Mailorder Shoppers Are Happy Gardeners

A new survey commissioned by the Mailorder Gardening Association (MGA) reveals that consumers who shop for gardening products by mail and online are remarkable happy campers—make that gardeners. A nearly unanimous 97% of mailorder gardening shoppers said their merchandise arrived on time, and 96% said it arrived in good condition. Furthermore, 95% of mailorder garden shoppers were very or somewhat satisfied with the way the seeds, bulbs and plants they ordered grew in their gardens. An equal percentage (95%) of mailorder customers were very or somewhat satisfied with the way their gardening products and supplies performed.

A full 90% of all mailorder gardening shoppers had no complaints whatsoever about their dealings with the MGA-member mailorder catalogs and websites from which they ordered gardening products.

“As you might imagine, we’re delighted with the results of the recent survey of Mailorder Gardening Association-member customers,” said Leo Vandervlugt, president of the Mailorder Gardening Association. “The garden catalogs and websites that are members of our association are doing a fabulous job of keeping their customers satisfied. Truly, mailorder gardening customers must be the happiest shoppers in the world.”

According to the survey, 80% of all American households participate in one or more types of gardening. Not surprisingly, households that purchase gardening products from mailorder catalogs and websites tend to be the most avid gardeners, participating in all types of lawn and garden activities at a rate that is 50% higher than the national average.

The typical mailorder garden customer has been gardening for nearly 20 years and orders from garden catalogs because of the unique, high-quality merchandise not available elsewhere and the convenience of being able to shop from home. The average age of a mailorder gardener is 50 years old, and the average annual household income is $63,000. Two-thirds of the survey respondents were women.

The most popular garden products purchased by mail and online were seeds (69%), live plants (68%), bulbs (60%), books and magazines (40%), tools and hardware (37%) and consumable supplies, such as fertilizer and insect controls, (31%). Gardening aids—such as seed starters, watering products and composting equipment—were purchased by 29% of the mailorder shoppers surveyed, while gifts and decorative items with a gardening theme were purchased by 27% of those surveyed.

The most popular gardening activities for mailorder gardeners were flower gardening (95%), vegetable gardening (72%), lawn care (71%), houseplant care (71%), container gardening (64%) and landscaping (59%).

The survey was conducted in November and December 2002 by the National Gardening Association and commissioned by the Mailorder Gardening Association (MGA). More than 6,000 customers who had bought products from MGA-member catalogs and websites responded to the survey, making it the largest survey of mailorder gardening customers ever conducted.

“The survey results provide fascinating insight into mailorder customer gardening practices, product purchases, motivation, satisfaction, attitudes and demographics,” said Bruce Butterfield, National Gardening Association Research Director. “We found that mailorder gardening customers are extremely satisfied with their purchases and, because of that, are very likely to purchase from the same catalog or website again.”

For more information about mailorder gardening and mailorder garden catalogs, visit the MGA’s website at www.mailordergardening.com. You can also get a copy of the MGA’s Garden Catalog Guide, which contains helpful gardening tips plus information about more than 125 garden catalogs and magazines, by sending $2 to: Mailorder Gardening Association, Dept. SC-44, 5836 Rockburn Woods Way, Elkridge, MD 21075.

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Why Gardeners Order Products By Mail

According to the recent survey of Mailorder Gardening Association member customers, these are the top reasons that shoppers order gardening products by mail and online:

1. Unique merchandise not available elsewhere (59%)

2. High-quality merchandise (51%)

3. Convenience (50%)

4. Reasonable prices (45%)

5. Purchased from company in the past (41%).

For more information about mailorder garden catalogs and websites, visit the MGA’s website at www.mailordergardening.com.