Garden retail is a great sector to do business in right now. In 2020, the estimated total value sales of garden products in the UK was £4.92 billion, and by 2025, it is expected to reach £6.66 billion. But despite this boom, business can slow down during certain times of the year. That’s why independent garden centres are always digging deep to unearth ways to increase foot traffic, especially during the off-season.
Spring and summer are undoubtedly the busiest seasons, and it would be a business owner’s dream to maintain that level of customer traffic year-round. That’s where the root of the problem lies — but with some expert planning and strategy, you can keep your garden centre in full bloom and thriving 365 days a year.
So, grab your trowel and let’s cultivate some tips to make your garden centre flourish no matter the season.
- Identify Your Key Selling Seasons to Maximise Profits
If you are tired of your garden centre experiencing a lull during certain times of the year, it’s time to think outside the box and redefine your key selling seasons. While many UK garden centres focus solely on spring and summer, other profitable seasons are just waiting to be explored. Whether it’s a specific holiday, a change in weather, or a shift in customer behaviour, identifying these overlooked seasons can be a game-changer for your business.
To truly boost profits, you need to go beyond just identifying your key seasons. You need to prepare your buying and promotions effectively to meet customer demand and ensure you have the right products in stock. With proper inventory management and pre-selling strategies, you can expand each season, leading to increased revenue and a thriving business.
- Invest in Customer Profiling to Extend Your Key Seasons
Gardening isn’t just a hobby — it’s a lifestyle! To keep your business thriving year-round, you need to understand the unique shopping behaviours of your customers. That’s why creating customer avatars is crucial to your success. These fictional personas allow you to get inside the heads of your ideal customers, understanding their motivations, desires, and shopping habits. With this level of detail, you can tailor your offerings to their exact needs, keeping them coming back for more.
But it’s not just about knowing your customers — it’s about thinking ahead. Creating a customised buying calendar for each customer avatar ensures you have the right products in stock at the right time. This means pre-selling and expanding each season to maximise profits, no matter the time of year.
- Grow Sales by Pre-selling Your Seasonal Products
If you want to win the game of retail, you have to compete with the big guns. From school breaks to bank holidays and all the way to major sports events and the festive season, there’s always something competing for your customers’ attention.
Timing is everything in the gardening industry, and with some clever planning, you can extend your peak seasons and keep the cash rolling in. Why wait until autumn to talk about the season’s goodies when you can start in the spring? By promoting your autumn stock early, you’re giving your customers a chance to budget and plan their purchases ahead of time. That way, they’ll be more likely to choose your store over your competitors.
- Smart Buy Your Stock in Advance
One of the keys to success is pre-selling seasonal products to extend your selling seasons and raise profits. But how do you do it without getting stuck with unsold inventory?
First, you need to be fearless in your buying strategy. Use your knowledge of your customers’ behaviour and key seasonal opportunities to guide your pre-bookings and advance buys. By working closely with your suppliers and growers, you can stay informed on production schedules and delivery dates, giving you a head start on your competitors.
But smart buying isn’t just about getting the best price. You also need to be strategic in your ordering quantities. Look for wholesale garden suppliers who offer low-cost minimum orders or the option to split boxes, so you can order just about meet demand without being stuck with excess inventory.
Once you have your inventory secured, it’s time to start promoting it through marketing and advertising to generate excitement and demand. Creating a sense of urgency and anticipation around your upcoming products is critical for quick inventory turnover, but be sure to strike a balance between pre-selling and ensuring that you have enough stock to meet customer demand.
- Offer Incentives to Your Customers
Magnifying customer retention during the off-season can be the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to stay afloat. While it may be challenging, there are several strategies you can use to keep your customers engaged and returning year-round.
One effective approach is to implement a customer loyalty program that rewards customers for their repeat business. By offering incentives during the busiest seasons and redeeming them during slower periods, you can keep customers coming back even when foot traffic is low.
However, it’s essential to be strategic about the incentives you offer. Rather than just providing discounts or redeemable rewards, consider offering extra benefits and convenience for your loyalty program members. This way, customers feel valued and are more likely to return during the off-season.
