A US consumer houseplant purchasing study , coordinated by the land ’s Floral Marketing Fund , has shown that houseplants make people well-chosen . Houseplant sales in the US have increase in each of the sketch ’s ten categories , with consumer generally willing to pay a premium for a quality houseplant , writes Rachel Anderson , inFloraCulture International , February 2022 .
A field on the United States ’ consumer purchasing trend for houseplant has empirically confirmed the ‘ finger honorable factor ’ of these products .
Dr. Melinda Knuth , assistant prof at North Carolina State University , said : “ This straightaway shows , with empirical evidence , that houseplants can make [ mass ] happier , which could be one of the reasons why these purchaser are pursue more with houseplants after 2020 and why they ’ll continue with houseplant in hereafter . ”
Houseplants ’ appeal is diverseThe study also find varied demographic amongst the dissimilar purchasers – suggest that houseplants ’ charm is diverse .
Some 75 per centum of those surveyed admit to buying houseplants for themselves – up from just 12 percent during 2019 ( pre - pandemic ) . Consumers demonstrated that they delight look after their purchase , with 31 percentage of respondents now spending more metre caring for their plants than in late years .
They are grease one’s palms them specifically to care for and nurture them .
They are also purchase houseplants “ just because ” ( think of that they have no specific reason for grease one’s palms them ) and for occasions such as hosting guest . The animation room and the bedroom are the most popular office where citizenry place their houseplant . what is more , in 2021 , the respondents were more likely to give someone with a “ get well ” houseplant , with 75 per centum of player potential to give a houseplant as a gift in 2021 versus 12 percent in 2019 .
sale increase across all categoriesIt is perhaps unsurprising , then , that the data point also shew that houseplant gross revenue in the US have increased in each of the resume ’s ten category .
These categories included blossoming plants , minute - leafed leaf , broad - flick foliation , ferns , indoor palms , go after or climbing flora , bromeliads , succulents , cacti , and line plants .
The top three categories were broad - leaf leafage ( 35 percent ) , blossom plants ( 41 percent ) , and succulents ( 35 percent ) . Bromeliads and indoor palms had the most intermediate spending per year – being $ 111 and $ 112 severally .
Online versus in - storeDuring 2020 , most purchasers were comfy buying plant online or over the phone and , in 2021 , some 40 percent of those go over still prefer to buy them online . But most one-half of the interviewed consumers would presently alternatively buy plants in - store , with “ contraption of positioning ” being the crowing reason for their mercantile establishment taste .
This decision could be , for case , their local supermarket , independent garden center , or hardware store .
“ Multiple chance ” for the gardening industryDr . Knuth note that houseplant ’ increase popularity offer “ multiple chance ” for the industry to create merchandising campaigns and messaging to boost initial and repeat purchase(s ) .
She added : “ Usually , houseplants are categorise with floral products and , in the past times , we ’ve thought mass only buy them for ‘ gifting ’ occasions – that ’s not the casing . ”
Crucially , multitude have generally been unforced to pay a exchange premium for a calibre houseplant .
Dr. Charlie Hall of Texas A&M University reflect : “ During the midst of this pandemic , the snap of demand was such that masses were uncoerced to pay higher cost – that ’s good word . ”
Dr. Knuth added : “ People are uncoerced to yield more , and they will continue to compensate for houseplants – even in crisis . ”
To that end , delegates were told by Dr. Knuth that the horticulture industry in the US “ has been leave money on the table , so to speak , in that the price snap of requirement appears favorable , with respondents indicating a general willingness to pay sometimes considerably eminent prices than industry firms have been charging at retail preferences . ”
Whilst some growers may like to consider charging more for their product , they were advised to stick out in mind that some of the view ’s respondents ( perhaps launching - grade houseplant purchasers ) “ would still require a price that would draw them to the initial purchase to start engaging in the houseplant class . ”
Therefore , America ’s gardening industry would arguably be wise to apply a dynamic pricing scheme which , said Dr Knuth , “ might prove utilitarian for disagree point of consumer price elasticity of demand that might exist in the market . ”
A further 300 “ infrequent purchasers ” or “ non - purchaser ” of houseplants were survey as part of the study – and , as the University of Florida ’s Dr. Hayk Khachatryan reveal – 45 per cent of them said they would consider buying houseplants in futurity .
Dr Knuth , therefore , suggested that the sphere “ would do well to persist in to emphasize online and in - person fight both with purchasers and non - purchaser , because the answer of this write up indicate that some non - vendee are not permanently so . ”
delegate were also remind that Europe ’s houseplant purchasing trends take issue from those in the United States , so they should be careful not to use some of the survey ’s generalization to a “ wider subset . ”
