Market research in Holland has revealed that in the purchasing of flowers and plants, good service is rated as the number one factor by 60% of the consumers. Assortment and quality came second with 37% and price came in at a feeble 13%! According to the Blumenbureau Holland, while the consumer rating is instructive, the figures also show what the consumer claims to want. This is different from what he genuinly needs and this is a latent factor that the consumer needs help to describe. This represents an important challenge for the industry. Felix E. Schrandt. E-mail: info@bbh.nl www.bbh.nl