Plantsome x Mango Kollektiv

Finding a German audience & how to sell to them

Plantsome is a young, innovative start-up based in Honselersdijk, the Netherlands. Founded by two brothers & entrepreneurs, Plantsome managed to disrupt the Dutch plant industry successfully and is now planning to become the biggest plant seller in Europe.

Our work was divided into 4 phases which could roughly be described as competitive analysis & best practices, persona research (desk & interviews), a definition of Plantsome’s German target audience, and content recommendations based on their audience’s online behavior. The outcome is currently being implemented for Plantsome’s upcoming expansion into the German market.

Phase 1 – Competitive analysis & best practices

In this phase, we looked at both, direct and indirect competitors in the German market. Where does their traffic come from, what do people order, how do they navigate a competitor’s website, which demographic is currently shopping plants online, which solutions are they looking to find, and what works for them?

Based on our findings, we came up with clear recommendations for a website that will work for Plantsome’s German target audience. The recommendations cover the menu structure, page navigation, SEO, placement of call to action buttons & best practices based on our knowledge of cultural differences between Dutch and German users.

Phase 2 – Definition of personas (desk research & interviews)

In this phase, we determined who Plantsome’s German buyer persona is. How old are they, how and where do they live, which topics and websites are they interested in, and what do they look for online? We then interpreted the findings and looked at Plantsome’s future German business from a ‘Jobs to be Done’ perspective. In other words: which job does using a service like Plantsome get done for these people? 

The results from this phase directly informed our recommendations for content, formats & best platforms to be used.

Phase 3 – Interviews with the target audience

For phase 3, we reached out to people who were suitable interviewees for different reasons. Either, because they were the perfect target audience or because they were experienced online plant-buyers whose insights would be valuable for the process.

We created semi-structured interview guidelines based on our findings and existing knowledge about cultural differences between Dutch and German users. The results were then used to further inform our content recommendations and the documents resulting from phases 1 & 2.

Phase 4 – Analysis & Content recommendations

In this phase, we looked at all the insights that we had gained during our desk research and the conducted interviews. Based on those, we were able to give Plantsome concrete recommendations about SEO content, content formats, a channel-mix that suits their German target audience, and the best approach for leveraging social media in the German market.