Abstract
Abstract
The increasing presence of online plant shops is continually captivating a larger community and casually changing the lifestyle and purchasing habits of people. Specifically, the availability of social media as a purchasing channel in this current pandemic enables a convenient means of buying ornamental plants. This paper aims at exploring the perception and experiences of South Triangle residents on online plant shops and the impacts of the pandemic on their plant purchasing habits and behavior. South Triangle, where informants were selected is the lifestyle tourism district of Quezon City. It is a typical urban community that has been affected by the pandemic and residents have resorted to online transactions. To achieve the goal, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven (11) key informants residing in South Triangle who identified themselves as plant parents. Interview data suggest that online plant shops are perceived and accepted as a convenient channel for purchasing ornamental plants, but informants prefer physical plant shops for quality checks and the tangible experience expressing both cognitive and behaviorist approaches to consumer behavior. Most of the informants began their plant hobby as a coping response to the psychological effect and recreational limitations of the pandemic. Results suggest a significant impact of the pandemic on online plant shop growth and the increasing number of plant parents. The notable growth of the ornamental plants industry now poses the question of how online plant shops will continually thrive in a post-pandemic setting.