Today’s guest blogger is First Data’s small-business subject matter expert, Barbara Roeber. Below are her timely tips to get your point-of-sale ready for the holiday rush.
Plan ahead at the point of sale
Online and mobile opportunities
Throughout the store
Extend the holiday season
Our recent reader poll indicates that some retailers still haven’t heard about Groupon, a social networking utility that has taken the country by storm.
Here’s the gist: You sign up to get an e-mail alert about a “deal of the day.” If enough people buy in, the deal is on—and the special offer or discount becomes valid. If the promotion doesn’t draw enough buyers, you’re not charged. You can get the full scoop on Groupon’s website.
Regardless, you get information about your company in front of a large audience. And you’ll typically get visibility on social networks, too. (Like many users, I’ll post especially good deals on my Facebook page to share with friends.)
I touched base with Groupon’s PR manager, Julie Mossler, earlier this week. She answered some questions about this service and how it can help garden retailers.
Q: How many cities/states is Groupon in now? A: 150 cities worldwide (75 of which are in North America), 19 countries, 11 million subscribers
Q: Who dreamed up this concept? How did it come about? A: Groupon began as a project of ThePoint.org., a site for collective action. When the site’s creator, Andrew Mason, realized there was an opportunity to change the way people shop, Groupon was born. Andrew is 29 and still has his hands in most aspects of the site, from customer service best-practices to the humor write-ups. It’s truly his vision.
Q: Do you feel like Groupon is particularly friendly to small, independent businesses? A: Absolutely! Many small businesses struggle to break through the competitive clutter when they’re up against the ‘big guys.’ We help smaller merchants navigate marketing on the Internet, offering a custom write-up and exposing them among a motivated subscriber base who want to spend money. What’s more, our customers look to Groupon to find goods and services they otherwise wouldn’t try—so the more unusual or offbeat, the better.
Q: Can you describe the target demographic of Groupon? A: We appeal to men and women, ages 25-65. About 65% are women aged 25-39, earning more than $100,000 annually.
Q: How could a garden center best get involved with Groupon? A: We recommend businesses visit www.GrouponWorks.com, our site dedicated to small-business owners. There, they can read case studies, testimonials and more detailed information on our customers, how Groupon works and the types of features we structure. They can also enter a request to be contacted by their local Groupon representative.
The good folks at Campania International are today’s guest bloggers. Check out this take on trends and design tips for incorporating fountains in the landscape.
Ponce de Leon spent his life searching for the “fountain of youth.” Fortunately for us, homeowners only have to search a local garden center to find a special fountain to transform a backyard into a private oasis.
Today when we relax in our gardens, the soothing sounds of flowing water from a fountain can calm our soul. We, too, are drawn to the spiritual qualities as the gentle sounds of flowing water wash stress from our busy days, restoring and relaxing us.
This universal appeal is making fountains more popular with homeowners, especially as the effort to create personal outdoor spaces continues. Retailers are fueling this demand by offering a wider range of fountain designs, which run the gamut from traditional to more modern Zen-inspired pieces.
“Our fountain category continues to grow,” says designer Peter C. Cilio, creative director of Campania International. “Customers want cast-stone fountains, glazed, terra cotta and even light-weight – all types of fountains to bring the sight and sound of water into the garden in an easy low-maintenance way.”
“Water in the garden is an essential element,” agrees John Carloftis, a renowned garden designer. “Adding a fountain to your garden, even a small fountain is a great investment.”
Here are some simple guidelines from the experts that will help you guide customers toward the perfect fountain:
What’s your style?
The most important consideration to keep in mind when choosing the right fountain is the overall style of the home and garden.
“People who love a beautiful garden are becoming more experienced and comfortable with their own styles and tastes outside,” says Cilio. “Whether you have an urban, contemporary or country garden, the fountain should be compatible with your personal style and the aesthetics of your house and garden.”
With fountains ranging from traditional European designs to more modern Zen-inspired pieces, today’s selection of fountains appeal to the broadest of palates.
Carloftis reminds us to keep proportion in mind. “It is everything in the garden. Choose a fountain that will fit and feel good,” he says. “And if you go big, be sure to keep it simple.”
For a burst of bold color in the garden, new contemporary glazed fountains are the perfect solution. These fountains are available in a wide range of colors from vibrant reds and blues to earthy browns and greens. Glazed jar and sphere fountains from Campania can be paired with a round or square lightweight basin for below- or above-ground use.
Consider your space
Whether on a patio or in the landscape, a free-standing fountain can be a mesmerizing focal point.
The size of the fountain selected will depend on the size of your garden space.
