A cluttered, disorganized store introduces an unnecessary barrier to customer purchases. As you diversify and increase the products you offer, it’s important to keep your store organized with frequently purchased items displayed in prominent places. Spending a little time revamping a store’s layout can result in a big increase in profit. Follow these simple steps to make sure you’re getting the most out of your space.
 

Create an inviting entrance

Store organizers refer to the space directly inside a store’s doors as the “decompression zone.” Ideally stores have an open space so customers can get a feel for the store without immediately being distracted by products.

One way to balance a clean entrance with a sales opportunity is to place a well-organized display 10 to 15 feet in to show customers the types of products they can expect throughout the store. High quality nesting tables are a great way to organize a wide variety of products.

Customers should see premium, unique offerings when they first enter the store. First impressions are important, and these items will set the tone for the rest of the shoppers’ experience. Recommended items include high-quality patio furniture, fire pits, and large, lush plants to help spur creative ideas for their own gardening.
 

Guide customers’ experience

A common challenge for retailers is managing a cluttered, disorganized layout. Take a step back and think about the path you want customers to take through your store. Make sure that route passes as many categories as possible to maximize sales. Rows of aisles, like those found in grocery stores, offer a clear and organized path through the store. If you are working with a circular space, remember that most people turn right upon entering a room.

Consider using freestanding fixtures and high quality tables to efficiently lay out your store. These versatile options keep your inventory organized and offer the flexibility to change layouts and featured items for each season. Shoppers may gloss over large sections of tightly packed shelves, but a neatly organized table could grab their attention so they stop to browse.

Also keep in mind the height of items displayed in your store. Shoppers are less likely to grab large items from the top shelf, and dislike picking up heavy items such as large plants from the ground. Make the transition from display to shopping cart as easy as possible. Consider keeping a few heavy items at waist level and storing extras high on shelves or on the ground. This way, customers will be more likely to purchase items and restocking will be easy for your employees.
 

Don’t forget checkout

One of the most often overlooked parts of the store is also one of the most important — the space where customers pay. To encourage customers who might be waffling about making a purchase to decide and buy, checkout counters should be easily accessible and clear of obstructions.

This is also a great place to show small, inexpensive items that customers are prone to purchase on impulse. Frequently purchased items, gift ideas and small items that might get lost in your aisles are a great place to start. Cards and wrapping paper also are strong sellers near the checkout.

Make sure your checkout counters are large enough to lay down a customer’s entire purchase. A cluttered or unprofessional checkout can dissuade purchases and turn customers into browsers. It can also create a poor lasting impression and stop visitors from returning.
 

Selecting new displays

One of the most important aspects of store organization is selecting proper fixtures to place items on. Not all displays are created equal. Below are some features to consider when purchasing new fixtures.
 

Quality

Pay attention to the quality of the construction and materials when looking for fixtures. These are items that customers will interact with and see up close. In order to give customers confidence in your products, choose strong, premium materials, such as solid wood and thick metals. Flimsy, wobbly displays subconsciously tell shoppers that your products may also not stand up over time.
 

Durability

High-quality displays also pay off in the long run due to their durability. Fixtures are an investment that can benefit from for years to come.
 

Customization

In order to gain an edge on your competition, you may opt for customized solutions to display your products. You can also choose specially sized and shaped fixtures to fit odd spaces, or select a color to match the overall style of your store. Ask potential suppliers about the customized options they provide to see what’s right for you.
 

On-time delivery and customer support

When selecting a company to design and deliver your displays, make sure you find someone with a reputation for on-time delivery and strong customer service. Looking for ratings online on sites such as Yelp, Angie’s List or Google is a great place to start. You can also ask for a list of referrals to call for more background on working with the company.

Misty is the marketing director for Gabriel Logan, which has been designing, building and installing custom fixtures since 2002 and is based in Logan, Ohio.

www.gabriellogan.com

Even in this slowly improving economy, dishing out raises to your employees may be a scary thought. When the budget is too tight to allow the raises that you’d like to give, it’s important to understand how a little love can go a long way.

