Plant the pot! Understanding consumers’ WTP for sustainability in garden shops products.

In an era of growing environmental consciousness and increasing recognition of social responsibility, understanding consumer preferences towards sustainable products has never been more critical (Behe et al., 2013). As such, exploring the factors that influence these decisions can provide valuable insights to stakeholders, ranging from product designers to policymakers. Consumer behaviour has increasingly become the focus of research in the quest to foster sustainable development, and the purchase of seemingly simple products - like a gardening pot - can be a complex decision-making process that involves various socio-economic and environmental factors (Behe et al., 2010; Hall et al., 2010). This study explores this process through a choice experiment, shedding light on consumers' preferences when faced with multiple product attributes related to sustainability. This study is motivated by the need to assess the impact of several key sustainability-related attributes— an ethical certification, the use of renewable energy sources, recycled material usage, product recyclability and reusability, and product compostability—on consumer choice. By including these factors in a choice experiment, this research seeks to quantify the significance of each attribute and illuminate the trade-offs consumers are willing to make in their purchasing decisions. Despite many studies examine consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for various products and services, the focus on garden shop offerings represents a novel and crucial area of exploration due to the prevalence of unsustainable materials such as plastic, traditionally used extensively in garden shops (Mason et al. 2008; Yue et al., 2016). However, recent trends demonstrate an encouraging shift towards more environmentally responsible alternatives with eco-friendly products, including biodegradable packaging, labels, and energy-efficient plant cultivation systems. The motivation behind such purchases differs from sustainable food shopping, where perceived health benefits and quality assurance often drive decisions. In contrast, purchasing non-food items such as plants and flowers involves more complex considerations and is less understood. Thus, research into consumer behaviour in this context is pivotal for the broader adoption of sustainable practices within the gardening sector. Methodology This study employed a choice-based conjoint analysis to measure individual preferences concerning a product's attributes. In this experiment, respondents were presented with 12 different choice sets, each containing three alternative options for purchasing a vase. One of these options was a no-buy choice, allowing the respondent to opt out if none of the presented items matched their preferences. The choice experiment was executed with hands-on engagement and active interaction to ensure accurate and reliable data collection. To facilitate this process, the experiment was conducted in several garden shops, a setting chosen for its relevance to the product being evaluated, a vase. Given the importance that respondents fully comprehended the experiment's procedures and the decision-making task they were to undertake, an interviewer was present on-site throughout the data collection process. These trained interviewers played a crucial role in administering the choice experiment, explaining the procedure to each respondent, and answering their queries regarding the experiment. The vase options varied based on six key attributes, which were included in the model as dummy variables: Fairtrade certification, use of renewable energy sources in production, use of recycled material in the product, recyclability of the product (represented by a flexible pot), reusability of the product (rigid pot), and compo