Evolving consumption trends and marketing strategies in ornamental horticulture – what are the new challenges?

Evolving macro-trends and consumption dynamics are accelerating competitivity and diversification in the ornamental horticulture industry. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new market scenario is developing for flowers and ornamental plants: public and private stakeholders are required to adapt their strategic actions in line with the changing demand and supply. Our work intends to contribute to the realization of innovative marketing strategies and multi-actor collaborations, supporting a process of sustainable transformation in ornamental horticulture. We specifically aim at: developing market data for ornamental horticulture; highlighting the changing competition dynamics in Europe and related needs for both public and private strategies; identifying the new challenges engaging businesses, researchers, and institutions. The methodology is based on an integrative review analysis of extensive and reliable grey literature and statistics, adopting a comprehensive approach. This review addresses the deficiency in integrated data sources and robust theoretical studies on emerging consumption patterns, marketing strategies, and governance settings. Results provide an overview of the consumption dynamics and the consumer profiles that are expanding and transforming the European market, in line with major drivers of change (e.g., climate crisis, globalization, COVID-19 pandemic, urbanization, digitalization), and the priority attributes of new quality-oriented consumption patterns, notably sustainability and well-being. Evolving marketing strategies and governance structures are also evidenced, emphasizing the imperative to foster public-private efforts for the renovation and transparency of production systems and supply chains. Accordingly, the sector new challenges are addressed. We expect our research to: fill important market information needs and gaps; promote a synergic combination of new differential advantages, balancing higher competitiveness with enhanced social and environmental services; support the role of multi-actor alliances and transformative governance for a sustainable development of the European flower and ornamental plant sector.