New research suggests that one in three people would visit a garden centre more often if the quality of coffee was better.

The survey of 1,100 UK consumers by Glee exhibitors UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, found that quality is also the most important factor for consumers when deciding whether or not to buy coffee at a garden centre. After quality, the coffee shop environment, speed of service, price and ethical accreditations influence people’s decision to purchase the most.

The results showed that a good café or coffee shop is key to getting consumers through the doors, with 32% of consumers visiting a garden centre to both browse and visit a coffee shop on their last visit.

Grabbing a coffee at a garden centre is becoming increasingly popular, with 25% of people saying they purchased a coffee there in the last three to four weeks. In fact, one in ten said they only went to visit the coffee shop or café.

Phil Smith, UCC’s category manager, says coffee now makes up 87% of all hot beverage sales in garden centres. “Our research has revealed that it is more important to the consumers’ experience at garden centres than any other leisure destination, including art galleries, museums farm shops and visitor attractions,” he said. Four out of ten consumers now expected great quality coffee in garden centres, giving operators a huge opportunity to drive revenue and repeat business.

Other results showed that the primary reason for buying a hot beverage is “functional”, with 26% of coffee consumers needing a refreshment. But, almost half (49%) of hot beverage purchases at garden centres are indulgences – relaxation (22%), taking a break from shopping (21%) and meeting friends (15%).

When it comes to the most popular coffees, cappuccino comes out on top (23%) with latte (21%) and americano (17%) completing the top three.

The research of 1,100 coffee drinking consumers was commissioned by UCC Coffee UK & and conducted by Allegra Insight in August 2014. UCC Coffee UK & Ireland surveys consumers each quarter to keep its customers up-to-date with the latest market trends and provide insight to add value to their customers’ businesses.