Axiom market insight survey: 2023 gardening outlook
Axiom recently released the results of their latest Market Insights Survey, which centered on how homeowners of different age groups plan to spend their money this year, and the findings point to a bright and positive outlook for our industry going into this season. If you’re not familiar with Axiom, it’s a market strategy consulting firm that provides market research and more for the horticulture, landscaping, energy, and construction industries. Since our industry began to feel the effects of the Covid boom in 2020, many of us speculated about whether we’d be able to hold onto the new gardeners we gained during the pandemic. When you consider that we’ve also been preparing for a possible recession looming on the horizon, it’s understandable that so many in our industry have been cautious heading into 2023. But the results of Axiom’s survey suggest that we’re not only on course to retain many of those new gardeners, but that younger and newer gardeners plan to spend more time and money on gardening in 2023 than they did last year. Here are some of the report’s key findings:
More than 80% of respondents said they plan to spend the same amount of money or more on gardening in 2023. Interestingly, those ages 19 to 40 account for the majority of those who plan to spend more this year when compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers. Gen Z and Gen Y (Millennials) also said they plan to spend significantly more time in the garden. Another noteworthy finding is that men reportedly plan to spend more than women this year, implying that the younger male demographic represents our largest potential for growth.
When asked why they want to expand their garden, one-third of respondents said they want to grow more plants and new varieties, and 76% reported feeling successful with their gardening activities in 2022. These results are encouraging because they show that our new gardeners had an overall positive experience, so they’re ready to invest more time and money in expanding their gardens and trying new plants. It’s important to note that those who felt unsuccessful listed money and time as the two biggest reasons, not that their plants died or they felt unhappy with the outcome of their gardening efforts. Not surprisingly, the majority of those who said they spent less money on gardening last year reported spending that money on groceries instead.
Independent garden centers slipped to third behind Home Depot and Lowe’s among those who purchased more plants in 2022. It’s clear that convenience is becoming increasingly important when it comes to consumers’ purchasing habits, and customers are seeking out one-stop shops more and more, suggesting that we should all continue to think of ways that we can adapt our businesses to make the buying experience faster and easier. Logistically, the big box stores also have an advantage, considering that you can find a Home Depot or Lowe’s in or near every town, while the number of independent garden centers has steadily declined over the past 15 years.
When asked where gardeners go to learn about new plants, podcasts and webinars topped the list, followed by Google searches. Of the social media platforms, YouTube came out on top with a significant lead, followed by Facebook.
Overall, these results should serve to energize our industry. For years, we asked ourselves how and if we could attract and retain a younger generation of gardeners. Garden Center Magazine’s 2015 State of the Industry Report referred to Baby Boomers as the cornerstone of the garden center economy and quoted Dr. Charlie Hall as saying: “Boomers are why we’re in business.” The trends we’re seeing today show how dramatically this dynamic has changed over the past seven years, and they prove how successful we can be when we shift our focus and adapt our marketing and sales strategies to meet a changing demographic.
