MARKET RESEARCH FOR ORIENTING A BREEDING PROGRAMME: SPRAY CARNATIONS

In a joint project covered out over the course of a year, of market researchers and flower breeders, the main aims were to: (a) optimize breeding towards an 'ideal carnation', or a mix of future varieties; (b) segment the market; and (c) prepare a basis for marketing strategy. These tasks were filled through interviewing in Israel a sample of German tourists who judged the genetic options (12 consumer-observed features of spray carnations), including their relative importance, complemented by consumption characteristics of carnations in the Federal Republic of Germany (buying objectives, price sensitivity, buying frequency and location, etc.).

The main finding of the study were as follows: (a) the 12 characteristics were ranked (including internal order), with color, number of petals, number of flowers per stem and stem structure being the most important. In orienting future breeding efforts, these will be taken into consideration. (b) Interviewing tourists is a useful, inexpensive and efficient means to obtain information while not divulging the developers' intentions prior to the market penetration. (c) Segmentation has proved to be impossible, at least in this flower and in that market.

The remaining needs for researc2h are to: (a) carry it into the marketplace; (b) deal with flower bunches, mixtures and arrangements; and (c) analyze the economics of the entire breeding programme.