Samenvatting

The primary research question for this project was “How can Royal FloraHolland increase the consumer spending on Dutch flowers and plants in Turkey?” with the aim to study causes and reasons for the low consumption of flowers and plants in Turkey.
The research question was answered through desk and field research. Field research included one interview with Bloemenbureau Holland, three interviews with flower and plant organisations in Turkey, several dozen questionnaires conducted in Istanbul, and information provided by florists and retailers visited in Istanbul. Desk research found that low spending on flowers and plants can be attributed to low activity levels in the flower and plant sector. For instance, advertising and marketing of flowers and plants is minimal because there is little cultural integration of flowers and plants in Turkey. In fact, there are currently no data at all on consumer behaviour towards flowers and plants in Turkey. Furthermore, Category Management in flower and plant stores should be re-organised in order to enhance the quality of the products and to create added value for consumers.
Based on the findings, a marketing plan was produced with the aim to increase consumer spending. The marketing plan is centred on push marketing, achieved through mobile marketing and marketing campaigns. This type of marketing will continuously remind people to think about flowers and plants. By positioning flowers and plants as products to express emotions, consumers may associate them with feelings such as happiness. In addition, it is important that consumers experience not only the receiving but also the giving of flowers. It may be conducive to design marketing campaigns accordingly - for example, a marketing campaign for victims on Democracy and National Solidarity Day on the 15th of July.
In short, the Turkish flower and plant sector should be developed when it comes to Category Management, as well as pricing and organisation – particularly at florists, retailers and do-it-yourself stores. In addition, Royal FloraHolland should make use of push marketing via mobile marketing and marketing campaigns.