The 6 Floriday moments of 2021!

In December – our final news report of 2021 – we bring you a summary of the most important Floriday moments of the past year. We’re really pleased to be able to share THE most important moments of the past year that have helped us provide a more expanded and more effective Floriday for growers, buyers, agents and software suppliers. So why not join us as we take a look back at 2021?

Developing Floriday as a shared activity; charting our needs on a roadmap

This year, we have taken a number of brilliant steps forward and these didn’t just include the introduction of new functionalities, but also involved forging even more effective collaborations with growers, buyers, agents and software suppliers. It all got under way at the start of the year in the form of workshops and discussions about the new approach, in which greater consultation with stakeholders would play a key part and the following four aspects would be adhered to in 2021 and in the years to come. Broader trading opportunities, ease of use, increasing predictability and more intensive collaboration.

One of the first resources that emerged from those sessions was the roadmap. The roadmap gives each Floriday user an opportunity to let us know his or her needs and to vote for the needs already submitted. A large number of needs were submitted, so we’d like to thank you for your input! Meanwhile, a large number of those needs have been implemented and many more are set to follow in 2022. 

Uniform delivery forms, otherwise known as ‘the updated auction functionality’

The month of May saw the first appearance of a news item about simplifying the creation of delivery forms, in which a group of auction growers got together with Floriday to make the auction function more user-friendly. Using their input, the developers got straight down to work and examined every detail. By autumn, their work was complete; the updated auction functionality went live and all growers making use of the auction clock were immediately able to use the latest function via Floriday to create a delivery form. In a survey about this new functionality, it was given a review score of 8.0 and over 70% of all documents are now being submitted to the auction using this version. 

Floriday and the introduction of API version management

This year, collaborating with software suppliers in connection with version management on the API link was high on the agenda. As a result of this, Floriday and the software suppliers are creating greater clarity and predictability with regard to new functionalities being made available within the API link. A main, alpha and beta release take place twice a year, in which software suppliers apply Floriday functionalities in their software package, which growers and buyers can then make use of in the software packages.

The catalogue for buyers undergoes further development

In the same period, increasing attention was also paid to functionalities for buyers, including the catalogue in Floriday. For buyers, it’s important to be able to search the growers' catalogue to see what items are available. This initial version of the ‘Explorer for buyers’ that can be used to carry out searches in Floriday was developed in 2021 and development will continue in 2022, so that buyers can search amongst the items available. What is more, the following refinements for buyers went live on the platform: the quotes function, requests for quotes, early access and the timeline.

An environment in which confidential data concerning growers and buyers is held securely

In 2021 and in the years to come, trading safely is extremely important. With this in mind, we also carried out a confidential data audit. The audit, which was performed by an independent party, set out to examine the handling of data regarded as strictly confidential. The conclusion of the audit is that the measures taken by Royal FloraHolland are effective in providing users of the platform with a guarantee that the confidentiality of their information is being maintained. In the audit itself, Floriday achieved the highest possible score. A Data Committee to supervise the data policy has also been appointed. During the course of 2022, Floriday will continue to safeguard data confidentiality in Floriday.

Money can’t make you happy, but we’re very happy to handle payments in US dollars!

A number of improvements have also been carried out at an international level. One of these is the ability to process payments in US dollars and many international users are extremely pleased about this. The system now allows users to change the standard setting from euros to US dollars. The first payments in dollars have now taken place!

Grow your business. Simplify your process.

It goes without saying that Floriday will also be there for you in 2022  and we will continue to work full steam ahead to increase and simplify trading for all of our growers and buyers. But for now, we wish you Happy Holidays and a healthy and successful 2022!