The challenges of the past year have turned into amazing opportunities for independent garden centers. The pandemic started out as a potential crisis and a threat to the very livelihood of retailers, but has transformed into an incredible opportunity for IGCs all over. Thanks to your innovation, dedication and perseverance, customers were able to find refuge during tough times by beautifying their yards and homes with plants — some for the first time.
As the industry works to capitalize on this renewed interest in all things gardening, it’s time to think big, think bold and think about the future.
All of that means there’s no better time than now to come together, share what you’ve learned from the past year and plan for all of the great things to come in the future.
That’s why I’m so excited for the launch of the first Garden Center Conference & Expo, coming Sept. 28-30 in Orlando. We’ll be bringing together some of the top minds in the IGC world to discuss how to take charge, seize gardening’s moment in the spotlight and move the industry forward. Just like our Executive Summit in past years, the educational sessions will be focused on collaboration, discussion and presentations from your peers in the industry.
This year, thanks to your suggestions, we’re adding an education track specifically designed for vital employees at your operation like team leaders, department heads and managers who will have their own space share ideas and knowledge. It’s all a part of growing together.
Over the next few months, be on the lookout for more details on speakers, educational opportunities and networking sessions. As always, if there’s a problem you’d like to see addressed or a topic you’d like to hear about, please reach out and let me know. This conference is all about you and your success!
It’s been far too long since we’ve all been able to come together, and we want to make sure we do so safely. Rest assured we’ll be doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for all.
We have a lot to catch up on and discuss. I hope you can join us for two and half days of problem-solving, networking and much-needed fun. See you in Florida!
Spring Survival Guide - Spring Survival Guide | Marketing Tips
We caught up with two IGCs and asked for their biggest tips and tricks regarding promotions during the biggest time of the year. Here’s what they had to say.
Since 2012, Heather Rollins has been the marketing manager at Fairview Garden Center and Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. For her, planning is the most important step for spring preparation.
Planning
“Planning and setting our budget is the biggest part of spring,” Rollins says. “We usually try to do it about this time of year [December], and at least have everything — as far as what we’re going to do for our marketing efforts, classes, budgets and everything like that — set, complete and finalized in January.”
For Jonathan Burns, outdoor manager at Tallahassee Nurseries in Tallahassee, Florida, his spring preparation consists of analyzing the previous year’s sales. “A detailed analysis of expected sales is critical to making an educated guess on numbers,” he says. “We don’t want to buy too little, but it’s just as bad to be left holding too much material going into summer. Given constantly changing consumer preferences, it can be wise to limit planned stocking increases/decreases to 15-20%.”
Week to week promotions
For promotions, Rollins says that every department manager, including herself, meets weekly to discuss the outline for their newsletter regarding sales and promotions. According to Burns, Tallahassee Nurseries also has weekly sales that highlights and discounts items that are monitored through their sales data and awards program. They also do flash sales on slower weekdays, which he says are very helpful.
Spring events
Like many IGCs, both garden centers hold events for customer interaction, which doubles as spring promotion. Every spring Saturday, Fairview combines food trucks with educational classes. “We call that our ‘Flora and Food Trucks’ event,” Rollins says. “Our customers look for that every Saturday in April and May.” Rollins says this helps with promotion because it’s an annual and continuous event that draws customers in and coincides with their brand.
At Tallahassee Nurseries, they too, hold onsite food trucks and educational classes, as well as Garden Sip events, hands-on workshops and a Spring Fling. “These events are popular and give an opportunity for the community to come out and enjoy themselves, while also increasing sales,” Burns says.
Flora and Food Trucks Event
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRVIEW GARDEN CENTER & NURSERY
Know how and when to schedule events
“We’ve also learned not to schedule classes on our busiest days,” Rollins says, “especially workshops that have a lot of set-up and cleanup time because when we draw more people in when we want to sell stuff, it takes away from the customers who are already here. So knowing when and how to schedule classes is another big thing because we’ve flopped at that before.”
By making modifications to its Flora and Food Trucks event, Fairview Garden Center meets its promotions and community engagement goals each year.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE NURSERIES
Be aware of what's not working
While Flora and Food Trucks is successful now, it wasn’t as seamless before. Rollins says they had to make modifications so the event would meet their ultimate goal, which is important to consider. The first time they hosted food trucks, they had multiple food options which drew people in, but for the wrong reason.
