Business Understanding of Flower Shop

You might also like

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 42

Strategic Business Plan

Mandatory Cover Page for Assignments

Assignment number: 2

Team number: 6a

Company: 's Zomers

Tutor: Nazly El Rahman

Percentage of participation

Student name & number Assignm. 1 Assignm. 2 Assignm. 3 Assignm. 4

1. Chiara Gavazzi Rodriguez 595199cr 20% 20%

2. Larissa Loureiro de Moraes 20% 20%


600435ll

3. Chloe Rufrancos Luna 591746cr 20% 20%

4. Noor Kanaan 599829nk 20% 20%

5. Mariana de Melo Roberto 20% 20%

591872md

100% 100% 100% 100%

WS12 - Porter's Five Forces

1
Worksheet 12 centres around determining if the threats of Porter's five forces are high,
medium, or low, thus concluding whether the industry that 's Zomers operates in is appealing to new
and current players. Therefore, this data will be beneficial for future business choices, as it helps
determine what strategies to implement considering its threats and the industry's
profitability/attractiveness.

In worksheet 11, 's Zomers’ industry was defined as the Wellness and Decor industry in the
Netherlands and refers to products such as furnishing and fragrances, as well as flowers and
bouquets; all of which can be referred to as a form of self-care (Industry Life-Cycle, Worksheet 11).

Threat of new entrants


Given that the stated industry is in the growth stage, it does have some competitors, despite
currently not being extremely worrying (Industry Life-Cycle, Worksheet 11). Even so, following the
industry life-cycle theories, at this stage, the wellness and decor industry has low barriers to entry
(Wu, 2019). New entrants will likely enter the market in the near future (Wu, 2019), making it easier
for customers to switch between competing firms than previously. Therefore, even if nowadays
customers might not have as many options to switch between firms, this should still be recognized as
a threat, with the expected new entrants’ flow. For this reason, the threat of new entrants is medium-
high.

Bargaining power of buyers


The wellness and decor industry is still a relatively new concept to most buyers, with not
many competing firms, as it is in the growth stage (Industry Life-Cycle, Worksheet 11).
Consequently, there are not many competing substitutes seen as alternatives by buyers. Nonetheless,
that does not suggest a complete absence of substitute firms, which highlights buyers' amount of
power if they wish to switch companies. This is due to the industry still needing to attract a bigger
market segment, as at the moment, individuals have just started to notice the wellness industry.
Hence, consumers end up somewhat concentrated in a narrow group, further emphasising the buyers’
power, which can be considered medium.

Bargaining Power of suppliers


The home and decor industry encompasses many products. As such, the firms
competing in this industry have several suppliers for all of their products, making it complex to detail
all of them in this worksheet. Thus, only one good will be considered to analyse the bargaining power
of the suppliers: flower suppliers. Their power, compared to the other suppliers’, can be justified
since they deal with a natural resource, which is not 100% controllable. For instance, if the weather is

2
unstable or a natural hazard happens, prices of flowers fluctuate considerably (Worksheet 10
SEPTEmber Analysis).

There are around 32 flower wholesalers in the Netherlands (Bertone, 2019). For this reason, it
is easy for firms within this industry to change between suppliers if crops from one are not fruitful,
thus decreasing potential power of suppliers. Moreover, it makes it easier during the seasons to buy
from those offering goods more compliant with the climate of that particular season. Henceforth, it is
relatively easy for firms competing in the industry in question to find substitutes for their current
suppliers. Consequently, the bargaining power of suppliers is relatively low.

Threat of substitutes
It is relatively easy for customers to find substitutes to the products in the wellness and decor
industry. The separate industries from the home decor/retail, floristry and cosmetic industries come
into play here, as customers can easily switch from the wellness and decor industry as a whole, to
buying from a competing firm in one of these individual industries. Nonetheless, this power comes
only to a certain extent, as these industries' range of operations are not as vast as the wellness and
decor industry; they fail to provide the same sense of wellness that is tremendously important to the
market of wellness and decor. Henceforth, if customers were to substitute the industry for another, an
essential aspect of the market would not be present. This relatively big switching cost will likely
prevent some individuals from selecting the substitutes as alternatives. Conclusively, the threat of
substitutes is medium.

Rivalry among existing competitors


It can be argued that the exit barriers of this industry are relatively low, since if a firm opts to
leave the wellness and decor industry, it would still have relevant resources to operate and compete
within other industries. This is because the assets available within this industry can be exploited in
different ones (Bhasin, 2019), such as in the cosmetic, floristry, home decor/retail industry.
Therefore, the costs of exiting the industry will not be substantial enough to hinder many firms from
withdrawing from it.
Additionally, the industry is in its early stage of growth in its life-cycle, so it still has a long
period of expansion ahead. Consequently, it is expected that more competitors will enter the market
in the upcoming years if the theories of the life-cycle truly hold; that more players will enter the
market, thus the rivalry becomes stronger (Wu, 2019). However, nowadays there are not as many
competitors, making the rivalry among existing competitors medium.

3
To conclude, the wellness and decor industry is indeed attractive. Most of Porter's five forces
have a medium threat. Although the threat of new entrants is medium-high, this is relatively normal
for an industry undergoing the growth stage of its life-cycle. Furthermore, the low power of the
suppliers is very beneficial for firms and prospective firms within the industry. As such, the
attractiveness of the industry will plausibly increase in upcoming years, as customers become more in
tune with the proposal of the industry. This is largely the case for Generation Z, who, as previously
mentioned, is more sympathetic with the wellness mindset than previous generations (SEPTEmber
Analysis, Worksheet 10).

4
WS13 - Market Profile
In order to be well positioned and conscient about its actions, it is important for a business to
fully understand its market of operation. Thus, the focus of this Worksheet is the definition of ‘s
Zomers’ market, which started in Worksheet 3: Products and Customers, and will be further
developed in a broader perspective.
‘s Zomers’ industry was already defined as Wellness and Decor (Industry Life-cycle,
Worksheet 11). The respective market, however, still needs some deepening. It can be divided in two
scales: on a smaller scale, it includes people, mainly women, who value wellness and that care about
quality in decor and selfcare. On a wider scale, the market englobes both single-usage and periodic
customers, which are respectively:
1- those who organise events, such as weddings/funerals and wish a high-end exclusive
decoration for that specific situation, and
2- those who wish to portray an image of sophistication with constant decoration in their
businesses (offices, restaurants, etc.).
Furthermore, geographically speaking, it is possible to assume that the wellness and decor
market would be contained mostly in Europe and the USA, but also in urban areas in other countries,
where income is concentrated. This assumption derives from two facts: the first one is the rising trend
of self-care brought majorly by the next generation in the aforementioned locations (SEPTEmber
Analysis, Worksheet 10). Moreover, the delimitation made by income can be explained by the second
fact: the market in question is not simply about decoration, but it also concerns wellness. This brings
more of a conceptual sense to the products and services, which also increases the price that people in
this specific market are willing to pay for. Those who are solely interested in the decoration or
cosmetic alone, could judge such offerings as overpriced and would not be interested.
Additionally, with regards to the market size, as it was done in Workshop 11: Industry Life-
Cycle, the information of three different markets will be used to define the wellness and decor
market: the floriculture, the home decor, and the wellness markets. Firstly, the global floriculture
market has in 2022 a current value of US$ 49.8 billion and is expected to grow to US$ 80.5 billion
until 2029 (Future Market Insights, Jan 2022). Concerning the home decor market, it was estimated
to value US$616.6 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach US$838.6 billion in 2027 (Allied Market
Research, 2020). However, it is interesting to notice that there is an overlap between the two markets:
the floriculture market accounted for approximately 15% of the global decor market in 2021, which
also reinforces the relationship among those (Future Market Insights, Jan 2022). And finally,
focusing on the wellness market, although it is rather subjective and complicated to define, it has

