MyShop for end customers saves A. Timmermans & Zonen a lot of time

More and more buyers are using MyShop for end customers in Floriday; the portal where customers can view Floriday's supply under the exporter's supervision and make purchases. For A. Timmermans & Zonen BV, MyShop is the key to efficiency. Rick Timmermans, a third-generation member of the family business, sees digitalization becoming increasingly important in their daily work. Digitalization is not only efficient but also essential for maintaining quality in a market where timing is crucial.

A. Timmermans & Zn, established on April 1, 1959 ("No April fool's joke!"), primarily supplies Belgian garden centers via landlines. Direct trade and quality are Timmermans' core values. Rick Timmermans is the third generation member of the family business, with eight permanent employees, and is responsible for both purchasing and sales.

MyShop complements the company's own webshop

While purchasing used to be largely done by phone, Rick Timmermans now works almost entirely digitally. The transition took some getting used to at first, says Rick. Previously, he would call growers and customers to provide prices and quantities. That was a bit more personal, but also prone to errors and time-consuming. End customers now order online. “We use the 3WT Nevolution software package, where we run a webshop for our customers. Floriday now feeds our own webshop. We display a select assortment there. In addition, with MyShop, we now offer end customers access to additional supply, particularly auction pre-sale supply they can purchase. Everything our customers order through our own webshop or MyShop is automatically imported into our software package. That works very well.”

The automation has led to significantly less manual work at A. Timmersmans. No lists need to be copied, and the chance of errors due to miscommunication is much smaller. By selecting high-quality supply in Floriday, our own webshop is automatically filled. MyShop complements this for end customers. Especially by adding auction pre-sales items, they can choose from an even wider selection of supply.

Time savings as the main advantage

Rick emphasizes that Floriday, and MyShop for end customers in particular, delivers enormous time savings. About 90% of orders are automated: A. Timmermans easily selects the product range for its own webshop via Floriday. Customers can view additional (pre-sale) supply via MyShop and order directly. Customers with access to MyShop (approximately 15) can order based on availability. "We have a strong, trusting relationship with our customers. We've been working together for years. All offerings are visible to our customers, and we work without a spending limit."

Key advantages he mentions are the direct, reliable order confirmations in the company's own software package, eliminating uncertainty. And Floriday now provides clear statistics for each customer.

Rick summarizes it succinctly: "Time savings are the most important thing. Everything is directly in our system — it just works well."

Rick's Tips

Rick indicates that accurate supply on the grower's side is essential. It's frustrating for an exporter if transport costs are suddenly charged after the ordering, even though they weren't disclosed beforehand. "The grower must ensure a good and accurate supply in Floriday," Rick explains. While automation offers advantages, Rick also sees room for improvement in Floriday's own communication. Rick states that good communication is essential, especially because many end customers decide and order quickly. Timely communication about changes in MyShop is crucial so he can also inform his end customers in a timely manner. This is a tip that we at Floriday will implement immediately. Rick also has tips for other buyers regarding working with Floriday and MyShop: "You might think: how am I going to do this? But just getting started is the best approach. Start with Floriday, experience the time savings, and discover that the transition is less daunting than you thought."

Curious about the possibilities of MyShop?

Would you like to see if MyShop could be a useful tool for your end customers or an addition to your own webshop? Read more about MyShop, visit our Helpcenter, or contact our support team.