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PLANT RESEARCH
Hello! Thanks for your question about who is buying low-maintenance houseplants. The short version is that the majority of houseplant purchasers are female. Among Millenials, the most commonly purchases plants are succulents and cacti. They most likely purchase these plants yearly and most often buy them for themselves.
Unfortunately, we were unable to find many detailed, statistical studies of houseplant purchasing patterns, so some answers are estimates based on trusted media sources.
Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
Methodology
We began by searching for industry reports and other large surveys. Unfortunately, the most robust source of statistics on houseplant sales, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, doesn't provide detailed consumer demographic information. There are few other sources of detailed, statistical information on houseplant sales, so we used trusted media sources to supplement the statistical information when possible.
Who is buying houseplants?
According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 79% of plant purchasers are women and 21% are men. While there is no data for age or ethnicity available, the 2016 National Gardening Survey estimated that of the 6 million people who took up gardening last year, 83% of them were Millenials. In addition, a University of Vermont study reported that 37% of Millenials are growing some type of plant indoors and that the indoor gardening market has grown by 8.2% in the last 5 years. Taken together, this data strongly suggests that there is strong interest among Millenials for indoor plants and that that growth will continue as home ownership rates rise.
What kinds of plants are consumers buying?
Within the total garden industry, houseplants make up 20% of sales. Outdoor garden plants make up 46% and cut flowers comprise 34%. Houseplant sales were not broken down by type, but using articles from The Olympian and PhillyMag, we discovered that Millenials in particular prefer succulents and cacti because they are easy to care for and will survive for long periods.
Why are they buying plants?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 63% of plants are purchased for the consumer's personal use and 37% are purchased as gifts. Of those purchased as gifts, almost 75% of these were purchased for Christmas/Hanukkah, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day. Data from the University of Vermont also indicates that over 33% of Millenials are growing some type of herb indoors.
How often are they buying plants?
We were unable to find any statistical data about the frequency at which people purchase houseplants. However, given that Millenials prefer easy-to-manage plants like succulents and cacti, which have a lifespan of several years if properly cared for, we can estimate that plant turn over is fairly low. Purchasing frequency also depends on factors such as the number of plants they own, their upkeep, and other environmental factors which are difficult to control for. Given this, our best estimate is that houseplant purchases are a yearly occurrence.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, the primary customers for plants in the U.S. are women. Millenials are mainly buying succulents and cacti, most often for themselves, on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, we were unable to find many detailed, statistical studies, so many of these data points are estimations based on trusted media articles.
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