“Oh, You Shouldn’t Have!” Understanding Key Factors Impacting Cut Flowers Gifting Preferences in Germany

Abstract

Cut flower gifting preferences are relatively unexplored in Germany. This study proposes a model that investigates the impact of attitudinal, experiential, and socio-demographic factors on the cut flower gifting preferences of German consumers. For this purpose, an online survey with a representative sample of 978 German residents was conducted. Partial least squares structural equation modelling shows that active and passive engagement with plants and nature positively impact cut flower giving preferences through cut flower knowledge, cut flower fondness, and perceived versatility of cut flowers. For German women and men, the largest driver of cut flower giving preferences is the versatility of cut flowers. For women, cut flower fondness is the second largest driver of cut flower gifting preferences, whereas for men subjective knowledge was the second largest driver. Other socio-demographic factors (age, income, education) were not found to impact cut flower giving preferences.

The Ethically Conscious Flower Consumer: Understanding Fair Trade Cut Flower Purchase Behavior in Germany

“…Given the presence of only a few consumer studies dedicated to fair trade cut flowers in Germany [5,6,34,35], this literature review borrows from the wider research on horticultural and agricultural food products. It is expected that the key factors impacting buying behaviour will be similar, given the perishability and limited shelf life of both food and flowers.…”

“…Intrinsic and extrinsic attributes both provide cues to consumers which are used to evaluate food or flowers and decide which product to purchase. Many horticultural product studies focused exclusively on one attribute [35,57]. However, when consumers make purchasing decisions, they choose from different product alternatives, each with different bundles of attributes.…”

“…Further, the suggestions for future research also acknowledge these changes and future trends. Given that this study focuses on key factors determining fair trade buying behavior, which have not been widely explored, especially for the specific preferences for cut flower products and attributes or willingness to pay for floral products in Germany [5,6,[33][34][35][36], this study still deliver value to the current body of literature.…”

“…This niche product has been discussed in the he academic literature, but has not been extensively researched [6,34]. Previous studies have examined cut flower preferences for sustainable labels and have found fair trade certified products to be more appealing to consumers than organic or other sustainable certification schemes [6,34,35]. Other recent flower studies have explored consumer preferences for flower attributes, but they have primarily examined willingness to pay for floral products [5,35] and have focused on differences between physical and online shops [5,36].…”

“…Previous studies have examined cut flower preferences for sustainable labels and have found fair trade certified products to be more appealing to consumers than organic or other sustainable certification schemes [6,34,35]. Other recent flower studies have explored consumer preferences for flower attributes, but they have primarily examined willingness to pay for floral products [5,35] and have focused on differences between physical and online shops [5,36]. Accordingly, previous studies have been dedicated to understanding consumer behavior, but have not yet widely covered attitudinal factors that affect the buying decision [34].…”