Consumer Response to Novel Indoor Foliage Plant Attributes: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment and Gaze Analysis

Abstract

<jats:p>A rating-based conjoint experiment combined with eye-tracking analysis was used to investigate the effect of plant attributes on consumer purchase likelihood for indoor foliage plants. The experiment assessed the effects of plant type (<jats:italic>Dracaena marginata</jats:italic> Lam., <jats:italic>Guzmania lingulata</jats:italic>, or <jats:italic>Spathiphyllum wallisii</jats:italic> Regel), volatile organic compound (VOC) removal capacity (high, low, or none specified), price ($10.98–14.98/plant), production method [certified organic, organic production (not certified), or conventional], and origin (in-state, domestic, or imported) on consumer preferences. An ordered logit model was used to analyze the data. Organic production methods, in-state origin, domestic origin, and high VOC removal increased participants’ purchase likelihood. Visually attending to the highest price point ($14.98) increased consumers’ purchase likelihood. Age, gender, child (&lt;12 years), pet, relationship status, education, and ethnicity affected participants’ purchase likelihood for indoor foliage plants. Purchasing barriers for indoor foliage plants are also discussed. Results have implications for indoor foliage plant growers and retailers as they produce, promote, and sell their products.</jats:p>

Consumer preferences for organic production methods and origin promotions on ornamental plants: evidence from eye-tracking experiments

“…Specifically, visual stimuli that require additional consideration (i.e., cognitive effort during evaluation) obtain greater visual attendance than visual stimuli requiring less effort (Russo and Leclerc, ). Often additional visual consideration is required for unfamiliar, novel, complex, or important stimuli (Aribarg et al., ; Arieli et al., ; Rihn et al., ; Russo and Leclerc, ).…”

“…Although economically important, U.S. consumer demand for ornamental plants was negatively impacted by the economic recession resulting in decreased demand and lower profit margins (Brumfield, ). One strategy to stimulate demand is to promote nontraditional, novel plant attributes (i.e., organic production methods and origins) to generate consumer interest (Hall and Dickson, ; Rihn et al., ; Schimmenti et al., ; Yue et al., ). However, plants require substantial time to grow to salable size and producing plants with these attributes can be costly (Cáceres, ); hence, studying consumer preferences can reduce industry stakeholders’ risks (i.e., time, labor, production space, marketing, and financial investments) through assessing consumers’ interest prior to implementation.…”

Consumer Preferences of Sustainability Labeled Cut Roses in Germany

“…Results from recent scientific studies show that the health aspect is influencing choices of purchase of sustainable products [24,25], but this aspect is considered less relevant in relation to non-edible products. In the case of horticultural plants, consumer segments have been identified by Behe et al [26] in the USA and Canada, whose purchase decisions for ornamental plants were determined by ecological aspects, and consumer preferences of additional ecologically-friendly practices were analyzed by other authors in recent years [27][28][29]. Further, Gabriel [30] could also demonstrate for Germany that environmental aspects were the main motive for purchasing plants in biodegradable pots, despite a higher price compared to the standard product.…”

Impact of Information Type and Source on Pollinator-friendly Plant Purchasing

“…Although there is a body of literature that focuses on environmentally friendly labeling (Behe et al, 2013;Khachatryan et al, 2014;Rihn et al, 2015;Yue et al, 2011), bee-friendly labeling (Wollaeger et al, 2015), pollinator-friendly labeling (Khachatryan et al, 2018), and pesticide labeling (Rihn and Khachatryan, 2016), little is known about how varying information sources and type of information will impact a consumer's intention to purchase pollinator-friendly plants. The aim of this study was to understand more fully how information communicated to consumers influenced their intended purchasing habits for pollinator-friendly plants.…”