Dutch entrepreneurs wonder how their partners in Russia are doing. How's their business going? How are they and their families? And in Russia, many people have questions about their suppliers and partners in the Netherlands.
How Trade in Russia Is Adapting
With my communication platform Flower Experience, I have been acting as an information broker for years, helping to further develop the ties between the two countries. My role remains the same, but in a different form in today's circumstances. I continue to assist in maintaining communication and try to help not to dilute contacts.
Alternative Communications
Communication between Russia and European countries has changed, but communication and information provided within Russia have also changed in a short time. Instagram, to cite one example, was widely used in Russia for exchanging information quickly. Instagram is now no longer available in Russia as it used to be. Use is still possible via VPN connections, but in the Russian context, it is no longer possible to distribute all the information you would like to share via this channel.
Wholesalers, retailers, and florists quickly started looking for alternatives that could be used in Russia. Some of these have already been used before, but their use has now been developed rapidly. Vkontakte, Telegram, and also Odnoklassniki are the best known of these. Odnosklassniki means classmates. It is a medium made for maintaining contacts.
In practice, it was still difficult for many to quickly learn what options the various social media offer, but specialists soon learned to use these resources to set up and maintain networks. It was especially important, just before Instagram was to be shut down, to quickly inform relations about which other media and under what name you could be found. In this way, mutual networks have been moved quickly.
Staying Informed
I was able to connect well with that so that I can maintain contacts with my extensive network in Russia that I have built up over many years. In this way I stay informed of the developments in the flower business in Russia, I can pick up questions from Russian parties and discuss them with my Dutch partners. In this way, now more through direct contacts and less through my public platform, I can continue to connect my Russian and Dutch customers and relations. I can provide a correct and complete answer to specific questions. I also keep Russian parties informed of general developments and questions in Europe through a regular newsletter.
In this way relationships are maintained and that is the breeding ground on which the flower trade between Europe and Russia can flourish again in the future.
