A Study of Customer Preferences Through Product Attributes and Customer Perceived Value Towards Purchase Decision of Growing Medium by Home Gardeners

Abstract

As the effect of the lockdown and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemics impacted the difficulty in engaging in social engagement with others, more people are seeking out green spaces and increased exposure to nature as ways to relieve stress and exhaustion. Many people have taken up new hobbies as a result of the pandemic, including home gardening. The survey has shown the increase of gardening participation during COVID-19, which is now more well represented by millennials. One of the most important parts for plants is growing medium product that plays a role as where the plants are grown, to serve as a water reservoir for plants and give nutrients. However, according to previous research choosing the right growing medium might be challenging for early gardeners. There are various options available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Meanwhile, Satu Bumi as the new startup producing growing mediums for home gardeners find difficulties to get strong references to optimise the product because there is still limited research in this industry, especially through product attributes and customer perceived value. Therefore, this study aims to provide research insights about the home gardeners purchase decision that covered the most preferred product attributes and customer perceived value. Researchers use quantitative methods to analyse the data through questionnaires by using non-probability sampling with 215 respondents. This research utilised the PLS-SEM method through SmartPLS software. The research indicated that product quality, packaging, and usage instruction become the attributes that influence home gardeners’ purchase decision. On the side of customer perceived value, product-related value and social-related value are also influencing the purchase decision of home gardeners. These findings can be useful to strategize the product development and marketing strategy for growing medium brands, by focusing on the preferred product attributes and putting attention on how the gardener perceives the value from the product.