Jan Robbe: “With Floriday, growers essentially have the cheapest sales manager on their team.”

For Jan Robbe, buyer and sales manager at IBH-Export in De Kwakel, buying smart is all about overview, speed, and standardisation. In Floriday, he sees at a glance where he can buy what and can trade immediately based on current supply. This makes the platform an important tool for him in his day-to-day buying process.

Jan has been working at IBH-Export since it was founded in 1996. What began with four people and a focus on pot plants has grown into one of the Netherlands’ largest exporters of pot plants, cut flowers and bouquets. The company delivers throughout Europe and the Middle East. The flower trade has become increasingly important over the years and now accounts for half of the revenue. In addition, IBH-Export has several machine-operated bouquet lines and assembly lines for handmade bouquets.

At IBH-Export, Jan combines the buying and sales of pot plants. According to him, this combination ensures close communication between the customer and the buying department. As a result, it quickly becomes clear which maturity, thickness, or price segment a customer is looking for. “We can work in greater detail, and understand each other with just a few words. That helps us serve our customers better and strengthens our relationship with them,” says Jan.

Contributing ideas on digitisation

IBH-Export has recognised the importance of digitisation for many years. New developments are actively monitored and utilised, also within Floriday. Jan has gained a great deal of knowledge about the platform and its various functions whilst working at the company. He keeps his knowledge up to date and helps colleagues with any queries they may have.

Jan also actively contributes ideas regarding the further development of Floriday. For example, he advocates greater standardisation in the product range. “I think it would be useful to have a single base from which the product range is organised. Think of the package, type of trolley, a unit of buying, and the price is always per CC. It must, however, be possible to adapt this flexibly. Then you can compare supplies even more quickly and effectively.”

Quick overview with Explorer and MyShop

For Jan, the Floriday Explorer is, above all, a practical tool for purchasing faster and more efficiently. “Thanks to the Explorer, I can very quickly get an overview of the market supply: direct trade, auction presales, and 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.”

According to Jan, however, it is important that the supply is reliable. That applies to availability, but certainly also to the photos. The better growers organise their supply, the fewer corrections and disappointments there will be. “With Floriday, growers are effectively served by the cheapest sales manager.”

MyShop in Floriday is also widely used within IBH-Export. With this, the company offers customers the opportunity to order 24/7 in their own shop in Floriday, under the direction of IBH-Export. Wholesalers and garden centres, in particular, are keen to make use of this. They can handle their own buying, whilst IBH-Export saves time.

A clear and efficient system

Jan has a clear message for buyers who aren’t yet using Floriday: “It’s a brilliant system: fast and efficient. At a glance, you can see exactly where to buy what. To be honest, I can’t imagine there are any buyers who aren’t already using Floriday.”

Would you like to know how Floriday helps you buy more smartly? Take a look at the page on buying smart on the Floriday website. Or take a look at the workshop page for more information, inspiration, and practical tools.