If customers are bereft of ideas for their garden or need fresh ideas, who’s showing and inspiring them?
If customers are not sure what will grow in the place they have in mind, who’s telling or showing them? If customers don’t know how to achieve or build a good idea they’ve seen, who’s showing them how easy it is step by step? If they don’t know what they should use to feed different types of plants or to eradicate different types of weeds, or which are the best performing seeds; who’s informing and recommending?
It’s likely your business could be slowly expiring if your store simply puts plants on benches or products on shelves without signs that tell benefits, end use, best sellers, or without displays with inspirational ideas that prompt customers to buy.
Ignore proven retail practice, trends, competition or expectations of consumers and your business will suffer.
Consumers over 45yrs represent more than 55% of garden retail spend. Of this group, approximately 18% are either nearing retirement or retired. These have traditionally been our keen, knowledgeable gardeners with a love of plants. They used to sustain our business but are fast disappearing through aging. Younger consumers coming through who haven’t been exposed to hands on gardening or haven’t had the time or inclination.
Twenty eight percent of retail spend from the over 45’s is either from wealthier mid to late life professionals with busy lives, larger homes or apartments and/or DINKs (dual income, no kids). These people place importance on the appearance of their home and outdoor lifestyle but don’t know a lot about hands on gardening.
Most important however - UK research suggests that for the over 45’s, garden centre displays play an important role as a source of information and ideas and garden media is prevalent too. If they represent the majority of our customers, why don’t we put more effort into reaching out to them in store?
Merchandising accounts for 80-90% of sales, personal selling 5-15%. Eighty five percent of customer purchases are unplanned and impulse.
What encourages these impulsive purchases? Good merchandising! Using techniques to increase product visibility, make product more appealing to customers and inspire them. Signage goes hand in hand with merchandising.
For retailers to generate their own success; importance has to be placed on providing customers with ideas; knowledge and recommendations; showing them how easy it can be; offering convenience and making their shopping an interesting and enjoyable experience.
The merchandising techniques that help to create effective and inspirational merchandising are all covered in the Garden Retail Success Merchandising Manual, complete with lots of illustrations.