Presenting

FR presents the fi nal article in our exclusive three-part series examining the Floral Marketing Fund's "Consumer Houseplant Purchasing Report 2021." Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 57 I n this fi nal installment of our three-part series on the Floral Marketing Fund's "Consumer Houseplant Purchasing Report 2021"—which provides useful information on the houseplant purchasing habits of 1,700 U.S. consumers—we compare the data from this recent survey with that from FMF's 2019 survey. While we did not analyze every one of the data points in the two reports, the information gleaned from those we did examine can provide you with insight into short-term trends. e crux of the 2021 report was to determine if COVID-19 aff ected consumers' plant attitudes, perceptions and purchasing behaviors in 2021—the answers for which will, hopefully, guide you toward increasing your houseplant sales and gaining new houseplant customers, as well as provide insight on how to plan and budget for the houseplants segment in your business. e current report divides the genre of houseplants into 10 categories: • Flowering • Narrow-leaf Foliage • Broad-leaf Foliage • Ferns • Indoor Palms • Trailing/Climbing • Succulents • Bromeliads • Air Plants/Tillandsia • Cacti NOTE: Part 1 of our series, which examines the habits and demographics of consumers who regularly purchase houseplants, appears in our May 2022 issue. Part 2, which breaks down the habits and demographics of consumers who do not regularly purchase houseplants and analyzes whether they can be converted into houseplant purchasers, appears in our June 2022 issue. Both articles are also available to view on our website, oristsreview.com. COMPARING THE 2021 AND 2019 SURVEY FINDINGS e good news from the 2021 report is that houseplant "Purchasers" own more plants now than they did in 2019. e bad news is that those consumers purchased houseplants less often in 2021 than they did in 2019. • Buying in Person: A majority of houseplant Purchasers said they were less likely to physically go to retail outlets than 2019 Purchasers, which could be due to sheltering in place owing to COVID. While ecommerce transactions were a viable option during COVID restrictions, a reluctance to purchase without physically seeing the plants could have hindered purchases, as it did in many other non-plant-related sectors. ere is also the possibility that Purchasers were taking great care of their houseplants while they were sheltering at home than they were pre-COVID, reducing the need for "replacement" purchases. • Spending: In addition, the more recent survey shows that 2021 Purchasers were willing to pay a higher average price value at each price level in each plant category. e study notes that the average spending in the Indoor Palms category was $40.50 in 2019 and $111.90 in 2021—an increase of 176%. Average expenditures on Bromeliads also increased mightily, from an average of $51.70 in 2019 to $111.20 in 2021—a 115% rise. e Ferns category experienced a 110% jump in average prices paid, from $46.50 in 2019 to $97.60 in 2021. Other top increases occurred in the Air Plants/Tillandsia category, which climbed from average expenditures of $54.00 in 2019 to $104.30 in 2021 (+93%); the Trailing/Climbing houseplants category, which rose from $43.80 to $81.90 (+87%); and the Cacti category, which moved up from $54.00 to $92.10 (+71%) • Buying in Person: A majority of houseplant Purchasers said they were less likely to physically go to retail outlets than 2019 Purchasers, which could be due to sheltering in place owing to COVID. While ecommerce transactions were a viable option during COVID restrictions, a reluctance to purchase could have hindered that Purchasers were taking great care of their houseplants while they were sheltering at home than they were pre-COVID, reducing the need for "replacement" purchases. the Cacti category, which moved up from $54.00 to $92.10 (+71%) retail outlets than 2019 Purchasers, which could be due to sheltering in place owing to COVID. While ecommerce transactions were a viable option during taking great care of their houseplants while they were sheltering at home than they were pre-COVID, reducing the need for "replacement" purchases.

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