A competition between flowers and chocolate: Consumer perception on the utility of flower gifts for Valentine's Day from the perspective of perfect gift theory
Journal
European Journal of Horticultural Science
Journal Volume
87
Journal Issue
1
Date Issued
2022-01-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Objectives - Even though chocolate is one of the strongest alternatives for flowers to compete in the market of romantic Valentine's gift giving, the competitiveness of fresh flowers relative to chocolate as Valentine's romantic gifts is rarely investigated in academics. This study addresses this deficiency by clarifying the following questions from the perspective of perfect gift theory: 1) What is the utility of flowers as a romantic Valentine's gift in comparison to chocolate? 2) How does the perceived utility of those two alternatives influence consumers' evaluation toward the appropriateness of giving flowers as a romantic Valentine's gift? Methods - Questionnaires were used as the instrument for data collection. Samples were recruited with a stratified random sampling strategy for increasing the generalizability of the sample. As a result, 444 valid questionnaires were gained. The statistical analyses of ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were processed to achieve the goals of this study. Results - This study revealed that three criteria, i.e., "giver's self-identity", "expressing love", and "practical value", significantly influence consumers' evaluation on buying flowers as a romantic Valentine's gift. Furthermore, the utility of flowers in "giver's self-identity" had a marginal effect on preventing consumers from buying chocolate as a romantic Valentine's gift. Conclusion - The study results imply that "hierarchical value positioning" and "personalization" can be the strategies for the florists.
Subjects
ANOVA | Consumer schema | Gift giving | Regression analysis | Valentine's Day
SDGs
Type
journal article