The World Flower Exchange. A platform for the digital transaction process and the digital exchange of market knowledge, ideas and innovations. It is an important aim of the FloraHolland 2020 strategy to establish the World Flower Exchange by 2020.
The plan is to have a billion euros in sales through this virtual platform. How? We asked Martijn van Os. He is part of the programme team exploring the design of the World Flower Exchange.
Martijn van Os, involved in the research into the design of the World Flower Exchange
"It's easier to explain why we're doing it than how we plan to achieve it. We see important trends in the sectors we interact with, and within the horticultural sector itself. The sector is evolving from supply-oriented to demand-oriented. The trade is heading towards a 24/7 market. We observe the growth of e-commerce platforms. And we want to continue to offer our members and their customers great access to the world trade in flowers and plants in the future as well."
"World Flower Exchange begins with a clean slate. Existing systems like FloraMondo could be modified for this purpose, but it is possible that other functions will be wanted. In FloraMondo the supply is the primary aspect, although it may be that the ultimate digital platform will be dominated by the demand side. We do not yet know this for sure, so we are investigating the topic. The special aspect of this research is that we are working on it together with the market. Testing ideas together. Research and implementation are actually closely allied. Otherwise, developments may overtake us while we are still researching them. Call it learning from experience. We have not yet set the definitive direction for the World Flower Exchange. We have agreed, though, that conclusions must be drawn in 2015. We are currently searching for a programme manager who has led a similar project in another branch."
"In the meantime, we shall keep on developing the current systems. Since March 1 the Auction Presales for Plants has been incorporated in FloraMondo. This is the start of the selling of plants via this platform. We shall also continue to invest in the improvement of the direct flower flows. FloraMondo was developed to arrange and process small, varied orders. That type of order currently means a lot of extra work for growers. It is clear that the chocies we make with FloraMondo must not hinder the development of the World Flower Exchange. On the other hand, they are two different things. FloraMondo aims to optimise processes in the short chain between grower and customer. World Flower Exchange is a global digital platform, which will have a much broader scope. It is a challenge to work on together with growers and customers."
Source: FloraHolland Magazine March 2015