For Tallahassee Nurseries, they’ve gathered feedback on specific sales that weren’t received, like their buy one, get one free offer. “Strangely, we’ve seen customers generally take better to a 25% off over a buy one, get one free,” Burns says. “This has prompted much consideration into which promotions we decide to run based on the time of the year and specific item.”
Consider staff training as the foundation to sales
Both Rollins and Burns says staff training is their biggest tip for upselling. According to Rollins, their in-depth staff training shows employees how all sales affect the bottom line, and how important it is for them to sell everything they can. Burns also agrees.
“When you give attention to customers and are readily and joyfully willing to help, whether answering questions, showing them where a specific item is located or recommending a plant for their desired area, you build trust that is important for successful business and provides an opportunity to upsell by suggesting plants and other items that would serve them well,” he says. “This mindset helps transform upselling from a sales technique to a friendly, trusted recommendation [and is] something they likely won’t receive at a box store.”
Events such as Tallahassee Nurseries’ Spring Fling offer the community a fun, carefree way to enjoy itself.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE NURSERIES
PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE NURSERIES
The takeaway
When it’s all said and done, both Burns and Rollins’ best advice still comes down to planning. “Planning is No. 1,” Rollins says. “Plan ahead and make sure you have good managers that are all on board.” With Burns however, his advice focuses on the facets of landscape.
“Get your infrastructure in the best possible condition you can before spring hits,” he says. “Weed mat in display beds, gravel pathways, loading/unloading areas and parking lot improvements must all be done while business is slow. Roping off even a single parking space in spring to fix cracked pavement means one fewer customer shopping. Unusable display space or pathways will hurt the bottom line during the intense months of spring. Winter cleanup is a must.”
Wind River Chimes: Wind Chimes - A profit center for your IGC
Spring Profit Centers - Advertorial | Spring Profit Centers
Wind chimes are a profitable asset for your store. Not only do people buy them for themselves, but also as gifts for others, proving their lasting value as a display in your store. Since the onset of COVID-19, people are spending more time at home, and in their outdoor living spaces. Wind chimes add confirming harmonies to these spaces at a time when everyone needs a moment to relax.
We have found that wind chime lovers enjoy collecting a variety of chimes. People who love wind chimes tend to own more than one chime — they can’t stop at just one! Our wind chimes are sold in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles that can suit any mood, season, or personal taste. Your customers will find that there are plenty of options to choose from to expand their ever-growing wind chime collection.
Because these customers love wind chimes, they will also look to them as a gift idea for holidays and special occasions. Our wind chimes come in a wide range of sizes and price points. They can be as simple as a small hostess gift, or as grand as a golden anniversary gift for someone special.
Wind chimes are especially popular in the spring months, as young and old alike head outdoors to garden, play, and enjoy their green spaces. Our chimes are durable and built to withstand all types of weather, so wherever you live, these chimes will make great additions to your outdoor living space. Tips for merchandising chimes to maximize your profits:
To maximize your wind chime sales, make sure that ...
• The wind chimes are displayed where customers can ring them and hear them. Remember: SOUND sells chimes!
• Make sure that your chime display is well lit, so that customers can see the individual colors, styles, and craftsmanship of each piece.
• If your location permits, display a chime outside your entrance so customers can hear them in action as they walk in.
• Include at least one large wind chime in your display as a focal point. Even if shoppers do not buy it first, it will help sell the smaller chimes around it.
• Choose a display that includes shelves for boxed chimes as well as display chimes (see photo). These fixtures allow customers to choose their favorite windchime from the display and then select the boxed chime from the shelf, ready for checkout. The display makes it easier for you to restock and minimizes unnecessary handling.
Wind River™ has been handcrafting wind chimes in Virginia since 1986. Our wind chimes are 100% U.S.A.-sourced and U.S.A.-made. We get our raw materials and components from U.S. companies so that, from start to finish, our chimes are entirely made in the U.S.A.
Wind River™ chimes are engineered for unmatched sound quality. They are assembled with care and individually hand-tuned for superior sound. We look forward to bringing the harmonies of our chimes to your store!