5
been valued for approximately US$1.5 trillion in 2021, proving its economic relevance (McKinsey &
Company, 2021).
To conclude, if an average is done among those three markets, considering the overlap of
15% between two of them, the current market size is expected to be US$691.3 billion, which can be
vastly explored and still has much room to grow (calculations in Appendix 1).

6
WS14 - Segmenting the market
‘s Zomers has its main focus on individuals with constant but small-scale purchasing habits.
In other words, women from 25 to 55 years old provide its principal source of revenue: flower sales
(57% of the shop revenue) (Products and Customers, Worksheet 3). This target segment visits the
store regularly to have the differentiated experience of buying certain wellbeing products provided by
the shop (Products and Customers, Worksheet 3). In this worksheet, other segments that are not put
in the first plan will be analysed to determine whether they could lead to a business opportunity.
When choosing target groups it is crucial to expand to an area where the market has growing
capacity and is highly profitable. Hence, opening new horizons to the flower and decor industry for
different business facilities can be financially interesting. Below are the four segments to be
analysed.

Business types/ Long- Event planning Other businesses


vs. Short-term

Long-term Companies that plan and Businesses that constantly


organise private events for high- need flowers and other
end customers and need decoration items in their
decoration supplies. shops and offices.

Short-term Event organising companies that Businesses that occasionally


hire for single events. need decorations utensils
(e.g. flower arrangements)

Figure 14.1: Market segmentation

Firstly, businesses that could have interest in purchasing products and services from ‘s
Zomers were divided into two categories: event planning businesses and other businesses. “Event
planning” would include every firm that is hired by other parties to organise events from various
types, such as weddings, birthdays, award celebrations, etc. “Other businesses” includes every other

7
firm that could use ‘s Zomers services to decorate its own workplace for special occasions or as a
daily matter, such as restaurants, hotels and corporate offices.
Secondly, agreements between these businesses and ‘s Zomers can be a long-term or a short-
term partnership. “Long-term” would be a contract similar to the flower subscriptions that are already
provided for individual clients, in which the specific business would decide on the quantity, type and
regularity of the products delivered. “Short-term”, however, would be contracts for one specific
occasion for which ‘s Zomers services would be hired by another firm (e.g. decorating a hotel for
valentine’s day).
Since the costs ‘s Zomers would have in serving each of the previously mentioned segments
would not include shifting the type of products sold, but only shifting the amount of supplies
purchased, it is compelling to serve all four segments. Moreover, being open for contracts with
business, both for long- and short-term intervals, could increase revenue considerably. However,
focusing on agreements with longer duration is preferred - prioritising sources of more fixed income.
Thus, a good investment plan is having a functioning organisational structure to receive these bigger
demands, in which supplies won’t lack or exceed.

8
WS15 - Competitor Profile

This worksheet provides a clear overview of ‘s Zomers’ competitors within the Wellness and
Decor Industry. The competitors' profiles provide insightful information such as their generic
strategy, competitive advantage, size, and product range to find potential opportunities and threats.

Oogenlust
Oogenlust is the largest in size and growth, and the highest revenue competitor in the
Wellness and Decor Industry (Oogenlust, 2022). Oogenlust's main focus is on private or business
event decoration. They also offer a showroom, an exposition space, and flower arrangements. Their
value proposition is differentiation through their unique vision, achieved by 33 professionals that
work on exceptional flower arrangements, and decor designs. Since 1980 the company has moved to
three different locations within the Netherlands to accommodate its growth and to meet the
increasing demand for event styling (Oogenlust, 2022).
There is little public information regarding the firm's financial statements. However, the
company reported a revenue of US$6.50 million last year, while ‘s Zomers had US$1.00 million of
annual sales (D&B Business Directory, 2022). Thus, we can assume Oogenlust had more sales and
projects than ‘s Zomers. Since not having its liabilities to calculate the net profits no further
assumptions can be made.

Menno Kroon
Menno Kroon is a threatening competitor for ‘s Zomers because of their geographical
closeness and for their similar wide product range. Menno Kroon counts with a great variety of high-
quality products from flower bouquets to interior design and event decorations. (Menno Kroon BV,
2019). To achieve this, they have their competitive advantage, which is having several partnerships
with other well-known brands such as DEDON furniture and TUUCI umbrellas (Menno Kroon BV,
2019). Hence, we can assume Menno Kroon’s strategy is being differentiated since it focuses on
offering a wide range of high-quality products through its connections with other brands.

Wunderkammer
Wunderkammer has the largest range of products being the most innovative competitor,
offering regular products and products outside the common range, such as taxidermy and Portuguese
ceramics. It also focuses on creating exotic interior designs and nature-based decorations for events

9
and venues worldwide. Therefore, it could be assumed its strategy is differentiation.
Wunderkammer's value proposition is offering a unique selection of natural/handmade artefacts,
which is achieved through partnerships and collaborations with other brands (Wunderkammer, 2022).

Business types Event planning Other businesses

Long-term Oogenlust: strong presence. Oogenlust: strong presence.


Wunderkammer: strong Wunderkammer: strong
presence. presence.
Menno Kroon: small but
growing.

Short-term Oogenlust: strong presence. Oogenlust: small but


Wunderkammer: strong growing.
presence. Menno Kroon: small but
Menno Kroon: small but growing.
growing.

Figure 15.1 Competitors market segmentation.

To conclude, as seen from figure 15.1, long-term for either “event planning” or “other
business” two strong competitors are present, meaning it can get complicated searching for customers
in these segments. Similarly, in short-term event planning, the competitors are strongly present.
However, customers can change between companies since there is no binding contract. Finally, short-
term business arrangements is an area of opportunity because there are no competitors with a strong
presence.

