How independent garden centers can find success in shoulder seasons

For many independent garden centers, the shoulder season is a make-or-break period.

Rather than accepting a dip in traffic and sales, this transitional time offers an undeveloped opportunity to become a year-round destination.

Industry and retail experts suggest a new approach: leverage solid marketing tactics and focus on what customers want to transform this time into a season of sustained growth and greater profitability.

Transform your garden center into a destination

The shoulder season intensifies competition with big-box stores, which lack the year-round, plant-focused engagement of a garden center and lean on rock-bottom prices to drive foot traffic.

A key to tackling this challenge lies in transforming the traditional garden center from a transactional space into a destination for education, inspiration and community, says Katie Dubow, president of Garden Media Group. Her firm specializes in providing garden centers with insights and actionable strategies.

Garden centers need to use their customer data to create email marketing campaigns that extend beyond sales promotions. Instead, this digital tool should serve as an educational tool that establishes the garden center as the trusted authority with its customers.

"If their emails are only used for sales, then (garden center owners) are missing a big opportunity for education," Dubow says.

This approach, she explains, allows garden centers to provide timely, customized advice tailored to the gardening challenges of their unique market, such as heat, drought or disease.

“Customers are looking for inspiration,” she says. “During the selling season, you can be product-heavy in your messaging. But in the offseason, that’s when you focus messaging on storytelling and push inspiration, routine, wellness, all of those things.”

By positioning themselves as horticulture experts, Dubow says garden centers offer a level of service that differentiates them from big-box stores, as the customer is coming to them not just for products but for knowledgeable guidance. And she says big-box retail scion Sam Walton — Walmart’s founder — wholeheartedly agrees.

“I recently listened to Sam Walton’s biography, and there was a whole chapter on how Walmart was seen as pushing out all of the independents,” she says. “But Sam said there is something that a small business can offer that Walmart can't, and that is service. He said, (Walmart) prides itself on good customer service, but we are not experts. (Walmart) associates are not experts in their craft.

“(Garden centers) need to lean into the fact that we are subject matter experts, and to continue to emphasize that in our emails (to clients),” Dubow adds.

Promote your garden center on social media

Many garden center owners are intimidated by social media, but it's a powerful tool for connecting with a client base, especially during the shoulder season. The key is to shift the mindset from a sales-driven approach to one that is more community-focused, says Joselin Torres, a business and social media consultant and the founder of The Digital Detail.

Instead of focusing on transactions, use social media to share expertise through customer-centric posts about prepping a garden or outdoor space for the colder months, caring for indoor plants or even simple DIY projects. Torres says this positions the garden center as a trusted adviser, not just a retail store.

"When you come in as the expert, you're not just the shop where clients buy things,” she says. “Now you're the trusted adviser, the confidant in this expert field.”

And for those owners who are new to social media, Torres advises not to overthink it. Instead, start small with single posts focused on simple tips, and then expand those into bigger ideas.

“Overthinking it will stop you from starting altogether,” she adds. “Simply recording a short video while walking through your store and offering a quick tip can be incredibly effective. Just be genuine and give expert advice.”

Address your garden center customers' needs

An important, yet often overlooked, detail in retail is understanding customers' unique needs when attempting to maintain a consistent presence. Rather than guessing what customers want, Christina Inge, founder of digital marketing company Thoughtlight, recommends garden centers engage in customer discovery by asking them directly.

"Really listen and ask them, 'OK, what do you do during this time of the year for gardening? How do you keep the gardening spirit alive when you know you're not in the garden? What do you do to get ready for the growing season, and what do you do to put your yard to bed at the end of the growing season?'" she says.

By asking open-ended yet pointed questions, garden center owners can uncover the products or services their customers genuinely need or are receptive to learning more about. This information is vital to brainstorm new offerings, such as classes and gardening supplies, as well as all-season furnishings and decorations.

To glean this information and strengthen client relations, Inge suggests convening a small focus group of about 10 customers, including both the most loyal patrons and those who only visit occasionally. This mix will provide a more diverse range of perspectives.

