The difference between creating direct delivery through, as opposed to outside of, Floriday
Customers can, in addition to orders from supply, pass on orders to a grower. The grower creates a direct delivery for orders they receive by phone, whatsapp or email. Here, the grower creates an order for the customer using either their own package or Floriday.
If a grower creates the order outside of Floriday, this is processed and charged to you as buyer through the Connect-EAB. This is the situation on the left in the picture below. If the grower creates the direct order using Floriday (either directly in the screens or through an API link), this is processed and charged to the buyer using Floriday. This is the situation on the right
In the overview below, you can see that direct delivery using Floriday (in the screens or through the API link) offers a variety of benefits, such as current order status upon payment and delivery, payment guarantee for the grower, being able to work with foreign currencies, automatic invoice check, etc. None of this, however, is possible with settlement through the Connect-EAB.
More trade opportunities
The settlement of direct orders either in or through Floriday presents growers and buyers with more benefits in terms of the way they currently do things. For example, the current order status of payment and delivery is immediately displayed when direct orders are settled using Floriday. This means you have the option of filling in and providing information about your custom packages using Floriday. This is not possible with the connect-EAB.
You can also immediately see the current order status of payment and delivery when working with Floriday. Additional services, such as the exchange of stickers, are also possible. In addition, the settlement of direct orders offers a number of future benefits, such as information on the order status (Track & Trace), settlement in other currencies (USD), adjustable payment terms, etc.
In this respect, current Connect-EAB technology is a limitation, and cannot, as such, support these additional benefits. A number of software suppliers currently support the direct delivery module; other software suppliers have indicated that they will be developing one in the future. As a result, all growers will soon be able to handle and settle a direct order using Floriday, with the buyer and grower subsequently being in a position to enjoy the benefits.
Order status
If you have placed an order using Floriday, you always get the current status regarding order and payment with respect to purchase orders. In Floriday, this can be viewed in the overview of purchase orders using the icons in the status section.
No more settling for more than you order
When you place an order now, this is in accordance with the delivery. As such, a grower cannot deliver more than the order that has been placed. This means the buyer has the guarantee of not having to settle for more than what is in the order. With the connect-EAB, you can theoretically enter everything, with no direct link to the order. In other words, there is no reference point against which an order is checked. However, with new direct delivery, this is always monitored.
Determining who enters orders
Buyers can make use of trade settings to enter which growers can, and may, input direct orders. In this respect, the buyer can determine who can, and cannot, do this on their behalf using exceptions. As a result, buyers always remain in control.
Acceptance of corrections by growers/buyers
As of late, you can indicate through the trade settings in Floriday whether you wish these to be automated. Here, you can also add exceptions, allowing you to only have this feature open for, say, certain growers instead of all customers. As a result, growers have more control over corrections.
Custom packages
With the connect-EAB, the buyer only sees VBN transfer codes. If the grower and the buyer work through Floriday, the buyer gets the settlement and size of the packaging unit. As a buyer, you can retrieve all the details through Floriday. This also allows you to view the trolley configuration and packaging unit.
Automatic invoice verification
Automatic invoice verification takes place in accordance with the order. When the connect-EAB is entered, this particular aspect is not always correct. What we at Floriday are now offering is settling of sales orders based on direct delivery. This is an extra check which ensures that what you order is exactly what ends up on your invoice.
Sticker exchange
When placing an order, buyers can supply a sticker that the grower can subsequently include when handling the delivery. You can work with trolley, packaging or product stickers. The benefit here is that, with direct delivery using Floriday, these stickers are incorporated into the logistics process, with growers having immediate access to them.
Logistics (packaging unit) sticker
Floriday is an industry platform, in which we support both the commercial process (orders) and the logistics process with functionalities. Being an industry platform, we serve the entire chain (growers, buyers, agents, etc.).
With all these different links in the chain, lots (supply) are moved on several occasions. Ultimately, you want to be able to follow these lots for the purposes of your track and trace. Soon, you will be able to use a single sticker for the entire logistics process to keep track of lots.
This will allow you as a buyer to follow products and leave the packaging unit sticker on, instead of re-labelling for the end customer. The logistics packaging unit sticker is accessible to all links in the chain. Floriday supplies the stickers to the grower when handling the delivery.
Additional access security for direct delivery
With the connect-EAB, there are no specific user names or passwords for each user. At Floriday, we have added an authorisation layer for the exchange of data, namely the API key. With this API key, the user gives the application permission to do things on their behalf, one of which is creating the direct delivery. If you don't have the API key, you don't have any permissions, and won't be able to create a direct delivery. As such, this is an extra layer of protection.
Future
Transport orders
In future, it will be possible for buyers to create their own transport orders if, for example, they wish to pick up something from the grower's nursery.
Track & trace
Buyers will soon be able to view and retrieve the status of the product. The first track and trace status is automatically prepared when the order is handled using Floriday. We are going to be adding even more information to the track and trace section, such as estimated time of arrival etc. Soon both buyer and grower will be able to view this information in Floriday.
Differentiated financial services
In the future, it will be possible to incorporate differences in terms of the financial side in Floriday. This is not possible with the connect-EAB, as this is always the standard rate. Since the delivery, or the deal, is created in Floriday, you will soon be able to apply different payment conditions for, say, contract X with grower A compared to contract Y with grower B, for example. You have a contract, in which you can make other financial arrangements with respect to regular flows, such as payment terms. It will soon be easy to set this up using Floriday, both at customer and even order level.
What does this mean in practical terms?
In the coming months, we will be providing buyers and growers with more information about possibilities and developments in relation to software suppliers. In the near future, for example, software suppliers will be developing the module for direct delivery through the package, and subsequently rolling it out to their users. The software supplier will be notifying buyers and growers about this.
An up-to-date status overview for each software supplier regarding direct delivery can be found on our website:
https://www.floriday.io/nl/softwareleveranciers
(View column 'Direct delivery)