As far back as 1924 when the so-called Hawthorne Studies originated, researchers began to understand that employee behavior is not dependent on money alone; far from it. In fact, job satisfaction and performance often depend heavily on factors that have nothing at all to do with money. And nowhere is this more important than in labor-intensive businesses. Of course, reasonable pay is the foundation of job satisfaction and productivity, but it cannot do the job alone.

Do you know what motivates your employees to do an honest and productive job for you? On the surface, that would seem to be an easy question to answer.

Many employers would suggest that paying a competitive wage is all you need to know, but research over the years paints quite a different picture.

The groundbreaking Hawthorne studies were probably the first to take a scientific look at employee motivation, but they weren’t alone. Another study conducted by Abraham Maslow in 1943 fully supported the Hawthorne studies and went further by introducing five levels of needs that we humans require to provide satisfaction in our working lives.

While these studies involve psychological complexities that go beyond the scope of this article, they can be boiled down to the important conclusion that job satisfaction and job performance often depend heavily on factors other than money.

Despite all of the studies on the subject over the years, motivating employees is still far from an exact science. Each person has his or her own set of reasons for working and they are as individual as the person.
We all work because we need to obtain something from that work that is important to us.

Here are five things that you as an owner or manager need to know to improve the motivation and thus the performance of your employees, especially when raises aren’t in the budget.
 

Self-esteem

Every human has a powerful need to feel respected, to be accepted and valued by others. This need is felt in every aspect of a person’s life; and nowhere is it felt more strongly than in the workplace. From brain surgeons to salesclerks, the craving for self-respect and recognition is so strong that it can dominate and control employee behavior and performance regardless of financial considerations. Unfortunately, it’s easy for a manager to overlook an employee’s need for recognition and self-respect. Consider this actual exchange overheard between a business owner and an employee passing in a hallway: 

Employee: “Good morning, Mr. Smith, looks like we’re going to have a nice day.” 

Boss: “Fine, thank you. How are you?”

That sort of disconnect between an employee and a busy business owner is not uncommon, and it’s a clear message to the employee that he and his work are unimportant. This lack of recognition preys on the susceptibility of many workers at all levels of our workplace hierarchy who are starving for self-respect and the essential dignity that goes along with it. Failing to supply it provides a perfect setting for the loss of initiative and lowered work ethic on the part of the offended employees. 

Fortunately, providing the kind of recognition that satisfies this important need is an easy task. One of the simplest and most effective ways to develop and demonstrate sincere interest in your employees is to learn something about each one, including such simple things as the names of spouse and children, employees hobbies, or special interests, and then following through with a little conversation that shows you remember them and are genuinely interested.
 

Employee equalization

Favoritism, or even the appearance of it, can be a deadly enemy of positive employee attitudes. An employee who feels that he or she is the victim of favoritism is likely to develop an unseen grudge that can silently but effectively damage your business. Make a constant effort to show appreciation to your staff in a fair and equitable manner. Any indication that you regard one employee with more respect or appreciation than any other is a certain path to negative employee morale.

While it’s not always possible for you to avoid regarding some employees more highly than others, allowing that feeling to become obvious to others is a serious management failure, one that almost certainly will exact a costly penalty.
 

Good working conditions

While some jobs are inherently and unavoidably dangerous, most, including those in greenhouses and nurseries, are not. Still, personal physical safety is one of those instinctive human needs that rank near the top of our subconscious concerns. Employees need to know that management is aware of the need to take reasonable precautions to protect them from workplace harm. One of the most obvious demonstrations of this concern is an ongoing and visible effort to make certain that all equipment, electrical and mechanical, is in good working order and is checked on a regular basis.

Another working condition that can affect employee attitudes is cleanliness. While a greenhouse or garden center is not a hospital environment, an effort to maintain reasonable neatness and cleanliness in the workplace demonstrates a respect for those who spend their working hours in it.

While motivation can’t be forced, it is not difficult to create the kind of physical work environment that encourages positive employee attitudes.

Job security

In today’s economic environment, any reasonable person understands that no employer can guarantee that an employee’s job will always be there. Still, it’s important for owners and managers to demonstrate they understand the need for a work environment that recognizes employees’ concerns about job security. In particular, it’s important to avoid unjustified dismissals which will have a negative impact on all remaining employees.

