In study after study, researchers have found that shoppers are rarely looking for the cheapest option. Instead, they are looking for the option that feels like the best value.

Those are not the same thing.

This distinction helps explain one of the most interesting observations in garden retail. When presented with multiple rose options, consumers often bypass the least expensive choice and gravitate toward the middle.

Not because it is the cheapest.
Not because it is the most expensive.
Because it feels safest.

Understanding why this happens can help retailers merchandise more effectively, improve customer confidence, and ultimately increase sales.

Consumers Don’t Know What Something Is Worth

One of the challenges facing every retailer is that consumers rarely know the true value of a product.

How much should a rose cost?
For most shoppers, the honest answer is simple.
They have no idea.

Unlike gasoline, milk, or a cup of coffee, consumers do not purchase roses often enough to establish a reliable mental benchmark. Instead, they create value through comparison.
Behavioural economists call this reference pricing.
Consumers evaluate price by comparing one option against another rather than evaluating either option independently.

A $39.99 rose may feel expensive if it sits beside a $24.99 rose.
The exact same $39.99 rose may feel like a bargain if it sits beside a $59.99 rose.

Nothing about the product changed.
Only the comparison changed.

This principle has been observed repeatedly across retail categories, from automobiles and wine to consumer electronics and fashion. Source: Richard Thaler, Mental Accounting Matters

Why the Middle Option Often Wins

Researchers have long documented what is known as the compromise effect.
When consumers are presented with three options, they frequently choose the middle one.

Consider this example:

Many consumers choose the 2G rose.
Why? Because it feels like a balanced decision.

The least expensive option may create concern about quality.
The most expensive option may feel excessive.
The middle option provides psychological comfort.

It allows consumers to feel responsible without feeling cheap.

Researchers Simonson and Tversky demonstrated this effect in a landmark study showing that consumers frequently gravitate toward middle alternatives when given multiple choices.

Source:
Simonson & Tversky, Choice in Context: Tradeoff Contrast and Extremeness Aversion
This behaviour appears everywhere.
Restaurant wine lists.
Automobile trim packages.
Television models.
Home renovation projects.

And yes, garden centres.

Retail Insight

Consumers often use price as a shortcut for quality.
When they lack expertise, they assume that more expensive products may be better products.

The challenge is finding the point where higher price signals quality without triggering resistance.

That sweet spot is often found in the middle of the assortment.

The 1G Rose Buyer and the 2G Rose Buyer Are Not the Same Person

One of the most common merchandising mistakes in some garden centres is assuming that a 1-gallon rose and a 2-gallon rose are simply different sizes of the same product.
From a production perspective, that may be true.
From a consumer psychology perspective, they are often entirely different purchases.

The 1G rose buyer is frequently purchasing:

• – Affordability
• – Quantity
• – Future potential
• – Garden expansion
• – Long-term value

This shopper is often comfortable waiting for the plant to mature. She may be planting several roses and comparing options carefully.

The 2G rose buyer is often purchasing:

• – Immediate impact
• – Faster gratification
• – Confidence
• – Time savings
• – A more finished look

This shopper may be replacing a failed plant, refreshing a front entrance, or completing a landscaping project.

Interestingly, she is often not buying more plant.
She is buying less waiting.
Behavioural economists sometimes refer to this as a time-value tradeoff.

Consumers routinely pay more when they perceive they are saving time, reducing uncertainty, or accelerating a desired outcome. The same reason people pay more for pre-cut vegetables, assembled furniture, or express shipping can influence garden centre purchases.

The 2G rose often represents convenience and certainty.
The 1G rose often represents possibility and value.

Those are different emotional purchases.

Why Good, Better, Best Works

Retailers across virtually every category use what is commonly called a “Good, Better, Best” pricing structure.
The strategy works because it aligns naturally with how consumers make decisions.

Rather than asking:
“Which rose should I buy?”

Consumers begin asking:
“Which rose is right for me?”

This subtle shift changes everything.
Instead of evaluating products in isolation, consumers evaluate them relative to one another.

A strong price ladder helps customers self-select.
Some will choose value.
Some will choose premium.
Many will choose the middle.

The key is that each option serves a different motivation.
The objective is not to push customers toward a particular choice.
The objective is to help customers make a choice confidently.

The Hidden Danger of Mixing Everything Together

When different sizes, formats, and price points are mixed together without clear structure, something important happens.
The comparison becomes harder.
Consumers begin evaluating products that were never intended to compete directly.

The result can be confusion rather than clarity.
This is why grouping similar products into clear collections often performs better.

All 1G roses together.
All 2G roses together.
Premium patio roses together.

Consumers can compare within logical sets before comparing across categories.

This creates cleaner decision-making and stronger confidence.
And confidence remains one of the most powerful drivers of purchase behaviour.

Price Is Only Part of the Equation

One of the most persistent myths in retail is that lower prices automatically create more sales.

In reality, consumers are often looking for reassurance more than savings.
Research from PwC found that consumers consistently place significant value on convenience, confidence, experience, and trust when making purchasing decisions. Source: PwC, Future of Customer Experience
Gardening is no different.

The customer is not simply buying a rose.
She is buying the expectation of a beautiful result.
She is buying confidence that the plant will survive.
She is buying the feeling of making a smart decision.

Price matters.
But confidence often matters more.

Final Thought

Consumers rarely choose the cheapest option because they are not simply buying products.

They are buying outcomes.
They are buying confidence.
They are buying reassurance that they are making the right decision.

The most successful retailers understand that pricing is not just about dollars.
It is about psychology.

When customers can clearly understand the differences between products, compare options within logical collections, and choose the solution that best fits their needs, buying becomes easier.

And when buying becomes easier, confidence grows.

In the end, consumers are not looking for the cheapest rose.
They are looking for the rose that feels most likely to succeed.