10
WS16 - Customer Needs Analysis
Understanding which products and features are relevant to clients is exactly what
differentiates successful from non-successful businesses. Henceforth, it is crucial to perform a
customer needs analysis to better understand people’s motivations to buy certain products from
specific shops. This worksheet will help getting a deeper insight of what is valuable for customers.
An interview with a flower consumer was performed, in which service and goods were
questioned. The respondent was randomly selected at a farmers’ market, while purchasing an
arrangement of flowers. This Dutch woman, Femke, is 33 years old and considers herself a regular
flower buyer. Two times per week she attends the same market to get flowers, because they make
home office easier and her house more relaxing. The respondent highlighted that this habit was
inherited from her mother (Femke, Interview, 03/2022).
Furthermore, Femke claims that she only gets flowers from the farmers market because they
are fresher and more durable compared to those from flower shops. Moreover, she stated that it
doesn’t matter who is selling them, but only if the product has an aesthetic and if the price is fair. The
woman explained that she always looks for arrangements with the highest varieties, but it gets harder
to find those during winter (Femke, Interview, 03/2022).
Additionally, Femke attends the same farmers market because it is the closest one to her
house, which shows the importance of location when selling these goods. In addition, she was asked
if there are features of specific kiosks that motivates her to repurchase from them. She stated that
some kiosks have a differentiated way of treating the customer with respect, attention, and
consideration which, as she explained, is not easy to find in a farmer market where normally it is
more about selling the most and less about the person it is sold to. (Femke, Personal
Communication/Interview, 03/2022).
In addition to service, she also listed some features that are considered valuable to her. These
are mostly related to the experience and less related to the product itself. Femke stated that most of
the time, sellers know much better which flowers go best together (not only in terms of aesthetic but
also in terms of survival rate), which makes their professional opinion really valuable when given.
Lastly, she mentioned that when sellers try to understand her taste before giving recommendations
brings a positive note to the experience (Femke, Personal Communication/Interview, 03/2022).
Lastly was asked what she wished would change in the future to improve flower shops. The
respondent said that receiving more information about how to better treat and maintain the goods
after it is bought would be appreciated by her (Femke, Personal Communication/Interview, 03/2022).

11
Concluding, after interviewing a regular flower buyer, certain aspects about value attribution
in this industry were highlighted. Customers' needs include finding the best product with the best
price. However having a good location and sellers who truly know the product being sold, can be a
game changer for flower marketers. Even though many clients give a huge importance to the price,
having an equilibrium but giving a differentiated purchasing experience in comparison to the
competition can be what distinguish outstanding businesses from a bankruptcy. (Femke, Personal
Communication/Interview, 03/2022)

12
WS17 - Competitor Analysis
The competitors´ analysis takes the established competitors’ profile (WS15) and the consumer
needs analysis (WS16) to see how each company performs. This will help identify possible
opportunities to outperform the competitors, as well as threats.
The minimum requirements, which are flower aesthetics and customer service, are met by all
the companies.

‘s Zomers
‘s Zomers customer experience in the store is an important part of their strategy of
differentiation. They offer drinks, snacks, personal approach and advice. Customers can create
personalised bouquets by describing the occasion, as well as preferences. Another high score is the
product range for different tastes and preferences. Lastly, on professional advice they also perform
high, since it´s linked with the experience. (Current Strategy, Worksheet 7)

Oogenlust
Oogenlust focuses on the in-store customer experience by offering a showroom. It was
created to give customers a unique experience and a source of inspiration. It has an indoor and
outdoor presentation that contains flower and plant creations with a unique variety of ceramics,
terracotta, and glassware. Additionally, throughout the website, Oogenlust remarks on every
opportunity that they are happy to help with their expertise and provide tailored advice with the help
of their professional team. Thus, scoring quite high in these two characteristics. However, Oogenlust
offers a limited amount of product range regarding flower bouquets, since it only allows to choose
based on the customer's budget and it's meant for a general taste, rather than personal (Oogenlust,
2022).

Wunderkammer
The in-store Wunderkammer is only available three days a week, thus the personalised
service, and designed arrangements is limited to those days. Professional advice is also affected by
the former, however in the website they do mention that the staff are master florists, therefore on the
available days customers are guaranteed to get professional advice. Wunderkammer's main focus are
venues and events, and they offer a great variety of objects such as vases. decorations, and furniture.
Nevertheless, the product range for flower bouquets is rather limited, offering only tree options in

13
their online web shop (Wunderkammer, 2022).
Menno Kroon
The Menno Kroon store can be found in Amsterdam, and it holds the store along with an
exhibition space to showcase unique styling designs made by the owner, making the visit an
unforgettable experience. There is little information regarding Menno Kroon staff, however based on
the information found on the website the few staff members mentioned have training in floristry, thus
the staff is trained to give professional advice to customers. Finally, their product range is similar to
Oogenlust´s, where it is only by the customer's budget (Menno Kroon BV. 2019).

Customer needs ‘s Zomers Oogenlust Wunderkammer Menno Kroon

Met?

Flower aesthetics Yes / No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Customer service Yes / No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Weight

Customer 60 4 4.5 3.5 4.5


Experience

Professional 25 4 4.5 4 4
Advice

Product range for 15 4 3.5 3 3.5


different
consumer tastes

Total 100 404 435 355 422.5


Figure 17.1: Customer needs

To summarise, the strongest competitor is Oogenlust that holds the higher score as seen on
the table. As mentioned previously, this is due to their high engagement with customers and history
background. Furthermore, the weakest competitor is Wunderkammer because they do not focus on
individual customers, rather on bigger projects with high end customers and businesses. Moreover, ‘s
Zomers performed average compared with the other companies, which is expected since it is still
relatively new and growing.

14
WS18 - Opportunities & Threats
It is indispensable for a business to fully understand the industry it is inserted in. This means
being able to predict potential difficulties but also having an open mind to take advantage of certain
circumstances. Considering that, the following worksheet will focus on analysing ‘s Zomers’
Opportunities and Threats and relating them to the company’s current strategy.
Firstly, there is the opportunity of increasing revenue by offering services to bigger events,
such as weddings and funerals. This was discussed in Worksheet 14 Segmenting the Market and is
mainly caused by the demand in such events for exclusiveness in floristry and decoration. Such an
investment would require more planning in advance; however, ‘s Zomers would receive higher
revenue. It already deals with some events like these in the studio, but it is currently not a focus for
the company (Worksheet 6 Resources). Such an opportunity relates with a possible threat of not
having more sources of fixed income. This was introduced in Worksheet 9 Strategic Issues, in which
this lack could represent an obstacle when aiming for financial stability. This threat is mainly caused
by two factors: ‘s Zomers’ sales being so unstable and the store not taking initiative to increase its
participation in the event industry. Consequently, the company is vulnerable to sudden changes in the
market or unexpected expenses.
There is also the opportunity of attracting new loyal customers by the differentiated treatment
in the store. It was an aspect recognized in Worksheet 7 Current Strategy, in which such opportunity
is mainly caused by the company’s effort to offer much more than the final product, with a
personalised purchasing experience. As a consequence, the customer has a pleasant memory of the
buying process and is more likely to choose ‘s Zomers a second time in the future, increasing the
store’s range of loyal customers.
Nevertheless, such differentiation in the purchasing process is not conveyed in the online
platform of the store. This can be considered the cause of the second threat: losing potential online
customers to other competitors with a better virtual experience. ‘s Zomers recognized such a threat
during our interviews, leading to its mention on Worksheet 9 Strategic Issues. This threat can be
explained by a considerable discrepancy between the in-person purchasing experience and the online
one, which fails to reach the same level of personalization. Consequently, new customers expecting a
differentiated experience (to match the products offered as well as the prices) would be disappointed
and could choose a competitor. Moreover, already loyal customers, used to the unique in-person