Employees who feel that management strives to provide job security will be motivated to do their own part by performing at their best levels.   

Recognition and non-cash incentives

A recent report by the research firm McKinsey & Co. on motivating people strengthened the importance of recognition and non-cash incentives in the workplace. In particular, the report points out that non-cash incentives (including sincere praise and recognition from immediate managers) is often a stronger motivator than traditional incentives such as bonuses and stock options. This is of particular importance to small businesses operating on tight budgets.

“Cash is too expensive,” says Dave Peer, president of the Incentive Marketing Association. “It costs a lot more to deliver cash awards than non-cash awards,” he says. Peer reports that companies are discovering that cash is not the panacea they thought.

Non-cash awards can include such obvious things as a fruit or flower basket, or dinner out with the boss. The only limit is your imagination.

Not to be forgotten, however, is the one often suggested as the most important of all – praise and recognition from the boss.

None of this is to suggest that money in the form of wages isn’t the heart of positive motivation, only that money alone is not likely to inspire the kind of motivation that brings out the best of performance in your employees.
 

Respected leadership

A serious disincentive for employee motivation generated by some owners is failing to accept the blame when something goes wrong. A reputation for always putting the blame on others is a management deficiency that will eventually cause employee unrest. Being in charge means being willing to take responsibility for whatever happens on your watch.

In any business, the owner’s behavior, actions and attitudes establish guidelines for employees. “Many so-called ‘leaders’ in the small business world believe that they can operate with impunity because of their position as owners or managers,” says Sally Mounts, Ph.D., and president of Auctus Consulting Group, Washington, Pennsylvania. “Do as I say, not as I do is their mantra. They do such things as criticize employees openly in front of their associates, leave early on Friday afternoon for a round of golf, or treat vendors or customers discourteously.

“If a leader wants to build an atmosphere that promotes positive motivation, he or she needs to discuss problems with employees in a private setting. If he wants people to work hard on Fridays to get ready for the coming weekend, he needs to stay late himself. If he wants courteous employees, he must offer courtesy to others. In short, the person leading the company must display the behavior he or she wants others to emulate.”

While employee motivation may seem too theoretical a subject for some busy owners and managers, others will recognize that attention to the kind of employee concerns discussed here can make the difference between success and failure.

William J. Lynott is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania specializing in business management, as well as personal and business finance; lynott@verizon.net.

On spacious patios, the possibilities are nearly endless. But for apartment dwellers with just a small porch, balcony or patch of grass, options can be limited. As urban gardening grows in popularity, small-space gardeners are seeking ways to make tight outdoor areas more inviting with the right patio furniture.

Even the smallest patio deserves the basics: a pair of chairs and a table, at minimum. Obviously, smaller spaces call for smaller furniture. That makes simple bistro sets a good fit for most balconies.

“Having something that takes up less space is important for a small space because that way I can get a few more people there; maybe I can get three chairs instead of two,” says William Moss, a horticultural educator at Get Out & Grow getoutandgrow.com, who has a small rooftop garden in Chicago.

Dimensions are a starting point when selecting patio pieces, but furniture is more about function — especially in small areas. Choosing versatile pieces that serve dual purposes can maximize limited space.

Moss recommends benches, which are versatile enough to serve as seating or table space. Likewise, ottomans can be footstools or seats, or topped with trays to become tables. Some products are designed to be multifunctional, such as tables with rows of burners or planters down the center.

Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago sells multipurpose pieces like Kettler’s Basic Plus Chair. It’s popular with small-space urban gardeners because it can sit upright or recline as an occasional chair. These versatile pieces are perfect around a chat table, creating a set that plays double-duty for dining or relaxing.
 

Material

Expansive patios may have room for plush, deep-seating furniture, but Moss says smaller spaces tend to be more utilitarian. Metal furniture, like wrought iron chairs, “seems to work really well in small spaces because it can disappear so you can enjoy more of the space,” he says.

He prefers metal for its durability. On a rooftop overlooking Lake Michigan, Moss’s patio furniture faces more extreme elements than, say, a ground-level patio in southern California.

Classic metal lawn chairs, like those made by Torrans Manufacturing Co., have been popular for generations — and last just as long. Also known as tulip chairs or bouncers, these stamped metal chairs occupy less than 4 square feet.

