Consumer behaviour in the Greek floral market Comparative insights for the food industry

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse consumer behavior during the purchase of floral products in the Greek region and to reveal the socio-economic characteristics that affect consumers' considerations concerning the selection of both cut flowers and pot plants. Design/methodology/approach - The study is based on cross-sectional data collected through a questionnaire survey with personal interviews. Respondents' reasons for purchasing floral products are examined. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation was applied in order to provide a more manageable set of variables relating to purchasing. The socio-economic factors of these reasons were used for estimating the significant relation that exists between them. Findings - People purchase cut flowers and pot plants as part of quality of life, as a convenient gift to other people, for religious and social occasions. Significant differences were revealed only in terms of gender and education level of the respondents with a proportion of females and educated people being higher during purchasing floral products. Practical implications - The findings can improve the marketing mix strategy for floral products. Such information is important for the market bodies involved in the floral market and the results of this study are unique and can assist researchers and marketers with an understanding of significant reasons for purchasing floral products. Comparative insights are also provided in terms of the similarities being present between the purchasing of both floral and food products. Originality/value - This paper provides consumer reasoning for buying floral products and illustrates the subsequent socio-economic characteristics.