From flower stall to digital purchasing: RFH Pre-Auction as a step towards more efficient purchasing

His whole life has revolved around flowers. Ed Logerwaard, born in Rotterdam, comes from a true flower family. ‘My grandfather started a flower stall after the Second World War. It has grown over the years and you grow along with it.’ Ed has always had a knack for digital innovation. ‘I was one of the first to engage in remote buying in Aalsmeer in the late 1990s. Royal FloraHolland interviewed me back then too. That was almost 30 years ago!’

Today, Ed works as a buyer at Celdomy and is happy to share his experience with RFH Pre-Auction. For him, this is a logical next step in digital innovation: ‘Technology is evolving rapidly, and buying is changing too, so you need to keep up. When I start my day, I open the app right away and it stays on until after the auction.’

RFH Pre-Auction: convenience and clarity

RFH Pre-Auction is the new app in Floriday that makes auction preparation simple and transparent. Auction preparation includes viewing the clock supply for the next day, marking interesting lots and purchasing via Auction Presales. RFH Pre-Auction thus replaces outdated systems such as FloraMondo and, in part, remote buying.

Celdomy is one of the companies making extensive use of RFH Pre-Auction. Supplying flowers and plants to around 400 shops in France, Celdomy combines data-driven processes with experience and close contact with growers. ‘We work with an order list, so we know in advance what we need to buy. This makes it easy to mark items in a targeted manner,’ says Ed.

He always uses tile view, one of the two display options offered by the app. ‘I find that easier, because you can see a photo of the product right away. In list view, I sometimes scroll past too quickly.’ He particularly appreciates the detailed information shown below each product photo.

‘This allows you to immediately mark interesting lots. I mainly pay attention to information such as length, weight and ripeness.’ Sometimes he also marks lots for colleagues: ‘I search for the product they want in the search bar and add the account of the relevant buyer. It's quite easy.’

Filter options and Auction Presales

To work more efficiently, Ed always uses the filter function. ‘It's not useful for me to see the entire range, because we all work with our own product groups.’ Ed has set up a single fixed filter for the auctions, auction groups and clocks he buys from and only adjusts it when auction times change. ‘Within my filter, I often use length and colour filters to make searching even faster and easier.’

If a product is available for Auction Presales, Ed gladly takes advantage of it: ‘I definitely use that option. If the price is right, it makes the purchasing process easier, especially if you only need one tin of a product, for example.’

Overall, Ed is positive about the app. Minor glitches, such as a filter that sometimes disappears, don’t bother him much. ‘That can be a bit inconvenient at times, but otherwise I think it's great. You can see everything: your order history, your purchase orders. And with marking, I can finish much faster.’

All information in one place

For Ed, the biggest advantage of RFH Pre-Auction is clear: ‘It streamlines the marking and purchasing process. You spend far less time than when you have to mark each auction individually, and as the old saying goes: time is money.’

The app provides a complete overview of all key details: quantities, prices and the full auction range. ‘I understand that some buyers might be sceptical, but I mainly see benefits. You have the entire range in front of you, including photos. How much easier could it be? It makes you feel so much more relaxed behind the clock.’ His advice? ‘Just give it a try, and you'll see for yourself that it works.’
 

Want to know more about RFH Pre-Auction? Find all the information and practical tips in the Help Center.