By John Stanley

There is a change going on in the outside plant area of garden retailing. To the outsider or uninitiated it may appear that the leading garden centers are just changing the paint scheme to brighten the place up, but there is far more to the change than a lick of paint.

What is Happening in the Market Place?

Over the last few years many independent retailers have seen their market share decline and have to ask where they should position their business in the market place if they are to have a viable business in the future. In the 70’s and 80’s many had thriving businesses who attracted Baby Boomer gardeners who enjoyed walking down rows of plants, often displayed in straight rows of benching. Those consumers have now planted up their garden and are more likely to employ a gardener to maintain their garden while they go on an exotic weekend, play golf or spend their leisure time at the local restaurant.

Gardeners are a declining breed, whilst garden decorators are on the ascend. This means the whole approach to horticultural retailing has had to change if we are to increase the market share of the garden dollar or pound.

The first challenge is that, according to research, the consumer expects today’s retailer to reinvent themselves every four years. This means that spending large amounts of money may not be the answer in the future but a time to reinvent and not by simply spending capital. Today’s retailer needs to be a lot more flexible and be able to change based on consumer needs and wants.

The furniture retail industry discovered that to sell more chairs or lounge suits, it was not a matter of putting them in rows with a price sticker but to design room settings and provide ideas and solutions for the consumers. They created rooms inside and companies such as IKEA have grown into global businesses as a result of their philosophy.

The same is true when you come to the room outside; what was traditionally looked on as a garden is now looked on as a room outside where entertainment and relaxation takes place. This change in consumer view needs also to be reflected in the design of the plant area.

You Cannot Please Everybody.

Today’s consumer also relates to their generational group more then they have done in the past. This is reflected in the growth of businesses such as Zara, in the clothing retail industry that targets generation X exceptionally well, whilst Nordstrom in the USA will target the Jones generation with the same success, but one rarely sees a cross over of generations in either store.

The challenge of the garden industry is that we aim to attract all generations, but the traditional plant area layout tends to only attract gardeners; Baby Boomers and Graying Tigers. The aim is to attract as many people as possible and turn them into buyers. This means that we need to create merchandise and display zones that appeal to certain sectors of the community. Obviously the layout will vary depending on the local demographics of the marketplace.

If you live in an area that is predominantly inhabited by the elderly, then you may be inclined to have a more traditional plant layout, whilst those who live in an area of younger residents may well go for a boutique layout.

The key is to look at the marketplace and not your existing customers. You may be currently attracting the wrong sector of the marketplace and the opportunity to increase the average dollar or pound spent could well be with a different consumer sector.

Life is about compromise and the same is true in the plant area. You may need to create a plant library of plants in straight rows for the gardeners, whilst the rest of the community may require you to provide ideas and solutions type displays and designs.

Today’s plant area needs to combine a mix of inspirational garden rooms and conventional benching, in additional to satisfying the needs of different generations. The challenge is exciting and the need for experimentation is critical to ensure you get the right formula for success.

It's More Than the Plant.

Traditional plant retailers often have little to do with containers and display them in rows away from the plants. Today’s consumer are often looking for the “Right Look” meaning they plan to purchase a container and a plant for their patio or entertainment area. The container and the plant are now integral units in the same retail space and need to be displayed as one. One container supplier in Europe this year is experimenting with supplying the retailer with the pot and plant as a finished product, something he would not have considered a few years ago.

Containers now need to be incorporated into the plant area, but to provide for three types of consumer; the “Do It Yourself” consumer, who will select a plant, select a container, and then pot the plant up at home, the “Do It For Me” consumer who wants the plant and container already finished for them to take home and finally the “Do It With Me” consumer who wants a unique product and wants to help create that unique product in the retail plant area.

In today’s plant area, the manager is concerned with integrating containers, statues and plants so they relate to specific customers and can tell them a story that they would like to take home with them.