"You could have a 4-by-6-foot pocket garden and put a small beautiful fountain at the end, and you've really made an incredible statement,” says Carloftis.
Although fountains can take center stage in the landscape, you might also consider nestling a fountain in a secluded corner of the garden. Tucked away among the plantings, the fountain will not distract from the overall composition. Discovering such pieces, as one strolls in the garden, brings a delightful element of surprise and magic.
What’s your desired outcome? Dramatic or Zen?
If creating a highly dramatic effect is your customer’s desire, the classic choice is a larger two- or three-tiered fountain as a focal point for the landscape. If the customer wants something Zen, look for a more soothing effect in water gently cascading over a cast-stone ball. Discover the allure of dancing water from a fountain lit at night, while entertaining on the patio or deck. Look for freestanding wall fountains, which include lighting components for dramatic night-time illumination.
Low or high maintenance?
Keeping fountains clean and free of debris to prevent algae growth and clogging is something to consider when purchasing a fountain. Smaller fountains don’t require as much maintenance as larger fountains. And remember to protect fountains in winter with a water-resistant fountain cover to prolong the life of the water feature.
Whether simple or ornate, you can help customers create their own private oasis by introducing a “fountain of youth” into the landscape or garden.
The good folks at American Nursery & Landscape Association have sent word that you still have time to sign up for summer school.
No, no. This isn’t remedial algebra. It’s your last chance to join the current class of Garden Center University.
Garden Center University is a two-year journey that has been called a “mini MBA” for garden retailers. This past January, the current GCU Class of 2012 completed their first of five semesters together. If you were unable to attend Semester I, you still have an opportunity to join this group beginning with Semester II taking place this July 25-27 in San Jose, Calif.
Here’s the kicker: This will be the last opportunity to participate in GCU until January 2012.
If GCU sounds like a great way to kick start your business, click here for full details. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the program. But don’t take my word for it…
“One of the most unique aspects of ANLA's Garden Center University is how incredibly interactive the program is. You learn ways to improve your business not only from the professor [industry consultant Ian Baldwin], but from networking with your classmates and by visiting garden centers all across the country. You truly learn the 'business' of the garden center business. I don't care if you are just opening a brand new garden center or if you have been in the industry for twenty years—everyone can benefit from this program.” Mary Blondell, Gary's Gardens (Severna Park, Md.) GCU Class of 2004
“I would be scared to know where we would be today without going through GCU. When we started in January of 2006, our business was experiencing tremendous growth. Tina and I were just winging it. In GCU, we learned what numbers to look at and how to evaluate them. What we learned has helped us become who we are today. I would recommend GCU to any garden center (or any retailer) that is ready to take their business to the next level!” DeWayne Lee, DeWayne's Home & Garden Showplace (Selma, N.C.) GCU Class of 2008
Our June cover story, “You Snooze, You Lose,” focused on ways to keep people shopping at the garden center during the summer. Here are some more great ideas, courtesy of garden center folks from around the country: Debi Drescher, marketing manager, Stauffers of Kissel Hill, Pennsylvania “We host a ‘kids day’ in June featuring activities geared around kids 12 and under. This year for the first time we are offering a direct-mail coupon that went out in early June for $10 off every 40 dollars purchased. It will extend to mid-July. We continue strong advertising through July 4th with 'theme weeks' promoting summertime gardening: one week, perennials for shade; another week, perennials for sun; another week, 'jumbo pots for instant color;' another week 'water gardening.’ For July we co-host a 'garden & water garden tour' in July, which usually generates renewed interest in gardening and gets people back into our stores.” Jana Ashba, owner, Village Green Garden Center, Wapakoneta, Ohio
“We sell a boatload of hostas. The new varieties that come out each year keep the excitement going.” Emily Harvey, manager, Emily’s Gift Barn at Harvey’s Farm, Westborough, Mass. “We find that keeping our customers updated through our e-mail newsletter promotes return visits throughout the ‘dog days’ of summer. As many garden centers dealing primarily with plant material are now seeking out other marketing avenues through gift items and produce sales, at Harvey’s, we got into this industry ‘a little backwards.’ We began as farmers, growing our own organic fruits and vegetables on our 50 acres alongside being a full-service garden center. Over the past three decades we have grown our gift barn into a destination, offering an array of unique gift items and product lines. We use our e-newsletter as a vehicle to notify families that they can come in to pick their own organic blueberries in July, a typically ‘quiet’ time of the season, or simply enjoy a family picnic in our grassy and shady picnic area. We’ve added products such as our own fruit cider slushies, a sweet, cool treat that hits the spot during hot and muggy days; people now ask for them! “We also found that last summer, the first season in our newly-opened Dutch greenhouse, we didn’t have a ‘quiet’ summer. We maintained a ‘healthy inventory;’ annuals and perennials were well-stocked and so were other products, but weren’t overly-stocked. We have learned how to merchandise our plants and products to display the appearance of abundance even when we’re in the transitional stage between seasonal stock. We will continue to utilize the tools we know are successful, all the while seeking out new ways through educational offerings and agri-tourism to keep customers trickling in through a typically down time in the season.” Kim Bird, vice president of marketing, Calloway’s Nursery, Fort Worth, Texas “We’ve promote a Happy Hour on Friday afternoons and offer customers a discount on their purchase. We also offer Callie’s Kids, a mid-week children’s program held at each garden center twice a month to give kids something fun and educational to do during the summer and moms a good reason to visit the garden center.”
