For Jan Robbe, buying smart is all about overview, speed and standardisation. As a buyer and seller at IBH-Export in De Kwakel, he works with Floriday on a daily basis. What appeals to him most about Floriday is that he can see at a glance where he can buy what — and act immediately based on the current supply range.
Jan Robbe: “I’ve been working at IBH-Export since it was founded in 1996, so for exactly 30 years now. Back then, there were four of us to start with, and we focused solely on pot plants. IBH-Export has now become one of the largest Dutch exporters of pot plants, cut flowers and bouquets, supplying customers throughout Europe and the Middle East. The flower trade has become increasingly important over the years and now accounts for half of our revenue. As well as supplying cut flowers, IBH also has several machine-operated bouquet production lines and assembly lines for handmade bouquets.”
At IBH, Jan is responsible for both the buying and sales of pot plants. Jan explains: “The basic idea behind combining buying and sales is that there is no miscommunication between the customer and the buying. That means we can work in greater detail, and understand each other with just a few words. It therefore quickly becomes clear what level of maturity, thickness or price range the customer is looking for. This enables us to serve our customers better, which in turn strengthens our customer relationships. As well as good customer relations, the short lines of communication within the company have also contributed to IBH-Export’s success,” adds Jan.
Actively contributing ideas and providing feedback
“We’ve realised for years that we need to digitise, and as soon as new developments have emerged, we’ve embraced them so that we can make the most of them. The same applies to Floriday. Within IBH-Export, I am the person who has built up a great deal of knowledge about Floriday and specific functions within the platform. I make sure that our knowledge in this area remains up to date and provide internal support when questions arise.”
Jan is one of the users who have actively helped to develop features in Floriday. Jan: “When integrating from previous platforms into Floriday, not everything went smoothly straight away. That is why we try to be as proactive as possible and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible for our company. There are still things I’d like to see done differently. Personally, I am in favour of greater standardisation. I think it would be useful to have a single base from which the product range is organised. Think of the package — a sort of cart — as the unit of purchase, with the price always per CC; this does need to be flexible and adaptable. That way, you can compare supplies even more quickly and effectively.”
Buying smart with Explorer and MyShop
For Jan, the Floriday Explorer is, above all, a practical tool for making his purchasing process faster and more efficient. Jan explains: “Thanks to the Explorer, I can very quickly get an overview of what’s being supplied in the market, whether it’s direct trade, auction presales or the auction clock. The great thing about a good supply database is that it allows you to get as much done as possible in the shortest possible time. It is important, however, that growers realise that the supply must be extremely reliable. That applies to availability, but certainly also to the photos. As a result, far fewer corrections need to be sent back and forth, there are fewer disappointments, and they have relatively little to worry about. With Floriday, growers effectively have the cheapest sales employee on hand.”