15
experience of ‘s Zomers, would not be satisfied as well. Considering that, they may change their
image about the store, or only buy from it physically.
Finally, the last opportunity is to convert flower waste into value-added products. Such
opportunity itself was in the SEPTEmber Analysis in Worksheet 10 and is caused mainly by the
technological advances in recycling flower waste and getting valuable products in return, such as
fragrances, oils, etc. resulting in dealing better with the high costs (Worksheet 9 Strategic Issues) and
still profiting.
Therefore, it is clear that all of the Opportunities and Threats stated relate to the Strategic
Issues previously mentioned. Increasing the business participation in bigger events would increase its
revenue while helping with the high costs and lack of fixed income issues (Worksheet 9 Strategic
Issues). Moreover, bringing the differentiation of the physical store into the online ‘s Zomers’
environment is directly related to the strategic issue of external factors preventing customers from
having a personalised purchasing experience, since it would be done online. And ultimately, having a
more useful destination for flower waste would be a way to deal with what is left from the unstable
sales’ margins, another strategic issue (Workshop 9 Strategic Issues).

16
WS19 - Organisation structure
's Zomers’ organisation chart was first presented in Worksheet 5. The company uses a
functional structure since different departments are separated based on areas of expertise
(Organisation chart, Worksheet 5). In this worksheet, the firm’s structure is analysed by stating its
strengths as well as its weaknesses.
This structure is defined by the fact that every department has a manager who leads his own
group of employees. In fact, 's Zomers’ branches are controlled by a single manager, such as the
creative, store and business directors. This leads to several positive impacts on the firm’s
performance, since it increases the specialisation of tasks within the company, and it helps
developing new skills. Each division focuses on strengthening its own area of expertise. Also, in this
kind of structure, the responsibilities and the authority are well separated, and not concentrated in one
specific department. Every employee feels that his own work adds value to the final outcome. (Table
6.1, Needle et al (2021, p110)). In this situation, the store department is always present in the shop to
greet customers and help them choose products, while the creative department assembles the flower
bouquets and conceive advertisements. This is a perfect example of task division within the firm.
However, the functional structure may lead to lack of coordination between departments since
interests can be contradictory. Sometimes, conflicting objectives may arise, but fortunately, 's
Zomers organizes meetings to explain their projects and share different ideas. (Monster K., Interview,
March 2022). In other words, the company does its best to avoid a leadership crisis by reminding
every department that they all work together in order to deliver the best products and services to the
customers. According to the Worksheet 9, 's Zomers lacks a long-term business strategy. This can be
an obstacle to different departments that do not have a common and coherent plan.
Finally, the functional structure is a strength for 's Zomers because it has multiple advantages
that contribute to offering high quality products and services. Although it carries some weaknesses,
this structure is a powerful tool for the company that can have its downsides compensated, if the firm
builds a clear strategic plan, so that every department can head in the same direction.

17
Bonus Worksheet - Stakeholder analysis
This worksheet focuses on the analysis of the company’s most important stakeholders, who,
on the one hand, are affected by a firm’s decisions and on the other hand, can affect the company’s
strategy.
's Zomers’ first stakeholder is the natural environment, a non-social entity that has some power to
affect its actions but can be slightly influenced by 's Zomers. It englobes the city with all its
customers and competitors as well as the products the firm offers. The natural environment consists
of multiple sources that shape 's Zomers’ projects, especially with Covid-19 regulations that
generated a unique situation. On a scale of 1 to 5, this entity has an impact on the firm (⅘) but its
stake is (2/5).
Moreover, the firm’s customers are primary stakeholders. They are impacted by the quality
and price of ‘s Zomers’ products. The customers represent a young generation that worships well-
being (Products and Customers, Worksheet 3). They also have a large power, being the company’s
main source of revenue. Also, customers give their opinion about their purchasing experience and
their review is an important factor for the company in order to improve its performance. This group
of stakeholders has both a large stake and power with a 4/5.
Furthermore, 's Zomers’ employees constitute a primary stakeholder group. They have a large
stake since most of the time, their livelihood depends on their salary. Employees offer their skills and
knowledge to improve 's Zomers’ performance. The firm’s employees always try to cooperate and
align their interests to offer the best products. (Key facts, Worksheet 1) Their power is ⅘ whereas
their stake is a clear 5/5.
Analysing 's Zomers’ managers is an important aspect of the study since they are a primary
stakeholder group. In fact, the firm’s directors are the two owners who build the company’s projects
and strategy with the help of their employees (Ownership and Management, Worksheet 4). They
have a large interest in their firm’s performance, this is why they manage their business attentively.
They are responsible for implementing a calm environment that helps the employees to work
effectively. In terms of measurements, their power and stake are a 5/5.
Finally, 's Zomers has a primary stakeholder that is its suppliers. They have an economic
relationship with the firm since they deliver their products and hope to have a good impact. They

18
want to see an increase in the quantity demanded of the product they deliver in order to gain more
profits.

Power

5 Directors

Custom Employees
ers

Natural
Environ
ment Su
ppli
ers

Stake
1 5

Figure B2: Stakeholders

In conclusion, 's Zomers needs to actively manage its employees and customers since they are
powerful and can impact the company. They present an opportunity in investing in new technologies
to help them in their daily tasks. As we can see in the figure, these stakeholders need to be kept
satisfied. Furthermore, having one supplier is risky since he has a large power, this is why 's Zomers
needs to diversify its suppliers.

19
Bibliography

Custom Edition (2021), Introduction to Business, Needle, Burns Peng, Meyer. Andover: Cengage

Bertone, I. (2019, September 30). Flower & Floral Supply Wholesalers In The Netherlands. Florist
Blog: We Love Florists | Floristry Resources & Inspirations.Retrieved March 10, 2022, from
https://www.weloveflorists.com/floristwholesalersinthenetherlandsholland/#anchor-Aalsmeer,
%20Netherlands

Bhasin, H. (2019, July 31). What are Barriers to Exit for Businesses? Marketing91. Retrieved March

13, 2022, from https://www.marketing91.com/exit-barriers/

D&B Business Directory. (2022). Oogenlust B.V. Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from
https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-
profiles.oogenlust_bv.7cd8f4e42b4f6835e32fb8b34c040ebe.html

Femke. (2022, March 5). Personal communication [Personal Interview].

