Understanding wholesale flower market traders

Industry overview

What is shaping floral

Flowers are bought for occasions, gifting and decoration, through florists, gifting platforms and street vendors. Freshness and delivery reliability are everything.

Gifting occasions drive demand peaks
Online gifting platforms are growing
Growers need better access to markets

Client background

A state agricultural marketing board, working in Bengaluru & Kolkata. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation: A state agricultural marketing board
Sector: Floral
Team engaged: Market Research
Services: Government research, Qualitative research, Quantitative research

Client challenge

The state marketing board planned to modernise two large wholesale flower markets that opened before dawn and handled huge volumes in a few hours. Traders were nervous about relocation and new rules, and the board needed to understand how the markets actually worked before finalising designs.

Research objectives

Deliver on the brief: understanding wholesale flower market traders.
Understand the views, needs and behaviour of traders.
Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.

Target audience

The work focused on 300 traders.

traders300

Audiences we typically reach in floral

Gift buyersFloristsFlower growersEvent plannersCorporate gifting buyers

Geographic coverage

Coverage: Bengaluru & Kolkata. Market: India.

India

Research methodology

A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.

1Brief
2Trader survey
3Market observation
4Insight

We surveyed growers, commission agents and traders about volumes, pricing, payments, cold storage and wastage, and observed both markets between three and eight in the morning to map movement, congestion and waiting times. Interviews were conducted in Kannada, Bengali, Hindi and English.

Government researchQualitative researchQuantitative research

Sampling strategy

traders: 300

Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
Respondents were selected across Bengaluru & Kolkata using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

Data collection

Brief & design Sampling & set-up Fieldwork Analysis Reporting Indicative split of the 6-week timeline.

Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Auditors and mystery shoppers followed a standard checklist, recording evidence at each visit.

Data quality & validation

Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
Time and location checks on field interviews
Supervisor accompaniment in the field
Recordings and transcripts for every session
Re-screening of qualitative recruits
Photo or document evidence for audit points
Second-reviewer checks on scores
Logic and range checks on the final data
Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

Data analysis

Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
Significance testing on the differences that mattered
Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
Journey and decision mapping

Key findings

Lack of cold storage and opaque price setting caused most losses for growers, and congestion at peak hours delayed buyers.

Watching the market at its busiest hours revealed problems that interviews alone would not.

Recommendations

Build on the core insight: watching the market at its busiest hours revealed problems that interviews alone would not.
Share the findings with the teams closest to customers so they can act quickly.

Business impact

The board included cold rooms, a digital price display board and separate loading zones in its plans, and presented the findings to traders before consultation meetings.