Steve Smith, owner, Sunnyside Nursery, Marysville, Wash.
"Probably the best thing we ever did was have a 50% off sale in August which generated a ton of business and converted inventory into cash. It also did a great job of training our customers to wait for the sale. So last year we took a different approach and as soon as things went out of bloom or looked tired they got moved to the "Take Me Home Please" department and reduced to 50% off. I give them a couple of weeks there and then they get donated to our local arboretum so by the end of the season we are pretty lean and don't really need to have a 50% off clearance sale."
Tom Hilgeman, general manager, White Oak Garden Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
"A few years ago we would send out a July Postcard promoting 30% off any one item. We did see a spike in sales during the 10 days of the promo. But about three years ago we made a change to doing more promtions in April and June and cutting the July postcard. The idea was to get customers in sooner and get them back in the store again after May. We found that no matter what the sale in July is, it is easier to get higher return on the postcard in June. So we have changed to a June postcard with a $10 off purchases of $30 or more or a similar offer."
From time to time, readers/friends in the industry touch base to share items they find interesting. The great Maggie Zielinski, communications director at Chalet in Wilmette, Ill., recently sent me the heads-up about the Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai World Expo's UK Pavillion.
This 66-feet-tall shrine is accented with 60,000 25-feet-long fiber-optic rods on its exterior, each of which contains one or more seeds encased at its tip.
The Expo opened this month, and the cathedral has been a huge hit with attendees. But enough words. Let's look at some "way cool" pictures.
And let's thank Maggie for the heads-up.
As a mom, newly elected PTA president and recent Career Day speaker, I can personally attest that kids are digging into gardening. This is why I must tip my dirt-stained ball cap to Burpee’s new program that supports young gardeners.
Burpee Home Gardens kicked off its national “I Can Grow” program by supporting younger and novice gardeners in community events across the country, and by collaborating with the National Gardening Association on the new educational I Can Grow Guide. “I Can Grow” is a confidence-building program from Burpee Home Gardens for youth and novice gardeners that focuses on The Four E’s of vegetable gardening: Education, Eating better, Environment and Economy.
In order to make youth gardening education more accessible, Burpee Home Gardens has collaborated with the National Gardening Association to produce the I Can Grow Guide. This 55-page educational resource offers ideas for teachers, youth group leaders and volunteers on how to cultivate a successful youth garden program. The I Can Grow Guide is available as a free download through the Burpee Home Gardens website, www.burpeehomegardens.com.
It offers recommended steps for starting an edible garden for youth, as well as a host of lesson ideas for school gardens in many subject areas, including science, math, history, language arts, health and nutrition, along with activity ideas for community gardens. The I Can Grow Guide also includes topics like starting a youth garden business, cooking classes and beginning a neighborhood beautification project.
To learn more about the “I Can Grow” program, visit www.burpeehomegardens.com, or visit the Burpee Home Gardens Facebook page at www.facebook.com/burpeehomegardens.
I told guest "voice" Angela Treadwell-Palmer when I read her column as we were producing the March issue that she had everything it takes to do that columnizing thing full time. I love when someone takes a notion and runs with it, and, boy, did she run with the notion that our industry needs to do a better job of marketing plants.
As a result, we got several responses. Here's what Jonathan Pedersen, brand & business development manager at Bailey Nurseries, had to say about the article:
Hello Angela,
I read your recent article in GC mag today and I find many of your assertions amusing coming from a person who markets plants for a living! I do wonder if there is a touch of envy associated with them?
Anyway, that’s beside the point. What I couldn't agree with you on more is the need to start with great quality plants on the shelf at retail. Yes, consumers are after a well grown plant, but why stop there? No good marketer would; it’s really about what else can give your product an edge over either another brand or a generic “black pot” plant. And what’s the difference between throwing away a black pot or a colored one? None! And our industry grows in the pot also so we are certainly not adding an enormous amount of packaging like many other items that consumers purchase every day.