“As far as durability goes, everything is eventually going to degrade, to some extent,” says Louis Torrans, vice president and co-owner of Torrans Manufacturing Co. “The steel chair we produce is powder-coated, so it lasts a very long time and you can always take a can of paint and touch it up. If it’s a wooden chair, the wood’s going to shrink and draw up. If it’s a sling chair with stretchy mesh, the material is going to lose its tension. Even wicker starts to break.”

Metal is a sturdy choice in compact sizes, but other materials — like wicker and fabric — have advanced to handle tough conditions, according to Gethsemane’s furniture buyer, Paula Demas. She says outdoor cushions can work as well in harsh Midwest climates as they do in coastal zones — as long as customers choose quality fabrics such as Sunbrella, stand cushions up at night, and bring them in for winter.
 

Display

The key to selling patio furniture for small spaces is how it’s displayed.

“People like to buy what they see,” Torrans says. “You have to show people how they can use it in their home, so you want it in a small space. If you just set the furniture out on a bare floor, it’s hard to visualize. People want to know what it might look like on their patio or deck or balcony. Display it so customers can realize this furniture in their homes.”

He has seen patio furniture stores build mock fences to create small seating area displays, or block off areas with rows of potted plants to help customers imagine a spot in their gardens.

Gethsemane Garden Center arranges furniture in vignettes, placing two chairs around a low chat table atop an outdoor rug. Displays like these can be the best way to convince customers how multifunctional furniture can maximize small spaces.

“It’s really critical that, if you have a multipurpose chair like the Basic Plus, which can serve as either a dining chair or an occasional chair reclined, you need to show it that way,” Demas says.

Color

Moss sk CUSHIONS altogether and opts for natural-looking metal or wood furniture on his patio.

“Especially in a small space, I think natural color fits better because that allows you to bring the color with your plants,” he says. “It seems that in small spaces, the furniture’s not always the focus. The focal point may be a pot with some brightly colored flowers.”

Dark, neutral colors have long been the norm for patio furniture, while white is usually a tough seller — both for retailers like Gethsemane and for manufacturers like Torrans.

“Forever and ever, patio furniture people have been doing things in brown,” says Torrans, who recently wrote a book called “A History of the Metal Lawn Chair: What We Know Now.” “They might call it taupe or mocha or cocoa — it’s still brown. They’ve been trying to move away from that because people want more color. It doesn’t have to be a bright, vibrant color, but just something different — charcoal, greens, red, tan — to lend more color.”

Torrans’ retro style chairs are known for their vibrant colors. He notes that local color trends usually revolve around sports teams — making blue chairs with white frames especially popular for Dallas Cowboys fans around Torrans’ headquarters in Jefferson, Texas.

Demas usually orders furniture with neutral-colored frames accented with colorful cushions. Red is a constant best-seller with Gethsemane’s customers, as are tropical colors such as aqua, orange and kiwi green.

“They’re looking for that small space to look special, and you can make a small space look very special with a pop of color,” she says. “Another nice way of making a small space look special is outdoor rugs. Even if you do neutral furniture and neutral cushions, you can add a colorful rug and pull it all together.”

Brooke is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Garden Center magazine based in Cleveland, Ohio.

As you're planning your travel for the year, we take a look back at spoga+gafa 2014 and share some retail inspiration and interesting products we saw at the show. If this event, held in Cologne, Germany, isn’t already on your radar for this fall, it should be.
 

The inspiration

With a show this large, you’re bound to come home with many new ideas to try out in your own garden center. Here are a few of the scenes I found most inspiring.
 

More inspiration

EFSA, the European floral and lifestyle suppliers association, put together Concept Store 3.0, a 600 square meter (approx. 6,500 square foot) “garden center of the future.” The space was open and included many elements that fit in well with the urban gardening and farming trends.
 

The People

Around 40,000 trade visitors made it out to spoga+gafa, a can’t-miss event for retailers from all over the world. I ran into several industry friends while I was there, from North America and beyond.

The products

While not all of these products are new to the European market, many are new to us here in North America. These are some of the products that caught my eye while I was perusing the many exhibit halls.