Research carried out by the Hochschule Geisenheim University in collaboration with Chrysal at a supermarket chain in Germany, shows that the purchase intention of plants is 40% higher when the potted plant display is looking healthy and fresh. Interestingly though, a display of fresh plants also has a positive influence of the consumer buyer behavior of other categories within the store.
The research showed a correlation between freshness of potted plants and the sales of fruit & vegetables as well as bread and dairy products. Not surprisingly, customers are far more likely to recommend a store with fresh plants than one with withered, dehydrated stock.
Hochshule Geisenheim University conducted the research in collaboration with Chrysal, in which a sample of 400 people were asked about their shopping behavior in German supermarkets.
Individuals were randomly shown either a picture of a display with fresh plants, or one with withered plants. This showed that the freshness of the potted plants has a relation with the purchase of intention of other product groups.
At least 8% more customers want to buy fruit and vegetables if the plants in the store are fresh. The “purchase intention” of plants is 40% higher when the potted plants were fresh. 15% more customers said they would recommend the supermarket which had a display of healthy, fresh looking plants.
The research also showed that the purchase intention of plants and flowers significantly decreased by 34% when the potted plants were not taken care of for 2 days. For longer than 2 days, the purchase intention decreased further.