Garden center owners are encouraged to recruit participants by posting signs in their stores, via email or with personal invitations. A small incentive, like a gift card or a discount on their next purchase, will encourage participation.

For a broader reach, Inge recommends a survey. She points out that there are numerous easy-to-use survey tools available through email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact. She even suggests using an AI tool like ChatGPT to generate questions.

"Ask (AI): 'I own a garden center. I want to find out what would bring my customers into the store during the shoulder season, and I want a five- to seven-question survey that I can send out to my customers to find this out.' Boom, that's all you want,” she explains. “And then you can brainstorm (opportunities).”

Dubow, from the Garden Media Group, recommends garden center owners provide a core program of educational offerings and then introduce new, trending topics to attract a broader audience.

By embracing a balanced approach that combines data-driven marketing, creative engagement and a commitment to customer service, she says a garden center can transform the shoulder season from a time of challenge into growth and community building.

Cultivate customer discovery

Everyone prospers during horticulture’s busy season, but the enigma for many is what happens when that period ends. Jeremy Harrison, founder of OneTable Strategy, likens this to an auto race.

"They’re a long, windy track, and there's the straightaways when everybody can drive fast, and those aren't really your best opportunities to pass," says Harrison, whose marketing firm helps small business owners address growth challenges. "But your opportunities to pass are on those sharp turns when other people pump their brakes."

For a garden center, this means capitalizing on a time when competitors may be less active to build a stronger market position.

Harrison illustrates this point with the story of Geek Squad, a company that built a loyal customer base by teaching people how to fix their own computers through online content.

"It seems counterintuitive,” he says. “Why would you show somebody how to fix your own computer if you're in the business of fixing computers? But the strategy works because it proves your expertise. Customers who watch your content will see you as a trusted authority, and when they need help, they will turn to you. They may even try some of the prep work themselves. And if they get stuck, they will know exactly who to go to to help see them through.”

Harrison believes this approach is practical for garden centers because customers are curious, and they find the topic visually appealing.

"Seeing the things that you're doing in a growing season, in a planting season, and getting everything ready to go is a really interesting bit of content (for customers)," he adds. “By sharing your tricks of the trade and the tools you use, you can engage customers and build a relationship that extends beyond the peak sales season.”

Don’t do it alone

Many small business owners are guilty of abandoning new initiatives too soon. They may send out a few newsletters or make a handful of social media posts, then see low engagement and conclude the campaign is a failure.

Inge warns against this rash mindset.

"You need to be doing this (campaign) for a year before anything happens,” she says. “This isn't to say it will always take a year, but it highlights the need for patience and a long-term commitment. Consistent effort over time builds momentum and trust, which eventually leads to a payoff.”

Dubow agrees, adding that new garden center initiatives, particularly those focused on customer education, may require more time to take root. She suggests framing new programs as a "pilot" or "soft launch" to help manage expectations and allow for adjustments based on customer feedback.

Finally, garden center owners and managers shouldn’t feel like they have to shoulder this responsibility alone. Employees are a valuable resource to utilize because they can provide fresh ideas and help create content. They also have their own unique relationships with customers, which can offer an added perspective.

"Don't be afraid to let your employees go ahead and give you some suggestions or for them to go ahead and (create) content, if they feel comfortable doing so,” Torres says.

And the success of any initiative hinges on a well-trained staff, Dubow says. She advocates for routine meetings to ensure all employees are aligned with the latest developments and know how to interact with customers. A well-trained, enthusiastic team is the difference between a promotion that succeeds and one that fails, she says.

“This is a lesson many retailers, from Trader Joe's to Walmart, have learned: A cheerful, knowledgeable staff member makes customers feel welcome and understood, which fosters trust and loyalty,” Dubow says.

Mike Zawacki is a Cleveland-based journalist and frequent contributor to the GIE Media Horticulture Group who has covered various aspects of the green, horticultural, sports turf and irrigation industries for the last 20 years.