Branding should never replace a great quality plant but the two work together. Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to a company's products that allows them to charge more for a brand than unbranded products. The consumer will show them with their pocketbook in the end. At BNI we have this same discussion with customers all the time and we all need to think less like “plant nerds” and more like the customer you allude to in your article.
All the consumer studies I have seen and done suggest that Brand preference is alive and thriving with all consumable product groups from living to the non. Branding and presentation should not ever outweigh plant quality. And as an “Apple nerd” I agree that they are what the IGC needs to focus there attention on and I believe they have some of the best marketing and packaging to be fond on the globe. That apple icon is where the power of their identity and what there products mean to me as a user all comes together into the BRAND.
Today, Garden Center welcomes guest blogger Susan Harris, one of the voices behind the popular blog Garden Rant. She is also the primary writer of the Homestead Gardens Blog.
Independent garden centers – listen up! Lowes, that big box down the street, has hired reputable garden writers in eight regions of the U.S. to post weekly about their gardens. That’s right, they’re stepping up their online marketing to do what blogs do so well - create community and customer loyalty - despite their being, you know, a big box. (The Lowes blog is called Garden Grow-Along.)
The point is they’re doing what gardeners would rather see YOU doing. Real gardeners would rather get their gardening info from a local store with knowledgeable staff and plants that, you know, live.
Garden centers are blogging, but… By now you’re all being told you MUST blog to survive, thrive, and win those new, young customers, and it’s true. (If you haven’t seen the reasons, here’s a list.) Garden center owners and staff simply don’t have the time or the blogging and social networking expertise to blog successfully, which requires several new posts a week, every week, plus ongoing promotion. I’ve surveyed all the garden-center blogs I can find, and generally found:
The list could go on but the bottom line is that most are failing to win traffic or meet any business objective, like attracting customers.
Hire a blogger Most of those less-than-successful blogs are written by owners or their regular staffers (buyers, marketing staff), and I’m writing to suggest a better alternative – contracting with a successful garden blogger to blog for you. But where do you find them? Open Register asked me to answer that question for their readers and I have three suggestions:
What your customers want to see on your blog I asked readers of the popular blog GardenRant to suggest topics for your new or newly charged-up blogs and they had lots of great ideas. Here’s what they want to see on your blog, in a nutshell:
These gardeners are ready and willing to offer YOU, not the big boxes, their customer loyalty, both as readers and as buyers, if you’ll only provide the information they’re so eager for.
In the March issue of Garden Center magazine, we touched base with some hort professionals for tips that might help retailers sell even more vegetables this spring.
Our research yielded some great advice -- along with this warning, from Proven Winners' Marshall Dirks:
If it’s a grower/retailer – retailing in the same growing space – they should not cross-merchadise. Calibrachoa and petunias are very sensitive to TSWV (tomato spotted wilt virus), CMV (Calibrachoa mosaic virus) and TMV (tomato mosaic virus). We heard at OFA customers complaining about virus on their Proven Winners for the first time.
I listened to them, and then said, “you know, I heard a huge trend in gardening occurred this past spring ... growers were selling more veggies...” They would respond, “yep, we certainly did”. I would reply, “and as a matter of fact, they were even growing these veggies in the same place they were growing their hanging baskets and 4-inch material...” to which they replied, “oh yeah, we cut back on some of our 4-inch product and grew veggies instead with our [hanging basket] overhead...”
This then allowed me to enlighten them on the virus issue with veggies – the viruses do not harm the veggies, but they harm their floriculture crops...
For consumers – it’s not a problem since the products are outside. That being said, I planted Snow Princess with my tomatoes in an Earthbox – it was awesome from mid-May until late Oct.
The moral of the story: Even the best laid plants of mice and men can go awry sometimes.
Earlier this week, we ran a blog entry noting how Lowe's has called on some "hired guns" to take care of the company blog. Not everyone is enamored with the idea -- certainly not John DeHaven of the Home and Garden Showplace in Lima and Findlay, Ohio. Here's his take on Lowe's' blogging plan:
What a bunch of BS! This to me follows the saying by Google "do no evil." I find it very disturbing that Lowe's has to pay people to blog nice things about their store. If that is the case then I will blog about how their stores are terrible. As for the "professional" garden bloggers working for Lowe's I have some questions for them. What makes them so fantastic that they have all the answers? Has it come to the point where businesses must now hire people to write nice things about one's store? Does Lowe's think people will be duped into thinking this "blog" is just a bunch of garden "gurus" who decided this "blog" was where they could relay information on gardening?