Floriculture Market. (2022). Future Market Insights. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/floriculture-market

Home Decor Market Size, Share and Trends | Analysis Forecast - 2027. (2020, May). Allied Market

Research. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/home-decor-

furnishing-market#:%7E:text=Global%20home%20decor%20market%20was,3.9%25%20from

%202020%20to%202027.

Menno Kroon BV. (2019). Menno Kroon | Atelier Amsterdam. The World of Menno Kroon
Amsterdam. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.mennokroon.nl/

20
Modi, M. (2022, January 4). The $1.5 trillion wellness market: What are the startups and investors

making an impact? Medium. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://uxdesign.cc/the-1-5-trillion-

wellness-market-what-are-the-startups-and-investors-making-an-impact-7311b01e2a1c?

gi=b04dd762621f

Monster, K. (2022, February 10). Personal communication [Personal Interview].

Oogenlust. (2022). Oogenlust. Oogenlust. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from


https://www.oogenlust.com/en

Wu, S. (2019, July 12). Industry Life Cycle. Strategy for Executives. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from

https://strategyforexecs.com/industry-life-cycle/

Wunderkammer. (2022). The Wunderkammer. The Wunderkammer Webshop. Retrieved March 10,
2022, from https://thewunderkammerwebshop.com/

21
Appendix
1. Calculation Worksheet 13: Market Profile size
49.8 bi +(616.6 bi * 0.85 bi) +1,500 bi = 2,073.91bi
2,073.91/ 3= 691.3 bi

2. Corrections to Assignment 1:

WS 1- Key facts
The following worksheet presents an introduction in which the company’s current products
and customers are mentioned, as well as basic financial information.
's Zomers Bloemen is a concept store located in Rotterdam that sells decorations, all kinds of
flowers (fresh and silk), trees, accessories and skincare products. Therefore, it sheds light on the
natural and colourful aspect of its products. 's Zomers targets customers based in Rotterdam,
especially women aged between 25 and 55 who like buying flowers and beauty products.
Nevertheless, the company attracts a specific kind of buyers during Holidays such as
Valentine’s day and Mothers/Father’s day. Also, since it has an online page, the firm targets young
people.
Unfortunately, the company could not provide its balance sheet and income statement on
time, therefore it will not be included in this worksheet.

S’ Zomers Bloemen Reference date: December 2021

Standard Industry classification: florist Legal status: VOF (general partnership)


Standaard Bedrijfsindeling: detailandel

Year of foundation: 1993 Sales: Not provided

Founders: Michael Swier and Rene Net profit: € 147 951


Jongeneel

Headquarter: Rotterdam, Netherlands Balance sheet total: Not provided


(Boekhorststraat 44-54)

22
No other locations Number of employees: 17

After analysing the data provided, it is possible to say that the business has a fluctuating gross
profit throughout the year, which is expected given the industry it is in. Although ‘s Zomers is
already a rather established brand, it still has a great potential to grow.

WS2 - History
In order to further understand 's Zomers and be able to formulate a strategy, it is important to
look at the company's history. This worksheet focuses on the foundation of the company and key
historical events that made 's Zomers the company that it is today.
's Zomers was founded by René Jongeneel and Michael Swier on June 14th, 1993. At that
time René had finished his education in flower design, got financial support to start the shop, and met
Michael within the first year. The main concept of the store was a flower shop, where customers
could get personalised flower bouquets. Thus, their first available product was flowers (K.Monster,
personal communication, February 10, 2022).
The first major occurrence was an increase in revenue due to the high demand of flowers and
increase of customers. This allowed sales to go up, as well as expand the list of available products
from flowers to silk trees, flower subscriptions, accessories, furniture, skincare, fragrances, styling,
and landscaping (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022).
The former event led to the second major occurrence in 2019, which was a change in location
from V. Oldenbarneveltstraat to Boekhorststraat. Throughout the moving process, there were not
many obstacles since the two locations were pretty close; the customers were loyal, and different
marketing strategies were implemented, which assured that customers were aware of this change.
However, the opening of the current location took longer than expected, due to the industrial looking
interior and lack of decorations. Thus, for almost two months 's Zomers had to sell the collections
outside the store, until the space was ready (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10,
2022).
To sum up, after almost 30 years, 's Zomers has become a business with a large range of
available products within and outside the flower design industry, and throughout its history, the store
has overcome challenges that allowed it to grow, and be where it is today.

WS3 - Products and Customers

23
This worksheet will focus on the description of the product range offered by 's Zomers, as
well as the analysis of its customers and target group, thus better understanding the focus of the
business and its operating areas.
Firstly, even though 's Zomers was initially a flower’s shop, it is currently a much more
complex business that offers products related to floristry, and to the home decor industry, as well as
services, such as monthly flowers subscriptions and garden designing. Depending on the season,
different flowers are delivered by suppliers; thus every two weeks the bouquet catalogue available at
the website is updated to meet the stock at the physical store. Additionally, in person, customers have
the option to personalise their own bouquets (‘s Zomers, 2022).
Furthermore, the store also offers fragrances and skin care products, which are mostly body
sprays and perfumes from other brands, with no original fragrances or other products of this kind.
Another major group of products are candles, in which candle holders and scented candles are
included. Scented candles are the most varied subgroup, with more than 67 options, none of those
produced by ‘s Zomers (‘s Zomers, 2022).
In addition, 's Zomers also sells home decor accessories, including carpets, decorative jars,
silk flowers, cutlery, diffusers and furniture. Such a group of products is still not accountable for
considerable profit (‘s Zomers, 2022).
Finally, the business also offers services of styling, which require synthetic decoration, and
landscaping; both dealt in a studio separated from the store. Among those, the business supplies
flowers and decorations to weddings, funerals and other types of events, as well as designing gardens
and open spaces (landscaping) (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022).
The sales’ distribution is as follows:
Shop: 37%
Low tax (flowers): 57%
High tax (accessoires/candles/furniture/skincare) rest
Webshop: 10%
Studio/projects: 25%
Subscriptions: 12%
Business orders: 17%
Low tax (flowers): 75%
High tax ((accessoires/candles/furniture/skincare) rest
As for the customers, 's Zomers physical store has loyal clients that come every week to buy
flowers. However, the majority of regulars have subscriptions, which guarantee a fixed amount of
flowers to be delivered every week to both residential homes and businesses, such as restaurants or

24
offices. Nevertheless, the store also counts with people passing by, due to the busy location of the
store near Rotterdam Centraal (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022). And
finally, ‘s Zomers also provides services for business in its studio projects, making it also a B2B.
Hence, it is concluded that ‘s Zomers has a plural range of products, which could both enable
the brand to be more appealing to a wider target audience, but also hinder the process of defining
potential customers.

