Different systems, many abbreviations – one solution: How Hortinex standardizes product data

In professional plant trading, hardly any two product lists look the same. Each business uses its own terms, structures, abbreviations, or quality grades – depending on region, company tradition, or target market. While this works well for internal operations, it poses a major challenge for digitalization. This is exactly where Hortinex comes in with a new solution:
An AI that automatically standardizes product lists, decodes them, and converts them into a unified Hortinex format.

The problem: inconsistency – not only within companies, but across countries

A closer look at the European plant trade quickly reveals: there is no standardized description for plant qualities or classifications, neither nationally nor internationally.

What one German company calls “first quality” may be classified or described differently in the Netherlands. In France, other criteria are emphasized than in Poland or Italy. Even descriptive terms like “transplanted,” “multi-stem,” or “container-grown” are not uniformly defined and are used in varying combinations or abbreviations – often only understood internally.

These differences make it difficult to compare offers – especially on a platform where many businesses from different countries come together.

The solution: standardization through artificial intelligence

To translate this diversity into a clear and understandable format, Hortinex has developed a specially trained AI. Its goal is not simply to take over data, but to interpret it in context, translate it, and convert it into a standardized, platform-ready structure.

The AI thoroughly analyzes product lists:

• It recognizes and decodes botanical plant names – even when heavily abbreviated or spelled differently (e.g. Pr. s. Amanogawa → Prunus serrulata ‘Amanogawa’).
• It standardizes quality descriptions that vary between companies or countries.
• It converts unstructured or free-form information into clear, filterable fields.

The result is a single, consistent presentation from diverse sources, making offers comparable and searchable on Hortinex.

One common standard – for everyone

Through this standardization, Hortinex lives up to its promise of providing clarity and transparency in digital plant trading. The AI ensures that every listing – regardless of its origin or original format – is displayed according to one unified standard.

This is a decisive advantage, particularly in international trade. Suppliers and buyers from different countries suddenly “speak the same language” when it comes to plant qualities, sizes, or classifications – even if their data was originally structured completely differently.

The AI keeps learning – and gets better over time

Another major advantage: the Hortinex AI is self-learning.
The more product lists it processes, the more patterns, abbreviations, and wording variations it can recognize and handle. With every use, it becomes more precise and powerful.

Currently, the AI is being used internally by the Hortinex support team to prepare product lists on behalf of suppliers. Those who want to upload their list can simply send it to us – we will convert it into the standardized Hortinex format with the help of the AI.

Soon directly available on the platform

The next step is already planned: in the near future, the AI will be integrated directly into the platform. The goal is that suppliers will simply be able to upload their existing product lists without having to follow a specific format – the AI will automatically handle formatting, structuring, and conversion. This saves time, effort, and technical barriers.

One step further: Hortinex goes multilingual

In parallel, Hortinex is working on another milestone: translating the entire platform into multiple European languages. AI is also being used here – specifically trained on technical terminology, industry-specific wording, and platform content.

The aim is to release a first multilingual version of Hortinex in the coming weeks. This will allow suppliers across Europe to present their products – and buyers will be able to view all content in their own language. Consistent, accurate, and understandable.

Conclusion: One platform, one language – thanks to AI

Hortinex solves one of the key problems in international plant trading: the lack of consistency and the variety of individual descriptions. The new AI brings order, standardization, and clarity – both nationally and internationally.

What used to require significant manual effort is now automated.
A milestone in the digitalization of plant trading – and the next step towards a truly international platform.