I for one am not impressed. Lowe's has forgotten the basis of bogs. Hopefully people will see throught this charade."
To paraphrase the great Sundance Kid, don't sugar-coat it, John. Tell us us what you really think. Were I to wear a hat, I would tip it to him for this quick and passionate response. It's kinda like what you'd find on, well, a blog.
As you approach Easter you're no doubt looking for new plants and plant ideas that you can parlay into blockbuster sales. Here are a couple of possibilities, thanks to the great Danielle Ernest, PR and brand development coordinator at Proven Winners (in her own words, no less):
Easter really makes me think of pastel colors. In our container search, you are able to find designs that are all pastel. There are two designs that really stand out to me as a lovely decoration for the Easter holiday – although some regions may need to protect them from frost.
Beautiful Vista (left) is a container that combines all the Supertunia Vista Petunias (Vista Bubblegum, Silverberry and Fuchsia) and makes a stunning, pastel arrangement that could be planted, really, in a container or the garden. These plants are a penny pinchers dream come true – one plant can easily cover 2 feet in width.
The other that I absolutely love for Easter would be Ball of Beauty (right), which combines Supertunia Vista Bubblegum with Supertunia Royal Velvet and Superbena Large Lilac Blue to make an pastel powerhouse that will make any gardener look like the greenest thumb on the block.
These design ideas and more are perfect opportunities for gardeners to display rebirth at their front door! Happy Easter!
Taking a look at the combinations, all I can add (in my own words, no less) is a rather Easter-esque, "Amen!"
One of my all-time favorite blogs, Garden Rant, recently discussed an interesting phenomenon: Garden centers hiring professional writers to create content for the store’s blog.
Now before you completely pooh-pooh the idea, check out which garden-retail-powerhouse is already doing it…
Lowe’s. Yep. The big-blue box itself. And they’ve lined up an enviable group of (credible) writers to fill the site with content.
Check out what Susan Harris has to say about this development and the rise of professional garden bloggers here.
And, as always, feel free to leave us a comment below. Does hiring someone to maintain your blog have any appeal?
Noted consultant John Stanley challenged garden centers to improve customer service or prepare to see shoppers go elsewhere during a webinar March 11 attended by industry pros from the U.S.A, Canada, South Africa, the U.K, Ireland, New Zealand, India and Australia.
The webinar, sponsored by the National Green Centre, was the first of several on tap this year for Stanley, who put customer service in his cross-hairs -- and then started firing at shortcomings he sees, as well as offering solutions to the problems.
Prior to the webinar John Stanley Associates conducted research on consumers' views on customer service. During the presentation, he noted that the study revealed that nearly 75% of consumers feel that product knowledge and customer service has declined in the past five years. Stanley took a positive spin on this and highlighted the opportunities that this gives retailers who implement the correct procedures.
Stanley told webinar attendees how to engage the consumer and how a loyalty club can either destroy your business or build your business.
The next webinar, on merchandising and display, will take place in June. Stanley provides registered attendees with a password; they then log into the training session on their computers. Stanley e-mails workbook prior to the webinar and also sends a recording of the presentation after the event so that it can be used to train a garden center team during in-store class sessions.
To register for future webinars or for more information, contact Stanley at info@johnstanley.com.au or visit his Web site.
From all the friend and fan requests I’ve been getting, it looks like garden centers are fully embracing social media as a marketing venue. Ah yes! We are indeed living in a digital world! Will online storefronts be the next frontier retailers explore?
We talked about the pros and cons of online stores in our November issue. Not long ago, I came across this blog post from consultant Bob Phibbs: “Why You Should Abandon Having an Online Retail Store.”
Here’s Phibbs’ take on the situation… The easy money online has passed. If you want to have an online store presence, you need to invest the money to be at least as good as the big boys. Just like an independent coffeehouse has to be at least as clean as the local Starbucks with a speed of service no slower, with a product at least as fresh, you have to meet the competition’s standards just to be in the game.
In essence, if you’re not willing to invest the time, money and effort to create a user-friendly, high-tech and ultra-engaging online experience—why bother?
Garden Crossings in Zeeland, Mich., looks like it’s willing to take a chance online. I got this press release earlier this week talking about its new virtual storefront.
“You might say that our goal with the website was to create an online garden center,” explained Heidi Grasman, Garden Crossings’ co-owner. “The website gives customers—both retail and wholesale—a trusted online source for gardening information, and a sense of community.”
Anybody else out there giving online sales a go? Leave us a comment and share how it’s working out for you.