Leveraging Digital Tools for Floral Consumers

IFPA partnered with Kantar to identify six growth opportunities for the floral industry.

6 GROWTH AREAS FOR FLORAL:

Blossoming Everywhere
Flower Power
Experience Ambassadors
Augmented Arrangements
Flowers for All
Sustainable Stems

Augmented Arrangements:

The floral industry can leverage augmented reality and other digital tools to equip consumers with greater knowledge and insight at every stage of their purchasing journey – from education and discovery to real-time guidance on post-purchase care.

There are market signals showing augmented reality and other digital tools are becoming increasingly integrated with retail and home design, creating a growing opportunity to leverage these technologies within the floral category. These tools can give people knowledge and guidance at every stage in the customer journey. For example, augmented reality tools can help consumers design their own flower arrangements, offering real-time guidance into how to select the right flowers, display flowers and maintain their health and beauty.

Augmented reality (AR) has been around for some time, with Pokemon Go being a high-profile success story in 2016. AR superimposes digital content and information onto a user's real-life scenario to enhance their virtual experience of the existing physical environment. By overlaying digital information on top of the physical world, AR can provide consumers with a more immersive, personalized, and enjoyable shopping experience.

Grocery shoppers are increasingly expectant of personalization and customization.

AR technology enables stores to offer shoppers a more tailored shopping experience. An AR app could act as a shopper's digital concierge. It can provide personalized product recommendations and timely promotions.

Gen Z and late Millennials are most likely to use augmented reality.

The integration of AR into smartphone operating systems was an important step for democratizing this technology for millions of consumers. As the purchasing power of Gen Z grows, so does their demand for innovative online experiences. According to a 2021 Consumer AR Global Report by Snap, users who interact with products that have AR experiences lead to a 94% higher conversion rate, as consumers can better assess products and form a deeper connection with brands.

Gen Z and late Millennials are most likely to use augmented reality than their older peers and are currently the heaviest adopters of many forms of immersive shopping.

Younger shoppers grew up with Snapchat, which is the most available platform to engage with AR. It has 163 million active daily users.

4 ways to use augmented reality when selling flowers:

Make it easier to find floral products - According to Progressive Grocer, wayfinding AR apps provide customers with an on-screen path to the products on their shopping list. Using their phones, shoppers follow a compass and digital markers to more quickly and easily find what they need and discover other items they might want.
Add fun to shopping - AR offers a way to bring fun interaction to in-store experiences. AR allows floral products to be brought to life by letting adults and children interact with products.
Promote sales and seasonal items - AR makes it easy to turn the weekly circular into a physical in-store retail experience. Imaging scanning floral products with your smartphone camera and seeing virtual coupons pop up in front of items that are on sale that day.
Virtually try on floral products - Shoppers can click on floral products to see how they will look in their home.