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Business 58 August | 2022 • Interest in Houseplants: ere is a signifi cant statistical diff erence between Purchaser interest in houseplants in the 2019 and 2021 surveys. In 2019, respondents said that when it came to purchasing a houseplant, 39.1% were Extremely Interested, and that increased to 42.7% in 2021. • Number of Houseplants Owned Per Capita: Regarding the number of houseplants Purchasers owned in 2019 versus 2021, the report shows that in 2019, 7% of Purchasers said they owned Zero houseplants themselves, indicating their purchases were always gifts. e 2021 survey reveals that 0% of Purchasers owned Zero houseplants, meaning they not only purchased for others but also for themselves. ese statistics could indicate that after purchasing for others in 2019, Purchasers saw enough value in buying houseplants to subsequently purchase at least one houseplant for themselves. Ownership of One houseplant in 2019 was at 12.5% of survey respondents and down slightly, at 11.3%, in 2021. Among those owning Two to Five houseplants—the largest ownership category—2019 Purchasers totaled 51.4%, with a slight increase to 52.1% in 2021. Owning Six to 10 houseplants was the domain of 20.4% of Purchasers in 2019, and that number increased to 24.7% in 2021. Ownership of 11 to 15 houseplants was at 4.7% in 2019 and moved upward to 6.2% in 2021. e percentage of respondents owning More than 15 houseplants was at 4.0% in 2019 versus 5.6% in 2021. • Purchase Frequency : Frequent purchases of houseplants was dramatically higher in 2019 than in 2021. For example, Weekly purchases of houseplants were the norm for 24.7% of Purchasers in 2019, dropping to just 3.6% in 2021. Purchasing houseplants Two or ree Times a Month also dropped, from 42.2% in 2019 to just 10.2% in 2021. When it comes to less-frequent purchases, the percentages reversed. While purchasing houseplants Once a Month was relatively unchanged, at 16.9% in 2019 and 16.4% in 2021, purchasing houseplants Two or ree Times a Year increased from 11.8% in 2019 to a whopping 47.1% in 2021. Once-yearly purchases also increased from 4.3% in 2019 to 22.7% in 2021. TAKEAWAY Consumers are buying less frequently; however, 400% more consumers are purchasing houseplants at least 2 or 3 times a year than in 2019. • Reasons for Buying Houseplants: ere was a shift in purchasing houseplants For Self and As Gifts in the two surveys. e report utilized a numerical value of 1 as Very Unlikely (to purchase) and 5 as Very Likely (to purchase). - Purchases for Self: In the 2021 survey, 34.0% of Purchasers indicated they were Very Likely to purchase at least one houseplant for themselves; in 2019, that number was 11.2%. Choosing the Very Unlikely response were 12.3% of Purchasers in 2021 and 51.3% in 2019. - Purchases for Gifts: In the 2021 survey, 34.4% of Purchases said they were Very Likely to purchase houseplants as gifts; in 2019, that number was only 15.1%. Choosing the Very Unlikely response were 11.4% of Purchasers in 2021 and 39.7% in 2019. is data suggests that, today, signifi cantly more Purchasers are likely to purchase houseplants, both fl owering and foliage, for themselves and as gifts, which is good news for both retailers and the industry as a whole. • Prices: e survey discovered that Purchasers are willing to spend far more money on houseplants today than they were just two years ago. In 2019, respondents said that a mean price of $20.60 was Too Expensive, but in the 2021 survey, that fi gure jumped to $65.70. With similar implications, Purchasers in 2019 considered a mean price of $5.20 as Too Cheap, but that number rose to $10.30 in 2021. TAKEAWAY Consumers are willing to spend more money on houseplants today. Purchasers were willing to pay a higher average pr ice value at e ach pr ice le ve l in e ach plant categor y.

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