WS4 - Ownership & Management


This worksheet will introduce the main top decision makers behind the strategic choices of 's
Zomers, as well as its owners and shareholders. The reason behind this is because by acknowledging
who the main decision makers are, 's Zomers current proposal as a firm will be better understood.

25
The team involved behind the strategic judgments of the company consists of 7 members, all
of which are owners and managers. Said managers are the Operational Manager (Kim), Finance
Manager, Shop Manager (Ferdinand) and Store Manager. Meanwhile the owners, who also make up
the top management of 's Zomers, are Micheal, René and Maurice, who is a small shareholder of the
firm. As far as shareholders go, Maurice was said to be the only one. The managers are only able to
make small store and day-to-day decisions without contacting its owners. Furthermore, the shop
manager usually focuses more on the dealings within the shop, while the finance manager's focal
point is finance and the operational manager on the operational activities of the firm. However, they
do help each other in their respective fields if the situation calls for it. Big and long-term decisions
also need to be discussed amongst the owners before being put into action. Regarding the owners,
more is going to be detailed below.
René Jongeneel is one of the owners and founders of the company, and as such, has been with
the company since its founding year in 1993 (29 years). He operates as the creative director of the
firm, henceforth, works in imaginative areas of the company, such as developing new arrangements
for the bouquets.
Micheal Swier is also a founder and owner of 's Zomers, which he has been a part of for 29
years. He is the business director of the firm and is more engaged with the strategic and business
management aspects of the business. Despite both founders being very engaged with the firm, they
do not participate in the daily dealings that take place in the company.
Maurice van den Berg has been a recent addition to the company, as he has been the only
shareholder the company has since 2021. He occupies the position of Chief Studio and creative
director. Moreover, Maurice is more active in the firm's daily dealings than its founders.
All in all, the management team has an extremely harmonic and easygoing dynamic, and even
though both founders are not really engaged in all of the everyday activities of the company, they are
still attuned about everything that occurs in it.

WS 5- Organisation chart
This worksheet illustrates the hierarchical levels of the firm and the departments that work
together, thus providing a broad perspective of the dynamics of the business.

Figure 5.1: Organisation Chart

26
By looking at the chart, it is concluded that, in this company, 17 employees work together in
order to offer their products to the customers. The firm uses a functional structure since several
departments are well separated based on areas of expertise. (Table 6.1, Introduction to Business,
custom edition (2021, p110)). Furthermore, every department has employees who work on specific
tasks with the manager in a stable environment. It looks like, at the moment, the bike delivery job is
vacant whereas the car delivery service is assured as written in the organisation chart. Even though
each department is separated into different categories, all of them work towards the same common
goals.
This structure enables each department to have more independence, while each sector
cooperates in order to deliver the best quality of products and services.

WS6 - Resources
Depending on the industry, when it comes to developing a successful and future oriented
company, some resources can be of more importance than others. Thus, this worksheet deals with
what is owned by the company, both physical and human related.

27
Firstly, the physical resources are not owned by the company. 's Zomers has two rented
properties: a Warehouse, where the shop is located, and a Studio, that serves as storage and office.
The Warehouse, being the main physical resource of the company, is intentionally located in
Rotterdam’s city centre, near the central station, where many potential customers pass by on a daily
basis. Consequently, the main source of revenue also comes from in person appearances and sales in
this same store (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022). This is due not only to its
location but also to the customer experience provided by visiting 's Zomers Warehouse. Furthermore,
despite being likewise a rented area, the Studio serves a whole different purpose to the firm, which is
mainly a storage space for all synthetic decorations used when preparing events (e.g. weddings,
restaurants). Nevertheless, it also serves as an office space to discuss bigger projects (K.Monster,
personal communication, February 10, 2022).
Even though the largest amount of sales is still done in a face-to-face interaction with clients,
's Zomers possesses organisational resources online as well, being present in various social media
platforms, and have developed an online store that makes buying its home decor and flowers
possible, when visiting the store is inconvenient or impractical (K.Monster, personal communication,
February 10, 2022). These tools enable the flower company to access its target group in a more
efficient way considering daily obstacles, such as the weather. In addition, both online resources have
a structure that is befitting to the company’s high standard products.
Human resources are also of extreme importance for the company. Regardless of not offering
a specialised training for new employees, 's Zomers evaluate potential entrants on some fundamental
personal skills considered valuable to the company. These include creativity, flexibility and passion
for the work (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022).
To sum up, although all kinds of resources owned by the company are of extreme importance
for its success in the market, the competitive advantage of 's Zomers can be considered to be its
differentiated product compared to other home decor and flower shops in Rotterdam. 's Zomers has
little focus on cost leadership, while giving a special attention on the quality and experience delivered
to its customers.
WS7 - Current Strategy
This worksheet focuses on the current strategy of 's Zomers and the formulation of the
strategy statement, which are relevant to guide the company's future goals and objectives.
‘s Zomers stands out from its competitors due to the uniqueness of its products. In other
words, the firm uses a differentiation strategy since its flowers and fragrance products are distinctive.
It focuses on premium value and not on having low costs. Hence, the company is not a cost leader in
the industry it operates in but it has a clear competitive advantage since it provides high quality

28
services. The company, by offering a wide range of flowers and products, is able to provide unique
options that are rarely available elsewhere and assemble more complex bouquets. Also, it has an
online platform to facilitate the customer’s choice and purchase procedures. (K.Monster, personal
communication, February 10, 2022)
Additionally, the in person purchasing experience can also be considered a distinctive
characteristic, which counts with coffee, champagne, snacks, a personal approach and professional
advising. All of these emphasise even more to the personalised service, appealing to the wellbeing of
the client. Moreover, the carefully-displayed luxurious layout of the store can be considered a part of
the exclusive experience offered to its customers. (K.Monster, personal communication, February
10, 2022)
Based on the former information and interview, the strategy statement of 's Zomers is to
increase revenue as much as 10% per year by 2023. At the moment, based on online data, it will be
done by mainly targeting women between 25 and 55 years old in Rotterdam that want flower
bouquets, flower subscriptions, skincare and fragrance products. This will be done through the
competitive advantage of offering personalised flower arrangements, as well as a small and fine
selected collection of products by means of picking high quality flowers and products from suppliers.
To summarise, 's Zomers is focused on the differentiation strategy, by delivering a highly
customised range of services and products, while not focusing on being a cost leader. As such, the
company’s brand image is reinforced as being a high quality concept store.

