How Age Affects Consumer Flower Purchasing Habits
A recent consumer study from University of Georgia researchers finds that not all gift givers want the same things when it comes to botanical purchases. The goal of the study was to help connect the flower industry with consumers to give marketers a better idea of what shoppers are looking for when buying bouquets.
Agricultural economist Benjamin Campbell, horticultural research scientist Julie Campbell, and agricultural communication professor Jessica Holt looked at purchasing, preferences, and targeted messaging around cut flowers, publishing the results of the study with the Floral Marketing Fund in October. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences researchers examined where people buy flowers, where they planned to buy flowers in the future, the types of flowers they bought or received, and what marketing efforts were most effective.
“Not only were we interested in understanding what drove people to purchase flowers, we also wanted to know what role marketing messages and strategies played in this purchase,” says Campbell, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
Surveying more than 8,000 consumers across the U.S., the study found that not all consumers are created equal. For example, age is a big factor in the flower purchasing process.
Gen X and Millennials were more likely to say they would buy a flower bouquet within the next year than Boomers.
Younger generations also tend to choose a less traditional, more unique cut flower. These generations are also more likely to buy additional non-flower items to go along with that bouquet.
Boomers were less likely to have received a bouquet of flowers in the last year than their younger counterparts, although they did acknowledge that a bouquet is a wonderful mood booster.
Boomers are also less likely to buy flowers for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day than younger generations. And if Boomers are buying for Valentine’s Day, a rose is their flower of choice.
The study suggest that flower agencies need to keep the consumer in mind when creating marketing efforts. Instead of a one-size-fits-all campaign, more targeted messaging and investing in social media advertisements can go a long way towards increasing flower purchasing.
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