Getting customers into your garden center is only part of the job.
Once they’re there, how easy is it for them to figure out what they need?
A customer might walk in knowing they need something for a shady spot in their yard, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know which plant to choose. Someone else might want to start a vegetable garden without knowing which soil, fertilizer, or tools they actually need. Even experienced gardeners can feel overwhelmed when faced with dozens of similar products.
That’s why the shopping experience matters.
The easier you make it for customers to find, understand, and choose products, the more likely they are to make a purchase. Just as importantly, a lot of that work can happen without an employee standing next to every customer.
Make the Store Do Some of the Talking
Your employees are one of your garden center’s greatest resources. However, they can’t be everywhere at once.
Good signage and thoughtful merchandising can help fill that gap.
Think about the questions your employees answer over and over again. Where should I plant this? How much do I need? What goes with this? Is this good for full sun? If you hear the same questions every day, there’s probably an opportunity to answer some of them right on the sales floor.
For example, a simple sign explaining which plants work well in shade can save a customer a question. Likewise, a display pairing tomato plants with cages, fertilizer, and soil can make the next purchase obvious. A few words about what makes one product different from another can also give someone the confidence to choose.
This is also where the DIY marketing approach comes into play. You don’t necessarily need a giant marketing budget or a professional agency to communicate with customers. Instead, start with what you already know. You already know the questions they ask. Use that knowledge.
Remove the Little Frustrations
Sometimes making it easier to buy has less to do with selling and more to do with getting out of the customer’s way.
Can someone quickly find the price? Are products grouped in a way that makes sense? Is it obvious where to check out? Can customers tell which plants need full sun or shade without having to track someone down?
These might seem like small details, but they can add up quickly.
For that reason, take a walk through your garden center as if you’ve never been there before. Don’t think like an owner or an employee. Instead, think like a customer who has never seen your layout, doesn’t know where anything is, and may be a little intimidated by the amount of information around them.
Where do you get confused?
Where do you have to stop and ask for help?
Where might you simply give up and walk away?
Those are opportunities.
Let Your Customers Show You What Needs Fixing
Of course, you don’t have to rely entirely on observation. Your sales and inventory data can also help you see where customers are already making decisions and where there might be opportunities to make those decisions easier.
For example, if customers consistently buy a particular plant but rarely purchase the products that go with it, there may be an opportunity for better cross-merchandising. On the other hand, if a product gets plenty of interest but doesn’t convert into many sales, perhaps the price, presentation, or product information needs another look.
GreenPoint, from Mariner Business Solutions, gives garden centers the sales and inventory information they need to spot these kinds of patterns. More importantly, it gives you another way to understand what is happening on your sales floor without turning every customer interaction into a data exercise.
Your customers are already giving you feedback every day. Sometimes they’re telling you with their purchases. Other times, they’re telling you by wandering around looking confused. Understanding what customers need and how they make purchasing decisions is an important part of creating a better shopping experience. Both are worth paying attention to.
Both are worth paying attention to.
Ultimately, making it easy to buy doesn’t mean removing the human side of the garden center. In fact, it can give your employees more time to do what they do best: help customers who actually need their expertise.
The best shopping experience might be the one where customers feel like they figured it out themselves.
Make that possible.
