Merchandising for today's customers

Published: 29 Aug, 2008

John Russell writes: We all know that modern day consumers have changed considerably from their counterparts of twenty to thirty years ago.

Today they are spoilt for choice, have greater disposable income, and are often time poor. Consequently they have become moredemanding, expecting greater levels of service and services; they are more impatient, wanting instant gratification;they are less loyal, seeking value and the best deal wherever it is to be found. 

They are self indulgent and expect their leisure time to be just that – they want the life style, but not the work. Nowhere have these changes been more strongly felt than in the garden retail sector.

The traditional, knowledgeable gardener we have talked about before is being replaced by lifestylers and beginners, motivated by ease and convenience.

They read fashion and lifestyle magazines and watch lifestyle programmes on television. They know what they want, but not what it’s called. They don’t want to spend leisure time working. 

 Traditionally garden retailers have laid out their store in a manner that suited their traditional, knowledgeable customer base.

They have used signs like “Ericaceous”, “Herbaceous”, “Deciduous”, “Fungicide” and “Herbicide”. They have categorized their product by genus and species, and laid it out in beds and rows alphabetically.                                                                 

 I recently went with my less knowledgeable brother–in–law to a small garden centre in Essex. He had an informal hedge of various plants, one of which had died leaving a gap. We asked a staff member about a suitable replacement. 

 His response?  “All our small shrubs are out in the yard in beds A to Z”!  

How did that help him choose a small plant suitable for a hedge?   

Today’s customers want ideas and suggestions, inspiration and solutions.

They want to know what a product does and how to use it, not what it is called. They want you to show them. They want you to make it easy and convenient for them to buy.

This means abandoning the traditional methods and categories and taking an “End Use” and “Solutions” approach to merchandising the garden centre.

It means thinking like a customer – what will the customer want to do with this product and how can I show them? 

I was interested to read in a recent Glee newsletter an article by an English consultant promoting this philosophy as a “new and Innovative” approach to retailing. Sadly, for many garden retailers this is the case.

Brett and Associates have been promoting and implementing this philosophy for over ten years. Garden centres in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand have adopted our methods and advice and the results for them have been outstanding. These centres have grown and prospered while others around them have struggled.

A great idea? – Yes!   A new one? – For some, maybe. But not for our clients. Together we’ve been doing it for years!

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