BUSINESS

INDUSTRY TRENDS CONSUMERS WILL EXPECT IN 2022

The last two years have seen tremendous growth. Across all industry segments, companies are seeing consumers spending more to improve their outdoor living spaces.

We’re all aware of the “business” trends happening in our space — labor shortages, navigating price increases, etc. — but here are some you might not have considered. Seriously consider these trends to stay competitive in 2022 and beyond. For one, to keep your edge in the green industry, you’ll likely need to go “greener” than you are right now.

Planting with Natives

This trend has been coming on for a while and is gaining serious momentum. There’s tons of research about the benefits of planting with native species, and consumers are catching on.

There’s been an uptick in requests from many landscape customers to plant native species. Secondly, the recent headline-grabbing uptick in invasive species has consumers concerned.

What you can do: Learn the natives in your market well, including heartiness, what plant hardiness zone you’re in, soil, shade and water requirements for each plant — all of it.

Using Fewer Chemicals

Consumers are beginning to ask their landscapers and lawn care companies many good (and fair) questions about pesticide use. They’re concerned about the use of manufactured chemicals around their family and the environmental impact.

An increasing number of states are beginning to regulate product usage. For example, in Maryland, businesses must follow fertilization guidelines from the University of Maryland. This trend isn’t slowing down. What you can do: savvy green companies in this climate will offer their customers and clients choices.

For example, if you run a landscape company that offers bed weeding, offer choices. Instead of only spraying glyphosate, offer them three options: straight spraying (least expensive), 100% manual removal (most costly) and a middle road where small weeds are sprayed and larger ones removed by hand (middle of the road cost). Ryan Drake, account manager at J.F.D. Landscapes, Inc. in Ohio says, “We have clients that have requested fewer pesticides on their properties, so we have a hybrid program for them.”

©romaset – stock.adobe.com

Battery-Powered Equipment

The recent legislation in California banning small engine use by 2024 will ripple across the country. The same week it passed, a LinkedIn connection of mine shared an opinion piece from a local news outlet advocating the same. When I talked to Cyrus DeVere, CEO of California-based A Plus Tree, Inc., he said they were already feeling the impact. In October, DeVere said, “I’ve got a job running right now where the client insisted we use battery-powered blowers after hearing about the ban.”

There may not be viable alternatives for some equipment in our industry. Some pieces of equipment aren’t “up to par” yet. Others may never be (I’m waiting to see the batterypowered core aerator), but that doesn’t mean public sentiment will change. This is a change that’s coming.

What you can do: Begin to invest in this equipment. Start buying reliable tools where it makes sense (blowers, string trimmers, etc.). You will set the trend in your marketplace since this sentiment is still pretty “early days.” Plus, you won’t be caught off guard with massive bills for new equipment when this type of regulation comes to your area.

Read more at

greenindustrypros.com/21977498.

Jay Worth

Marketing Manager SingleOps

COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC MOWING ARRIVES!

Mean Green introduced the world’s first commercial grade, electric, zero-turn mower over a decade ago. Today, only Mean Green offers a commercial grade mower that can last all day on a single charge.

And unlike competitive “all day” mowers that force you to stop and swap out depleted batteries with charged ones, Mean Green mowers use single fixed batteries to run continuously for up to 8 hours on a single charge.

Reliability. Any time that a mower spends in the shop— whether for routine maintenance like tune-ups (there are none with Mean Green mowers) or major repairs—is time that it’s not in the field. Electric mowers have fewer moving parts and that means less maintenance.

Efficiency. High ground speed (that doesn’t sacrifce quality), reduced downtime (no refueling stops), and ease of operation all help you get the job done fast. Mean Green mowers, with speeds of up to 13mph, are likely to leave gas mowers in the dust! Plus, with their quiet operation it’s easy to start residential jobs earlier in the morning (or finish them later in the day) without annoying customers.

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