the third story from PDT about enabling business growth through technology, featuring Vanuautu-based florist, Fleurs et Flammes.
In 2008, Anne Pheu began Fleurs et Flammes as a side project, driven by a deep passion for local tropical plants. Fleurs et Flammes creates and delivers flower arrangements in Efaté, Vanuatu, offering a full product range including; flower arrangements, centerpieces, wedding bouquets, and funeral wreaths. Anne also creates bespoke arrangements based on poetry which clients greatly appreciate.
On the Vanuatu archipelago, many tropical species are spectacular and flowers can grow quickly and easily, but the market demand is greater. Over time, Anne grew more and more plants, leaves, stems and flowers in her beautiful garden in the Bellevue area, ten minutes away from Port Vila city center. Yet, this production alone was not enough to meet local demand, so the team began collaborating with other suppliers, mainly from Efaté island.
Despite its success, in 2018 Fleurs et Flammes wasn’t using any digital channels, missing vital market opportunities. Market research indicates that more than 50% of current retail sales are “digitally impulsed”, meaning that consumers had digital contact with the brand prior to the purchase. Digital contact can be through a social network, email, WhatsApp message or SMS text message. In other words, retailers must “activate” or “impulse” sales through segmented, direct marketing.
Anne chose Pacific Digital Transformation Consulting to start Fleurs et Flammes digital transformation, a consultancy made possible by the BLP Subsidy. The BLP Subsidy is available for eligible small and medium sized businesses (between 5 and 50 employees) in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea as a way to access quality business advice at an affordable rate.
In Vanuatu, there is no doubt that any company keen to increase revenue will benefit greatly from implementing a digital transformation sooner rather than later. PDT’s expertise in Omni channel customer centricity, in Europe and South America, made us the right choice to help Fleur et Flammes begin their digital transformation.
Here’s what we helped Fleur et Flammes implement:
Website
As more and more tourists get married in Vanuatu, there is a growing demand for wedding bouquets. A professional web presence is very helpful, as wedding planners often request detailed information about suppliers before they place an order.
We are currently managing Fleurs-et-Flammes.com on WordPress, to enable online payments. At this stage, the only bank in Vanuatu enabling e-payment (from an eshop) is BRED Bank, accepting only a few gateways (AsiaPay for instance), but excluding website solutions like Wix.
Social Media
The Fleur et Flammes team started to use social media channels Facebook and Instagram, to increase brand notoriety, and to make sure customers didn’t miss key dates or events.
75% of the followers are women with 85% being English speaking. An example of a successful post is about a visit to the splendid Gardens on the Bay, in Singapore. On Facebook, out of the 14,000 people who saw the post in Vanuatu, there were 2,800 interactions, an excellent engagement rate. On Instagram, photos of this post generated 416 likes.
Another post shared flower arrangements created at the Fleurs et Flammes shop. On Facebook, the reach was 3,300 people, with 155 interactions. On Instagram the post generated 80 likes.
The team also publishes posts about flowers in general (ginger flower, frangipanis) and we noticed an interesting engagement rate, showing that the Fleurs et Flammes audience appreciates non-commercial, informative or educational posts.
As a result of these newly implemented digital tools, Fleurs et Flammes has been receiving orders from new clients, and Anne and the team can now regularly share their passion for floristry with a wider audience.
If you are a small or medium sized business (between 5 and 50 employees) and would like to know if you’re eligible for the BLP Subsidy in Vanuatu or to learn more about the Business Link Pacific programme, please contact:
Yvonne Leo Taiki
Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce & Industry