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SHIFT: The Language of the Consumer By Jennifer Noble
Imagine that you walk into an electronics store. You’re there to purchase a new computer. While you know how to use a computer, you aren’t an expert. The sales associate begins to ask you questions about RAM, processors, and gigabytes, and suddenly it sounds as though you are talking to someone who speaks an entirely different language. You begin to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. That feeling will impact your willingness to purchase and your willingness to return to that retailer. Have you considered this is precisely how your customers feel when they are in your store or contacting you for a service?
SHIFT Insight: Garden Retail Language Isn’t Consumer Facing The SHIFT research tells us that consumers don’t speak the language of horticulture experts—nor do they want to. Our area of opportunity is in the translation between “our” language and our customer’s language. It’s about speaking the language of the consumer first and foremost. It starts in our person-to-person conversations and Connect: An AmericanHort Member Benefit
extends to marketing, signage, emails, and any other customer-facing communication. As an example, we often talk about annuals and perennials—some retailers even organize their inventory this way. These are terms that are well known in the industry, but are not ones that consumers understand. Many customers may know that there is a type of plant that comes back every year and one you plant every year, but most don’t know which is which. more on page 5…
What’s Inside: SHIFT: The Language of the Consumer
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News from the Horticultural Research Institute
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You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato
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The WELL Building Standard’s Connection to the Horticulture Industry 6 Member Spotlight: Stauffers of Kissel Hill
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AmericanHort Expects to Announce New CEO by Cultivate’16 10