THE ROOM OUTSIDE
many I have not focused on. But one other area is in the increasing sales of ready-made items to decorate the garden. There is a trend away from lines with difficult or awkward looking assembly towards those that are ready-to-go straight out of the box or can be bought already made up, brought from shop to car to garden immediately. With furniture, barbecues and other garden leisure lines, again the suppliers have tried to make assembly instructions as easy and clear as possible, with many sections being pre-made in the factory already. I think it is fair to say that some of this is driven by the easy-to-follow instructions used by other well-known assembly-focussed retailers.
This trend towards instant gratification stretches into all aspects of retail.
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Plants such as petunias, begonias and geraniums for example are being looked for ― in season ― by customers who do not want to wait until late summer to have a bold showing of colour from their favourite bedding plant. Again, this is being well catered for by some wholesale nurseries and these lines can be sold at a premium, as they do not have the ‘known’ price tag of bedding packs or of ‘standard’ sized plants. There was certainly a little hiccup last year with supply due to the pandemic but the need for such a product was still very evident – perhaps even more so. Although sadly, the stock was not easy to source for obvious and understandable reasons. Hopefully 2021 will see a renewal of supply and an increase in sales – be prepared!
… and the rest It is not just bedding and instant colour that is benefitting from this new trend towards bigger plants. There is also increased interest in larger specimens of most other plants as impatient gardeners choose not to wait a few years for plants to grow to an acceptable size but want them practically fully grown if nurseries would oblige and budgets would allow. In reality, the movement is more towards a size or two larger than the norm, so shrubs and perennials that were sold in two or three litre pots are now looked for in a four or five litre size. Or plants such as Japanese Maple for example that customers were happy to buy at 60cm high are now looked for more often as 100cm specimens or larger. It is worth saying at this point that there
will always be a need for ‘normal’ sized plants. This is just a way of appealing to a different type of customer whose profile is on the increase. It is no different that having a ‘Better and Best’ in a pair of secateurs for example. It is more about giving the customer what they want, or at least the option, and the added benefit for the retailer is increased cash profit.
Ready-to-use gardening This very same trend is taking place with dry goods and garden care products too. There has been an increased interest in the wellknown ready-mixed and ready-to-be-used products for pest and weed control. Also in pre-made boxes of flower seed as scatter packs. The latter can be simply shaken into flower beds for summer colour. And there are also trendy mixes such as those for bees and wildlife or wildflower mixes. These are less about instant gardening and more about easy-to-use and quick-topurchase lines that require less thought by the customer but fall into the same sales category and thought process. For flower bulb sales the new vision of gardening has shown up in a slightly different but related way. Customers now pick pre-mixed packets of bulbs based on the promise of a photograph on the pack more so than looking up different varieties themselves and choosing a bespoke mix from individual packs – this process is quicker and to many, more rewarding.
Ready-made garden décor This trend towards instant gratification stretches into all aspects of retail including
Respond in kind Those are just a few examples of how we can cater towards this new breed of gardening shopper, whose time, patience and attention span is much different to traditional gardeners, and retailers must respond in kind. Those traditional gardeners are still around of course and there is a new generation of that breed on the rise too. But that discussion is for another day. Do we need a call for ‘Slow Gardening’ akin to the ‘Slow Food’ movement? Now, more than ever, retailers need to try to be all things to all people and keep every single potential customer who enters their shop happy. You can call it pandering if you like but if we are doing things legally, ethically and correctly then we should only concern ourselves with one thing – and that is revenue. Liam
About Liam Since establishing Retail Services & Solutions in 2007, Liam has become one of the most influential people within the retail side of Irish horticulture. His knowledge of the mindset and ethos of those in this sector, combined with his problem-solving ability, experience and hands-on work ethic make him uniquely placed to offer advice and help to those who need it. Key to his success is his knowledge of purchasing, pricing and sales combined with his understanding of layout, signage and merchandising, and how the interaction of these can lead to increased sales and profits. Liam Kelly. Retail Services & Solutions. Garden Centre Design & Consultancy, 086 8221494, 059 9130176 lksolutions@eircom.net
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