WS8 - Strategic Objectives


This worksheet focuses on the strategic objectives directly based on the current strategy.
These will help understand the time-bounded specific goals 's Zomers has and provide a guide for
everyday decision-making.
's Zomers first priority is to increase revenue by 10% in the year 2022, which relates to the
strategy previously stated (worksheet 7). This will be done mainly through the Studio, focusing more
on projects from businesses to do flower arrangements and from private residences to do gardening
landscapes. This strategic objective will be measured through the revenue growth rate, that takes into

29
account the current period revenue and the former, allowing to focus more on the timebound nature
of the goal, and helping to keep on track with the strategy statement (K.Monster, personal
communication, February 10, 2022). Unfortunately, 's Zomers did not give access to data of previous
years, therefore it was not possible to calculate the revenue growth.
The second strategic objective, similarly to the first one, is to increase 10% of the gross profit
margin in 2022. Although 's Zomers current value is considered good, there is an area of
improvement, such as the orders data management. 's Zomers makes sure to sell the products at the
right price, depending on how much was charged by suppliers. The differences in price are normally
checked daily due to how fluctuating the industry is. However, there were a few errors in the
previous year's records because of the market unpredictability and the lack of protocol for data
storage (e.g using post-it’s or hard notes). Thus, this year, 's Zomers plans to improve the orders data
management, making sure it sells the products at the right price, allowing also an increase in revenue
(K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022).
Finally, the last strategic objective is to increase followers in social media, specifically
Instagram. However, no specific goal has been established regarding growth in social media in 2022.
Since the goal of 2021 of obtaining 12K was not reached, 's Zomers expects to exceed that amount
this year (K.Monster, personal communication, February 10, 2022). The number of followers is
relevant because it gives an outlook of the company's marketing reach, while attracting more
potential clients to the business.
Table 8.1: Strategic Objectives

Priority Objective Indicator Required Current value Period


value

1 Increase in Revenue Growth 10% - 2022


revenue Rate

2 Increase in Gross Profit 65% Approximate 2022


gross profit Margin 55%
margin

3 Increase in Instagram´s > 12K 11.9K 2022


followers account follower
count

30
To summarise, the three main strategic objectives are increasing revenue, gross profit margin
and followers. These are directly connected towards the 's Zomers strategy statement, as it also
aligns with the company's current strategy to differentiate and not to be a cost leader.

WS9- Strategic issues


Having a clear and specific goal to follow is crucial for a company to grow and maintain
itself in the market. Hence, success can be easily measured when future oriented firms achieve its
objectives while dealing with external and internal changes. However, in spite of growing and
surviving for almost three decades, 's Zomers is currently lacking a long term business strategy. This
worksheet will deal with three main strategic issues noticed after analysing the current situation of
the firm.
It is likely that the flower shop would still manage to be profitable and keep current
customers, while remaining as it is today. Nevertheless, growing into a more profitable and efficient
business would depend on forming a structured and reasonable plan for the near future. Thus, the
main goal should include dealing with 's Zomers’ unsteady margins and high costs (K.Monster,
personal communication, February 10, 2022), which are currently in the way of increasing profits.

31
The first issue to be noticed is due to the previously mentioned unsteady expenditures. They
are caused by many different factors that prevent clients from visiting the store and have the desired
experience provided by 's Zomers offline sales. Internally, this can be explained by the lack of a more
personalised experience when buying the products online, which is less appealing than the in-person
one. Since the flower and home decor industry cannot be considered part of the essential-stores
sector, some external factors can be easily identified as responsible for the issue of unsteady sales
(e.g. unattractive weather conditions, clients personal priorities setting).
Secondly, high costs are also an issue to be targeted by its forthcoming business plan. As a
consequence of 's Zomers main product being living flowers that have a limited life, the company has
to pay special attention to ordering only what is needed from its suppliers and selling the great
majority of its stock in time.
Nowadays, because of the previously mentioned issue of unstable sales margins, 's Zomers
occasionally deals with an undesirable waste of unused flowers, which can be seen as the third main
issue to be pointed out. Moreover, disregarding flower subscriptions, the company lacks more
sources of fixed income, such as contracts with restaurants, event firms, etc. Hence, the Studio rented
as a storage space and office, does not provide its potential revenue margin.
Therefore, even though 's Zomers could potentially preserve its current profit without
formulating a clear and innovative strategy of business, some internal and external issues can be
detected and resolved within a couple of years. A fitting goal would lead the company to a more
stable and profitable future.

WS10- SEPTEmber
This worksheet will cover the SEPTEmber analysis that defines which factors could impact
the operations of businesses such as ‘s Zomers. Both risks and opportunities of the industry will be
considered, in order to present a realistic perspective of what can be expected in the future of the
industry.
Firstly, it is relevant to consider that flowers are a temporary good that even when treated
with the utmost care, are not expected to last more than 2 weeks. Thus, in order to always maintain a
fresh stock, ‘s Zomers receives multiple deliveries a week with new flowers. Nevertheless,
considering the unstable weather of the Netherlands, and the fragility of the product, the business
cannot always count on the Availability of Natural Resources (K.Monster, personal
communication, February 10, 2022), a risk that belongs to the Ecological Segment of the
SEPTEmber Analysis. Such a risk should also be a concern to other businesses in the industry that

32
work with natural goods. According to a 2012 study done by David van der Weiden about the dutch
floriculture industry, Weather Conditions are one of the main factors that could impact this sector in
the country (Weiden, 2012). It is stated that a change in quality and quantity of the supply is directly
related to a change in strategy, sales and operations.
Nonetheless, there are also opportunities to be considered in the industry. The first one is
New/alternative technology regarding natural waste of floriculture; this topic belongs to the
Technological segment of the SEPTEmber analysis.
A study made in 2016 showed that approximately 40% of flowers received by florists go to
waste without being sold (Waghmode et. al, 2016). On the other hand, the study also suggests how
floral waste can be reused and converted into value-added products with multiple applications. Such
waste could be used for compost/soil conditioner, biofuels, Organic Acids, Dyes, Pigments and even
medically-valuable products (essential oils, extracts, teas, ...). The technologies to put these
transformations into practice already exist. Perhaps florists themselves will not be interested in being
the ones to perform those processes, but can form partnerships with companies that already have said
technology and even gain money back or get products to be sold in their stores.
Furthermore, new technologies could, among other things, decrease both costs of production
and environmental impacts of the industry, as well as improve flowers’ durability. Fortunately, the
Netherlands is already heavily investing in technology for agriculture in general. Multiple studies
have been developed to implement Artificial Intelligence in harvesting processes, as well as highly
connected data systems, which are capable of supporting better decision making (Floral Daily, 2021).
Ultimately, concerning the wellness and decor industry, which is also an area of operation of
‘s Zomers, Demography of Society, which belongs to the Sociocultural Segment of the
SEPTEmber Analysis, should also be considered as an opportunity. According to the Marketing
Company WSL, Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) was born into a world of
wellness, being more aware of what would be better for them as individuals, both physically and
mentally. These individuals started a now worldwide spread way of thinking that values quality
products, as well as the concept of self-care in a variety of products. Consequently, this kind of
wellness and decor industry becomes more and more appealing not only to the youth, but also to the
market in general.
To conclude, all of the factors mentioned should be taken into account when planning any
strategy inside this industry. Nevertheless, the investment in new technologies is indispensable for
maintaining a sustainable and more profitable industry; from the production, to shipping and also
inside the shops themselves.

