The perceptions of sustainable practices in floriculture

Added on 05 July 2023

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The perceptions of sustainable practices in floriculture

The Floral Marketing Fund has released results from a new consumer research study, “U.S. Consumer Perceptions & Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Environmental Practices in the Floral Industry.” The study was led by researchers at Mississippi State University (MSU) and the Texas State University (TSU), and was funded by Floral Marketing Fund, alongside co-sponsors BloomNet, a floral services company serving more than 5000 local florists across the country, and Syndicate Sales, a leading manufacturer/supplier of floral hardgoods for retail florists.

The primary purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of consumer perceptions as they relate to retail floral providers’ sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

Key findings include insights into consumers’ willingness to make purchases and pay additional costs for flowers from retailers practicing sustainability within their businesses. The data also shows where and how often consumers are marking floral purchases, with a majority purchasing flowers three to four times a year (35.0%) to once or twice a year (22.1%) in person (65.3%).

Focuses within the data include locally sourced flowers, organic, fair trade, composting, multi-use materials, and more. Discoveries include trigger phrases like “locally sourced” to be impactful when consumers make purchasing decisions. Retailers will be able to use these findings to better promote their sustainable practices to consumers in ways that the consumers want to see.