Selling love and happiness

Silke Tijkotte is the founder of Let it Grow, the Royal FloraHolland programme that helps start-ups to get going and that aims to enthuse a new group of consumers about flowers and plants.

The conscious consumer
Silke states that Let it Grow appeals to city dwellers of all ages. In the future, more and more people will live in cities. "A lot of those people are consumers that think about the consequences of their choices and purchases for the environment, humanity and themselves. It's not just about the product, but mainly about the meaning behind it. Even more importantly, these concerned consumers are trendsetters and are, therefore, influential. That makes it vital to enthuse them about flowers and plants. We want these consumers to be fully aware of the beneficial effect of flowers and plants. That would make a huge difference."

Interest will grow
Silke: "Some of these consumers already know about the positive effects of flowers and plants, but most of them don't. If we tell them about it, they'll catch the green virus and start buying flowers and plants for intrinsic reasons." Silke means to say that this target group would, in potential, like to buy these products. But as of yet they know too little about, for instance, the beneficial effects on your sense of well-being. By sharing that knowledge with these target consumers, their interest for flowers and plants will grow.

Selling a feeling or a product
Silke feels people in floriculture all too often still just see the product, and forget to look at the big picture. This has to change if you want to get through to the environmentally concerned consumer. "It's important to try and see the consumer's point of view. He will decide what will be produced and what will be a commercial success. In the end it's about conferring the experience of a product, so to say, to a consumer. Are you selling a feeling or a product?" Let it Grow is researching what consumers want, and what has their interest. "It is absolutely essential to know these things. And we'll share that information with growers and buyers that join us."

For more information:
letitgrow.org

Publication date: Fri 21 Jul 2017