How well do you know the end-consumer? The answer could mean the difference between robust profits and lackluster sales. Consumers may be fickle, but it’s critical to learn more about their needs. Don’t leave it up to the retail garden center to woo the consumer. Instead, work as a team with everyone in the supply chain to develop the best product, packaging and displays to get the sales flowing.
It’s no secret that the old buyer/seller approach no longer works well. In a time when consumer spending resembles a contorted roller coaster ride, the best approach is one of a partnership. Everyone in the supply chain is on this ride together, so make it as smooth as possible.
Pay close attention to consumer trends and pull those into your mix. Look to the fashion and the home décor market for leads. Gather data from marketing firms. Partner with others in the industry to find out why consumers buy plants – or why not.
Plants Nouveau follows fashion and home trends by watching popular paint colors, perusing catalogs — it’s all about keeping current, said company founder Angela Treadwell-Palmer.
“It’s super important to pay attention to consumer trends because in many ways, gardening is like fashion and decorating your home,” she said. “Many of today’s gardeners, and even more in the future, grew up in an era where people redecorated their house every few years. They certainly change their wardrobe on a yearly basis.
“Go to any women’s clothing store this week and try to find a cardigan that’s not gray, black or a neutral color. It’s crazy, but color as a foundation is out. But color in accessories is in big time. Jewelry, scarves and shoes are being sold in colors unheard of many years ago. But that’s exactly where we come in as garden decorators. Plants don’t have to be permanent. I see people wanting plants to decorate and brighten up their outdoor and indoor spaces. Many gardens have a foundation that needs decorating or a porch that needs some seasonal color. In this case, I think we are riding on the tails of ‘accessory fashion.’ Decorate with plants inside and out. Change it out on a seasonal basis or plant for the seasons so there’s something new for every month.”
Certainly it’s a challenge for nursery growers who have plants that are three to 10 years out. But it can be done, Treadwell-Palmer said.
“It’s important for breeders and growers to pay attention because it takes so many years to introduce a plant or change gears in a growing operation, that we need to be watching for ourselves and not leaving it up to the retailers,” she said. “We need to be closely watching other lifestyle and population trends to see where people are going and how they are spending their time and money.
“Just like the fashion industry dictated this year would be the year for gray everything, we need to dictate these trends to retailers, so they can plan for displays and cross marketing. If we know 2013 will be the year we have five yellow plants to introduce, we better come up with a plan to cross-market them and find some home and fashion trends that they complement, or we won’t sell a thing.”
One of Plants Nouveau’s introductions was an answer to watching consumer habits.
“We looked at population trends and how more people were moving into urban areas with smaller spaces, so our new hydrangea Revolution works for that trend. It’s really little, it’s really hardy and it has small flowers,” she said.
A peek into perennials
Ball Horticultural Co. asked consumers how they felt about gardening with perennials, and the results were valuable for breeders, growers and retailers to consider.
The research found that most consumers believe perennials are “the building blocks of a garden.” Does that surprise you a bit? In the survey, perennials were considered a better investment than annuals. And those surveyed were drawn to perennials’ forgiving nature which equates to less risk, said Katie Rotella, PR manager at Ball Horticultural Co.
“We also learned consumers feel like perennials are for people who plan to stay put,” she said. “They are a form of commitment.”
Those surveyed said perennials were a good value because they can be divided. And this revelation points to two opportunities, Rotella said. They can be thinned and moved to cover more garden space and they can be shared with friends.
Some of the strengths of perennial gardening revealed in the survey:
- Easier to maintain (one-time planting)
- Cost effective/good value
- Hardy/lasting/enduring
- Sharing with others
- Fragrance
Some of the weaknesses of perennial gardening from the survey:
- Short bloom time
- Requires education
- Higher initial investment
- Grows too large
- Pruning is confusing
Another critical fact came out of the research: Most varieties are unknown to the majority of consumers, and 50 percent of study participants say they would use more perennials if they were more familiar with them.
Ball conducted six focus groups in the Southeast, Midwest and Northwest. In the studies, recruiting requirements included consumers who had purchased a minimum of $40 in perennial plants in the past year and participants who were not a master gardener.
May the force be with you
Garden Media Group identified several consumer trends that speak directly to the grower. Consumers are finding bliss within “the forces of nature,” said Susan McCoy, president of Garden Media Group.
“People are re-evaluating values, re-defining ‘happiness’ and reconsidering how gardening and caring for Mother Nature bring joy and satisfaction,” she said. “People today are searching for ways to find bliss in everyday life. Being in nature – either in a garden or park or filling your home with indoor plants - adds immeasurable happiness and wellness to our lives. Connecting with nature is a necessity, not a luxury.”
Growers should be aware of what GMG calls “econo forces.” Suburban homes are getting smaller. Young professionals and retirees are moving back into the city as we enter a new age of greener urbanization. Beautiful landscapes and gardens are valuable assets that increase property values and home sales, and help drive local economies.
Take a cue from “color forces,” McCoy said. From bright metallic, energizing blues and shades of green, colors mimic nature and in turn, evoke positive emotions. Pantone’s palette for 2013 forecasts a wide range of bright cheerful colors.
