Throughout the quarantine, members of Generations Z and X, as well as millennials, were all looking for new hobbies to take up to pass their increased time at home. Many turned to gardening, making this passion one of the new American pastimes of 2020.

How the Pandemic Sprouted this New American Pastime

According to Chain Store Age, "Gen Z (ages 18–23), millennials (ages 24–39) and Gen X (ages 40–55) all increased their share of spending on home and garden products. Share of spending on these items — such as tools, plants and flowers — grew by 40% among Gen Z, 4% among millennials and 2% among Gen X week-​over-​week in the week ended April 25." Home and garden sales were also on the rise during this time as American pastimes were being called into question because of social distancing. Creating something in a time of turmoil can give people a sense of accomplishment, happiness, and pride, and that's exactly what creating plant life has done for these consumers.

While this newfound American pastime may have taken root during the quarantine, these consumers will now want to maintain their gardens and plant boxes, even as they slowly begin returning to their normal lives. After all, they can't just let all their hard work go to waste and watch their progress literally die around them. Many Americans still plan to spend most of their time in their homes until they are sure that the worst of COVID-​19 is behind us. This means they still have plenty of time to maintain their plants for the foreseeable future and beyond as they continue to become invested in the latest American pastime. And even when they aren't spending the majority of their time at home, gardens do not need constant attention. Once consumers have taken the time during quarantine to master how to care for their plants, it will be smooth sailing, even after things return to normal.

Since gardening is a new hobby for many of these up and coming Gardeners, they've likely been spending a considerable amount of time online, both ordering their plants and learning how to take care of them. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, Gardeners took action after seeing sponsored search results, ads on daily deals sites such as Groupon and internet banner ads.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on garden centers/​nurseries and department stores, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.