Heeman’s Garden Centre and Berry Farm has 170,000 square feet of environmentally-controlled production in Ontario, Canada. As the pandemic wanes, customers choose coming to the purchase a “location experience.” Image: Will Heeman
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, shutdowns throughout the nation required Americans to invest most of their time in your home. Whether their houses were houses, condominiums, or apartments, individuals found comfort in plants. Lots of picked up gardening as a hobby to leave their home office. According to the 2021 National Gardening Association survey, the market acquired 18 million new gardeners throughout the pandemic. A number of them are here to stay.
“Sometimes getting outdoors is a requirement for your psychological health,” states Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard, customer horticulturalist for Louisiana State University. “In some cases you can’t take one more Zoom call.”
Due to all the new garden enthusiasts, growers and merchants are altering their organization operations. They are dealing with the consumers’ needs, consisting of online shopping and plant care videos on YouTube.
Customer Trends
Katie Dubow, President of Garden Media Group, shares a number of patterns from the 2023 Garden Trends Report. The pattern called “Accessible Gardening” is tailored towards the boomer generation, Dubow says. Numerous growers and merchants are concentrating on millennials, but they ought to likewise make gardening more available for the older generations, such as offering plants for raised beds and container gardens.
“PlantTok” notes the importance of TikTok and how it influences consumers, Dubow says. Commerce is moving toward “Shoppertainment,” which amuses, enables, and links the consumer to permit fast product discovery and transaction, she states.
Dr. Alicia Rihn, Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, states the more youthful generation describes themselves as “plant parents” rather of garden enthusiasts. They look online initially for information, so she suggests growers and merchants have updated sites and recent photos. QR codes on plant tags can assist shoppers learn more about the plant, such as whether it belongs in the sun or shade.
Consumers take pleasure in ordering plants online and the in-store experience, Kirk-Ballard states. Garden centers with a picnic location, café, and a play space for kids are particularly attractive. These garden focuses use the “location experience,” she says.
As for the trends, Kirk-Ballard sees increased interest in tropical plants, foliage plants, locals, and pollinator-friendly plants.
Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard heads the marketing committee for the National Initiative for Customer Cultivation (NICH). Above is one of NICH’s graphics to educate customers. Image: Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard
Growers, Merchants Accommodate Consumer Needs
As inflation causes prices to increase throughout the board, Heeman’s Garden Centre and Strawberry Farm in Ontario, Canada, is looking to keep its costs low. It is making gardening inexpensive for the average consumer by avoiding specific niche genes and liners. Will Heeman says customers are trying to find more affordable plants, such as $12 rather than $40. Numerous consumers drive an hour or more to visit Heeman’s for the destination experience.
“They come for the plants however stay for the hard cider,” Heeman says of his customers.
Heeman’s has more than 43,000 followers on Instagram, where the social networks group uses updates on sales and growing ideas. Pre- and post-sale interactions are simply as essential as the in-store experience, Heeman says.
“Social network is not about return on investment (ROI), it has to do with ROR. It’s about the return on relationship,” he says.
Sid Raisch, President of seeking advice from firm Horticultural Benefit, says customers are searching for both location garden centers and e-commerce. Numerous garden centers did not provide any direct-to-consumer choices till the start of the pandemic. Although buying online for regional pickup and delivery was brand-new for many garden centers, Raisch states it is still going strong for customers who have actually settled into convenience. Numerous garden centers abandoned the effort, however others are taking the opportunity to tune up their efforts to become more pandemic-proof for the future, he says.
Metrolina Studies Consumers
The House Garden Panel is a customer research division of Metrolina Greenhouses to offer consumers what they require. The grower utilizes survey technology service provider Qualtrics to conduct 14 surveys each year, says Consumer Research Manager Lauren Kenworthy.
“Our main objective is to much better understand our customers’ entire journey when it concerns live plants, from pre-purchase research study and preparation, to how they shop in store, to their desires, requires, and expectations when it comes to plants (as well as feature/benefit and visual drivers), and how they use them in their gardens and navigate difficulties post-purchase,” Kenworthy says.
Survey outcomes show that visual appeals are the primary chauffeur for purchases. Quality is likewise non-negotiable, she notes. About 62% of respondents state they research study plants before purchase. Search engines like Yahoo and google! are the top sources, however more consumers are utilizing video-based material like YouTube.
In a recent webinar entitled “How Long Will the Consumer Plant-Buying Spree Continue,” part of Greenhouse Grower’s GROW Executive Series, Co-CEO of Metrolina Greenhouses Abe Van Wingerden noted the value of an omni-channel retail technique. This integrates all retail channels to use clients a smooth shopping experience. Online company consists of purchasing online and getting plants in-store and direct-to-consumer shipping.
“They’re doing it because they have the ability to charge consumers [more online],” Van Wingerden states. “What they would pay $10 for in the shop, they want to pay $30 online for the sheer benefit of not having to go to the store. You can generate dollars a lot quicker online than you can in the shop.”
It is clear that consumers have actually changed their shopping routines due to the pandemic, but now growers and retailers are learning to do the same.
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Why Gardening Is Here to Stay in the “New Normal”
Julie Hullett is Managing Editor of Greenhouse Grower. See all author stories here.