“Waterprint” is the new “carbon footprint,” she added. Look to “aqua forces” to help reach the consumer. The need to reduce water consumption is driving the demand for drought tolerant plants, including succulents, ornamental grasses and natives. Fountains and ponds are getting smaller and the use of rain gardens, rainwater/graywater harvesting, and drip and water efficient irrigation is on the rise.
The cues are out there. Pay attention, ask questions and get help from others to learn more about the consumer. They hold the key to a better and stronger green industry.
The consumer revealed
After talking to growers and breeders about some of their consumer research, we decided to do a little digging into the consumer psyche ourselves. We polled a sampling of consumers from different parts of the country to find out why they garden, what frustrates them about gardening and a bit about their shopping experiences. Here’s a sampling of some of our results.
Hot colors, hot summers
Carolyn Wright of Oklahoma gardens for relaxation, and typically plants in the spring. The 66-year-old shops primarily for perennials because, “I’m too old to plant every year,” she said with a laugh. When shopping for plants, Varieties with bright colors and those that take the summer heat will get her attention every time. And Wright pays attention to tags and labels.
Photo courtesy of Salmon Falls Garden Center |
“I always read the tags, especially whether the plants are for sun or shade. I’d like to know how much water they take and I use the height information,” she said.
Her biggest pet peeve at the retail level? Displays that aren’t clearly priced. Once in the garden she’d rather not water too often and hates pulling weeds.
Wright plans on spending more on gardening in 2013 vs. last year.
“I’m going to do more vegetables along with flowers and some backyard landscaping projects,” she said.
Beauty inside and out
Pam Schafer, 41 of Indiana, gardens to not only improve the look of her landscape, but to provide fresh flowers for inside her home.
“When I’m shopping for plants, I look for something I don’t already have in my yard and something with color,” she said.
Schafer is the perfect customer for an independent garden center because she likes to plant in the spring, summer and fall. And she introduces new plants to her yard every year. But lack of information is bothersome when she’s shopping for plants.
“It’s frustrating when there’s a lack of information on tags for the inexperienced grower,” she said.
Gardening as a creative outlet
Peg Ames, a 65-year-old retired teacher, from Ohio, does most of her planting in the spring, but does some fall planting as well – despite the hazards.
“I enjoy putting in lots of bulbs in the fall, although our neighborhood has tons of squirrels that dig [them] up,” she said.
Those squirrels are the bane of her gardening efforts. “The most frustrating thing about gardening is insects or animals eating what you worked so hard to get growing,” she said.
For Ames, gardening is a family affair. She and her husband, Ed, spend a lot of time on their garden. For them, it’s a place to relax, but the gardening itself is a rewarding task.
“I garden mostly for its beauty,” Ames said. “I love to have flowers around. I also find gardening to be a creative outlet.”
The Ames’ have around 10 different varieties of lilies, as well as ferns, orchids, hollyhocks, lucifera, and several other annuals and perennials planted in the landscape or in containers. After a recent trip to China, the Ames’ focused on adding Far Eastern plants to their garden. They have a Ginseng tree and a collection of bonsai trees.
Ames knows the difference between annuals and perennials. She introduces new annuals to her garden in the spring, and new perennials as needed. She does some research in magazines and books before she goes shopping. But when she arrives at a nursery or garden center, she expects to be wowed.
“Usually I like plants that have a pop of color,” she said.
Ames often shops at small, local nurseries and garden centers, because she enjoys the personal attention and the relationship that develops over time. She likes to be able to ask the owner for advice on whether a particular plant would grow well in her garden. But you can’t always track the owner down, and when that happens it’s important to have effective tags.
“I always read labels,” she said. “I am always checking out if a plant grows best in shade, sun, etc. I can’t think of anything else that I wish the label would have.”
Two things that frustrate her about shopping are a lack of varieties and cost. But those factors are very important to her when choosing a garden center or nursery to provide her plants.
Ames expects to spend about the same amount on plants in 2013 as she did in 2012. She's heard of the health benefits of plants, but not the economic benefits.
“I believe that plants are good filters for keeping our air fresher,” she said.
A fun form of exercise
Chris Nixon, a 65-year-old retiree in Virginia, enjoys gardening for a simple but profound reason. It makes him happy.
“It beautifies the outside of my home, but it's also good exercise,” he said. “The landscape is soothing to be around. When I had a large vegetable garden a few years ago, we ate from it for four to five months every year. Sadly, I can’t do it anymore because of an old back and terrible knees.”
He propagates some things himself for spring planting and in the fall his objective is to add some color. But he adds new things throughout the year.
At the garden center, he pays attention to the tags, especially the amount of sun exposure the plants can take. It's key to one of the things that frustrates him most about gardening — when heat destroys the plants.
He plans to garden more this year.
“I’ve got three new planters to do, and I want to install a flower/rock garden where we had to remove a nice maple because it died from gloomy scale. So sad — it was almost 45 feet tall and provided beautiful shade.”
Explore the January 2013 Issue
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