Title: Greener green is better - the importance of sustainability in garden centre purchasing. An empirical study focusing on the purchase of plants and flowers based on a customer survey at garden centres in South Germany

Authors: Daniela Ludin; Wanja Wellbrock; Erika Mueller; Dominik Boeck; Karen Fendrich

Addresses: Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Max-Planck-Strasse 39, D-74081 Heilbronn, Germany ' Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Max-Planck-Strasse 39, D-74081 Heilbronn, Germany ' Department of Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, EST-12616 Tallinn, Estonia ' Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Heilbronn, Germany ' Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Heilbronn, Germany

Abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the relevance of sustainability in plant and flower purchasing decisions. The theoretical background is set by the scientific fields of sustainable retail management and sustainable consumption. An exploratory survey of garden centre customers in regions in the South of Germany was applied to give an overview on purchasing behaviour. To comply with the minimum distance regulations as well as contact restrictions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, an online survey was conducted. Access to the questionnaire was provided digitally via a link leading to the online survey. Furthermore, a QR code of the link was generated, which was printed out on small flyers and displayed at the checkouts of five garden centres. The results show that customers are increasingly willing to buy sustainable products, such as plants and flowers. Customers associate sustainability in particular with the ecological aspect of the triple bottom line principle. On the one hand, ecological motives persuade customers to buy sustainable products, and on the other hand, customers pay attention to ecological aspects when buying these products, while social and labour-related aspects were less relevant in purchasing decisions related to plants and flowers.

Keywords: sustainable consumption; sustainable retail management; garden centre; plants and flowers; customer survey; Germany.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2023.135110

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2023 Vol.28 No.5/6, pp.410 - 424

Received: 21 Jul 2022
Accepted: 03 Jul 2023
Published online: 30 Nov 2023 *

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