33
34
WS11 - Industry Life Cycle
Lastly, worksheet 11 will focus on defining an appropriate industry which encompasses all
of 's Zomers products, analysing which stage of the industry life cycle this industry falls into, and
determining when and if the industries will progress to the next stage of the cycle. This information
will be relevant when conducting and developing a business strategy.
s´Zomers is a company that offers a very diverse range of products. Hence, an industry that
englobes all of its products is the Wellness and Decor industry. It encompasses products like
flowers and bouquets because buying these products is also a form of personal-care; as it brings
forth emotions like contentment and joyfulness (Haviland-Jones et al 2005). Consequently,
although floristry seems to be the main focus of the store, the company also sells a variety of other
products, such as furnishings and fragrances, that collaborate with 's Zomers style of wellness and
self-care. With that in mind, the geographical boundaries of the industry analysis will be focused on
the Netherlands as a whole. Even with flowers having a stringent expiry date, the Netherlands is a
relatively small country, so this will not be a huge nuisance. Moreover, there are many other
competitors outside of Rotterdam regarding furnishing and cosmetics.
Given further research, it was deemed that the data available found for the Wellness and
Decor industry does not encompass everything that we designated this industry to be. Thus, data
from three separate industries will be utilised to generate a final conclusion about the life cycle of
the Wellness and Decor industry: floristry, home decor/retail and cosmetic industry.
The floristry industry is extremely prevalent in the Netherlands, being considered "one of
the lucrative industries in [the country]" (Mordor Intelligence, 2021). As such, it is an industry that
has long been existent in the market. According to data from Statistics Netherlands (2017),
throughout the extent of 10 years the land used for the production of flowers has more than halved,
and "the cut flower production under glass" has reduced by 40%. This shows that the demand for
cut flowers has stopped increasing, the industry has already undergone its peak phase in the industry
life cycle and the major growth of the industry is already behind it. Moreover, as seen by Figure
11.1, it is safe to assume that there has not been a considerable growth over the last years. Hence,
by looking at the industry life cycle, the floristry industry seems to fit into the characteristics of the
maturity phase.
The second industry chosen is the home decor/retail industry. Given the data seen in Figure
11.2, it can be assumed that this industry has just recently entered the growth phase. Although these
fluctuations might potentially not be an indication of growth, there are new consumer trends being
perceived, which do give an indicator that the industry shifted the phase in which it occupied, thus
settling into the growth stage. An example is that consumers are now frequently substituting their

35
old furniture for new ones. This is due to the "increasing standards of living and a steady increase in
disposable income across the board" (Statista 1, 2022).
Finally, the cosmetic industry seems to have achieved a state of maturity, as indicated from
Figure 11.3 and 11.4; where revenue has a small-scale growth throughout the time span of 12 years.
Moreover, the revenue growth of the sales of domestic products decreased from 2019 to 2020.
Although this might not be a prominent sign of any big changes in the industry, especially because
the pandemic initiated at that time, it still can be considered as an indication that the fast growth in
the industry has reached a stop. Thus the idea that the cosmetic industry is in the mature stage of
the industry life cycle is validated.
Consequently, it can be presumed that the Wellness and Decor industry is still in its growth
stage. The reasoning behind this is that, despite two out of the three industries analysed are in the
maturity stage, the concept behind the Wellness and Decor industry is still relatively new. As such,
consumers might have only come to an understanding of the value behind this industry recently.
That being so, there are still many customers that can be targeted. Additionally, although the
floristry industry is in the maturity stage, there are still signs of small-scale growth in the market,
especially in recent years. So, even if that does not give enough of an indication that a shift in stage
for the floristry industry can occur, it is still helpful to specify it. Henceforth, it is safe to assume
that the industry is going to stay in the growth stage for some years before reaching the next stage
of the cycle, however, it is still too early to specify when it will occur.
To conclude, as the industry is in the growth stage, there are plenty of opportunities that can
be explored by the firms operating in this market, as those of worksheet 10, especially due to the
fact that the industry offers a variety of products. Thus, the high demand can be highly exploited if
the firms possess a good long-term and short-term strategy for their businesses.

36
Figure 11.1 (Statista (2), 2021)

Figure 11.2 - (Statista (3), 2022)

37
Figure 11.3 (Statista (4), 2022)

38
23 23 23 2 24 24 23 23 23 23 24 23
07. 97 51. 41. 94 22
59 4
72 62 36 67. 08. 87.
8 .6 .7 4 2 4 .9 4 3 9
. .1
2

Figure 11.4 (Statista (5), 2022)

39
40
Bibliography
Monster, K. (2022, February 10). Personal communication [Personal Interview].

From Agtech to Table: How the Dutch are Reaping a New Harvest. (2021, June 10). Invest in

Holland. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://investinholland.com/news/from-agtech-

to-table-how-the-dutch-are-reaping-a-new-harvest/

Gen Z is Redefining Wellness: 4 Must-Know Findings. (2020, April 3). WLS Strategic Retail.

Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://wslstrategicretail.com/article-detail/gen-z-is-

redefining-wellness-4-must-know-findings

Van Der Weiden, D. & Erasmus School of Economics. (2012, December). BUSINESS

CYCLES WITHIN THE DUTCH FLORICULTURE INDUSTRY (No. 362621). Erasmus

University Rotterdam.

Statista (1). (2022). Furniture - Netherlands. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from

https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/furniture/netherlands

Statista (2). (2021, October 13). Total revenue of the flower shops in the Netherlands 2013–

2020. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/613765/total-

turnover-flower-shops-in-the-netherlands/

Statista (3). (2022b, January 13). Retail sales revenue index of home furniture stores in the

Netherlands 2008–2020. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from

https://www.statista.com/statistics/436059/netherlands-retail-sales-furniture-turnover/

41
Statista (4). (2022c, January 14). Cosmetic sales value in the Netherlands 2008–2020.

Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/452284/cosmetics-

sales-value-in-the-netherlands/

Statista (5). (2022c, January 14). Cosmetic sales growth in the Netherlands 2011–2020.

Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/452309/cosmetics-

sales-in-the-netherlands/

Statistics Netherlands. (2017). Trend in the Netherlands 2017.

The floral industry’s greatest innovations. (2021, May 11). Floral Daily.

https://www.floraldaily.com/article/9320256/the-floral-industry-s-greatest-innovations/

Waghmode, M. S., Gunjal, A. B., Nawani, N. N., & Patil, N. N. (2016). Management of

Floral Waste by Conversion to Value-Added Products and Their Other Applications. Waste

and Biomass Valorization, 9(1), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-016-9763-2

Haviland-Jones, J., Hale Rosario, H. H. R., Wilson, P., & R. McGuire, T. (2005). An

Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers. Retrieved March 13, 2022,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/147470490500300109

42

You might also like