Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and inflation, cut flowers remain a non-price-led purchase, presenting convenience stores with an opportunity to drive incremental sales, a new survey has revealed.
Almost three quarters of UK consumers (72%) only buy cut flowers in person for themselves and around two thirds (62%) only buy in-store to gift to someone else according to the latest consumer research by product intelligence business Vypr.
When asked why they don’t buy online, the top three answers were more choice (23%), they prefer to give a gift in person (23%) and they offer better value (13%). While value appears in the top three key factors, sales are not driven by lower price with consumers saying they are encouraged by bigger bunches that offer better value rather than lower priced flowers in general. Bigger bunches for better value was suggested by 21 per cent compared to those who shop on price alone at just 5 per cent.
The other factors that would encourage shoppers to spend more are longer lasting flowers for almost a third (30%) and attractive displays for 12 per cent.
“A huge 76 per cent of shoppers buy cut flowers on impulse and their reasons are emotional as the majority say they simply make them feel happy. Convenience store owners and managers could tune into this sentiment and improve the quality of their displays and merchandising, even by making sure they are always easily accessible and visible, this could unlock incremental sales,” Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, said.
“Consumers shopping especially for others, but also themselves, will not choose a bunch that has been squeezed so tightly into the bucket so that it’s damaged or ones with dead heads clearly visible. Store workers could be tasked to freshen up the displays daily and ensure close watch is kept on freshness and sell by dates to discount as soon as possible.”
While key calendar dates of Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Christmas are traditionally huge sales drivers, consumers are also looking year-round for birthdays (34%), simply a treat (22%) and anniversaries (13%) underlining the importance of offering a high quality and varied selection year round.
“Convenience stores can’t always compete on price, but they are essential for shoppers looking for top up shops and offering a good selection of cut flowers could be a great way to increase basket spend,” Davies added. “If owners look for flowers that are different to the supermarket offerings and find unusual or distinctive floral bouquets this could appeal to consumers’ senses and impulse driven motives.”