The Proven Winners® National Perennial of the Year® is one of the most sought-after perennial plants each year. 2021 promises the same with the ultra-popular Nepeta hybrid ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ set to take the spotlight. As you make your 2021 plans, this is one plant you will definitely want to keep your eye on.
Why ‘Cat’s Pajamas’?
Even before it hit the market, this purr-fect little package was making a name for itself. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is a tamed version of the wild Nepeta faassenii cultivars standard on garden center benches. Compared to their rangy habits, ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is only a foot tall, best suited to the front rather than the middle of the border. This variety earns its place at the front with flowers that appear the length of the stem, showing color from top to bottom when in bloom. The compact nature of the plant also makes it less prone to opening up after flowering like traditional varieties.
Growers will be delighted by the early-blooming, free-flowering nature of the plant. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is among the very first to bloom, typically showing color two or more weeks ahead of standard Catmint cultivars. This makes it easy to get retail color earlier and to sequence with other Nepeta, ensuring one is always in color on the bench. After bloom, this plant can be trimmed back a second and even third time to reflush with another round of flowers.
What Makes the National Perennial of the Year® so popular?
Proven Winners® runs the largest marketing campaign of any plant brand. The National Plant of the Year® program highlights the very best of each program. National Plant of the Year® winners become the focus of a national marketing campaign that creates billions of impressions each year. National plant winners appear in digital ads and on billboards during peak season, and are sent as samples to influencers and featured on social media. Proven Winners® also offers social media graphics and signage to support IGCs that participate in this program.
Gardeners are budding across the U.S. in the last year! Industry groups have reported more than 18,000,000 new gardeners in 2020. For these new gardeners, having the right tools can be a large key to gardening success.
When new customers enter a lawn and garden retailer, displaying the necessary and helpful tools is smart for your customers’ sales and useful information. Evaluate your watering tool offering and make sure the “must-haves” are visible as soon as customers walk in and again as they cash out. An informative sign showing what to buy for a raised garden versus container garden will be helpful and appreciated. The four essential garden accessories to offer are: a great RainWand, a versatile spray gun, a quality lawn sprinkler, and a reliable hose.
A RainWand is a perfect tool for gardeners to water both their young and established plants. A good quality RainWand will have a shower head that directs water to the plant’s base. A rain-like shower thoroughly waters the soil at the root zone, promoting plant health and vigorous growth. Wands 30 inches in length with a thumb control valve are the most popular; 16-inch wands are great for containers. The Dramm OneTouch RainWand™ is a great choice precisely because of its incredibly soft shower.
A multi-purpose hose-end spray gun is the top seller in the industry and the number one item that homeowners purchase. These nozzles are designed to wash the car, clean the siding, spray the window screens, and even wash the dog. The largest volume sellers are the lever valve style, but the ease of use of the thumb control valve is becoming more popular over time. The Dramm 9-Pattern Revovler™ or the Dramm 9-Pattern Revolution™ with thumb control is the top sellers.
Don’t forget the lawn! Everyone needs a good sprinkler but, when watering lawns, the space that needs to be watered is rarely a circle. One of the most useful lawn sprinklers is a turret sprinkler that offers multiple patterns that fit the lawn’s shape. Putting water only where you need it conserves water and maximizes the water you apply. The Dramm ColorStorm™ Turret Sprinkler is a perfect choice because it’s heavy-duty and will last. Furthermore, The Dramm Corporation offers tutorial videos online to help with set up if needed.
Lastly, a reliable hose is a must to deliver water where you need it. Garden hoses can be made of many materials, but the best ones are rubber. Hoses need to endure a lot of wear. Rubber lasts a long time in all conditions. Rubber hoses do not dry out and crack over time from the effects of sun, heat, and cold. You can expect to get years of use from a rubber hose. The highly rated Dramm ColorStorm™ Rubber hose is one of the best on the market.
Offering quality items in the hose nozzle, rain wand, sprinkler, and hose categories will give your staff the ability to send that new gardening customer home with a complete set of watering tools. Helping new gardeners achieve success will generate add-on sales and create long-term customers for your store.
Sierra Allen