For example, if you run a garden centre, you could provide exclusive access to expert gardening tips and resources, host seasonal workshops or events, or offer personalised shopping experiences tailored to each customer’s unique interests and preferences. By providing value beyond just discounts or rewards, you can build strong relationships with your customers and keep them returning year after year.
- Utilise Social Media
Social media can be a game-changer for your garden business, providing you with a direct line of communication with your customers. With 4.89 billion active social media users expected in 2023, it’s a platform that can’t be ignored.
By showcasing your products on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, you can create a visually stunning display that entices customers to visit your store. You can also share tips and advice with your followers, demonstrating your expertise in gardening and building trust with your audience.
In addition to product promotion, social media is an effective way to promote events and workshops. By creating buzz through your social media channels, you can generate interest and attendance for your events. You can also use social media to build a loyal following, creating a community around your brand and engaging with your customers on a personal level.
- Create Social Gardening Events
Offering workshops and events is a fantastic way to drive PR and increase foot traffic to your store, but it’s crucial to do it right. To get started, consider arranging events that appeal to your customer personas, such as happy hours, pet adoptions, fundraisers, and produce contests.
In addition to building relationships and trust with your customers, events and workshops help you establish yourselves as experts in the industry. Sharing knowledge and tips during events helps educate customers about gardening, DIY projects, and beyond. By providing valuable content, you increase the chances of your customers returning to your business and referring others.
Education doesn’t have to be boring! Make it interactive, engaging, and social. Host workshops on gardening, hydroponics and DIY projects. Consider doing short, informative sessions on the sales floor during peak seasons to inflate sales and customer engagement.
- Explore Non-gardening Products
To truly stand out in a crowded market, garden businesses must be willing to push the boundaries and explore new product offerings. This means considering non-traditional items that can extend your season and bring in new customers.
For example, consider offering urban farming products, such as chicken coops or beekeeping supplies, to tap into the growing trend of sustainable living. Or, you could venture into fresh produce sales, providing locally sourced fruits and vegetables to your customers.
Another area worth exploring is hydroponics, which is gaining popularity among garden enthusiasts. This method of growing plants without soil can be done indoors, providing a year-round opportunity for sales. And, if you’re looking to expand your product range even further, consider selling gift items such as gardening books, outdoor decor, and toys that can appeal to customers of all ages and interests.
However, ensuring that new products align with your existing customer base or target audience is essential. Take the time to research your market and gather feedback from your customers to ensure that your non-traditional product offerings will resonate with them.
- Partner with Local Businesses
Collaborating with local businesses can be transformative for your garden business. By partnering with a local landscaper, you can offer customers a complete garden design and installation service. This not only simplifies the process for customers but also helps you stand out from competitors who offer only one of these services.
In addition to landscapers, consider partnering with other local businesses such as nurseries, florists, or even restaurants. By partnering with a restaurant, you can offer customers the opportunity to learn about farm-to-table dining and how to grow their own produce for an authentic farm-to-fork experience. This type of collaboration is a win-win for both businesses and can attract new customers to your garden business.
Partnering with local businesses also helps build a sense of community and fosters relationships. You can build on this by offering cross-promotions and sharing each other’s social media posts to expand your reach and attract new customers.
- Offer Maintenance and Repair Services
With the rise of home gardening and DIY projects, offering maintenance and repair services can be a huge selling point for your garden business. Customers invested in their gardens will appreciate having a reliable source for equipment maintenance and repair. By offering this service, you not only increase customer satisfaction but also create a new stream of revenue for your business.
You could also consider adding equipment rental to your list of services. This allows customers to tackle larger projects without having to purchase expensive equipment, such as lawnmowers or hedge trimmers.
Remember the potential for recurring revenue through garden maintenance services. By offering regular maintenance, such as weeding and pruning, you can ensure that your customers’ gardens are well-maintained throughout the year. This not only helps build trust with your customers but can also create a reliable source of income for your business.
Be a Cut above the Rest
These are just some ways to keep your garden centre busy year-round. In order to keep your garden centre thriving, it’s important to embrace innovation and find new and exciting ways to engage with customers. By thinking beyond traditional business practices and implementing various strategies, you can create a dynamic and successful enterprise.
