The contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products is especially important in the context of rural sustainable development. Nevertheless, their perceived economic and environmental value remains low.
The lack of an explicit and effective marketing strategy for NWFPs tailored to local mountain communities’ needs may lead to their restricted access to the market and underestimation of their value. The aim of this paper is to gain knowledge regarding the components of a marketing mix that could support the local markets of NWFPs, in Greek mountainous areas.
The paper presents an analysis of the marketing mix for NWFPs, following for the first time the S.A.V.E. (Solution, Access, Value, Engangement/Education) approach. The research contributes to the existing literature as we seek to “meet” groups of NWFPs’ consumers, in order to develop a customer-centric value proposition in Greek local mountain communities.
These communities, through the exploitation of NWFPs, are trying to face challenges regarding the improvement of the income and their general wellbeing level.
Values such as the contribution of NWFPs to improving health and wellbeing as they supply bio-based raw materials to important industrial sectors, and the ecosystem services provided by NWFPs are not negligible.
Part of the marketing mix for NWFPs, is to promote products with a distinct spatial, local or regional identity by associating products with “culture economies.
Customer-centric marketing mix of NWFPs, that focuses on customers’ needs, desires and resources as the starting point of the planning process, involves a higher level of mixing than simple personalization.
Full reference
Trigkas, M. Pelekani, F. Papadopoulos, I. Lazaridou, D.C. Karagouni, G. (2023). Non-Wood Forest Products’ Marketing: Applying a S.A.V.E. Approach for Establishing Their Marketing Mix in Greek Local Mountain Communities. Forests, 14, 1762. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091762
