Rene Eikelenboom is co-owner of Arcadia. He is responsible for selling the 50 million stems of disbudded chrysanthemums that are produced each year. At Arcadia 100 people work on five cultivation locations. Arcadia is part of Decorum - a joint venture of 60 growers.
Where do you experience growth?
We sell 65% at the clock and 35% via direct sales. The latter category is very diverse - from forward sales to day trade. We are seeing an increase in the percentage of direct sales. This is a development that we are following and trying to anticipate. It is not a development that we are working towards. For us - with chrysanthemums - the clock is the better place to realise good prices.
The clock is also a place where your products are put on display. From Moscow to Barcelona, buyers see what is physically present. If you sell primarily through direct sales, you lose this display possibility, which you will have to replace in another way.
Which digital sales channels do you use?
We use FloraMondo exclusively. We open FloraMondo for a select group of exporters.
What problems have you noticed?
The most important problem is that the price of 1 bucket is the same as that of 27 buckets, although the logistic cost of one bucket is much greater. Currently, this cost is not properly incorporated in the price, which has led to lost sales. This problem must be resolved quickly!
Digitalisation. Headache or opportunity?
Mostly opportunity. We feel it is vital to know what our end customer — for example a wholesaler in Warsaw — thinks is important. And does the end customer want to buy from you? Then there must be a good way to do this digitally.
Another example is the support of several purchase opportunities each day — but then in a logistically efficient manner. We have opened a distribution centre (DC) for this purpose in Naaldwijk (The Netherlands). The DC holds stock that we can draw on for delivery every hour. This is fully automated: from digital order to processing.
What is your digital dream?
Our digital dream is a Decorum webshop where our customers can be served with a complete range of plants and flowers. We do realise that our own chrysanthemums form only a small part of the wholesaler's assortment. That is why the collaboration within Decorum is so important. With 60 growers we can provide a one-stop shop and a strong brand for our customers.
What do you think about Floriday?
Floriday is the digital marketplace - truly comparable to the physical marketplace that we are familiar with.
We hope that other initiatives also join Floriday so we can keep just one marketplace. That is what we are striving for. We do not believe that multiple marketplaces are good for growers. It's why we are strongly supporting Floriday!
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