In 2024, we commissioned a study into the attitudes and buying behaviour of flower and plant buyers in the Netherlands, France, United Kingdom and Germany. After conducting a survey among over 4,000 consumers, phase II consisted of a qualitative study examining various factors during the shopping experience: emotions, motives, barriers, viewing patterns and navigation in the shop. Consumers answered questions and eye tracking was used to determine exactly where their attention was directed.
In this article, we share the key insights from phase II.
The Flower Effect Tunnel, which could be admired last year at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, attracted lots of attention. An estimated 5,000 people visited this enchanting floral installation. As part of the exhibition ‘Nature into Art’ by Rachel Ruysch, the installation showed how flowers offer colour, joy and connection. And with success too, as nearly 98% of visitors indicated that the flowers and tunnel had a positive effect on them - leading to feelings of joy, inspiration, relaxation or curiosity, while 90% stated that they were in a better mood after their visit:
"There should be more installations like this", "The smell of flowers stimulates all senses, making the experience better", "I felt very happy and was thrilled by the installation" – Comments that do not come as a surprise to us, because we’ve known for some time that flowers make you happy!
The Flower Effect Tunnel attracted considerable media attention and even made the national press. The Abendzeitung paper, for example, published two extensive articles with pictures and Der Spiegel also reported on the installation. Another highlight was the promotional campaign organised in various metro stations and the central railway station in Munich, which brought the message to the attention of an even wider group of consumers.
Research and data are an essential basis for the activities of the Flower Council of Holland. The more we learn about consumers, the more effective we, as a sector, can be in responding to the findings. That is why we collect relevant results from existing studies and actively conduct our own. A number of knowledge sessions are once again scheduled for March and April. Most are in Dutch, but our online Horticulture Trends 2026 presentation will also be held in English.
Shopper Research 04/03 Dutch live event How do consumers buy flowers and plants? And what drives their buying behaviour?
Horticulture Trends '26 18/03 Dutch live event 01/04 English webinar How do consumers view the world? And how does this impact demand for horticultural products?
Consumers & Sustainability 15/04 Dutch webinar What are consumers concerned about? And which trends are visible?
The Flower Council of Holland provides with international consumer marketing and communication on flowers and plants on behalf of growers and traders in the Netherlands. The goal is to stimulate demand by inspiring and informing consumers about the positive effects of flowers and plants.
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