Fine-tune your garden center

When one thinks of Denmark, one might remember Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, Lego, islands and, of course, Vikings, more so than garden centers or plants. However, as we saw this year at the International Garden Centre Association (IGCA) Congress, Denmark is all of that and more. From LEGOLAND to greenhouse growers to the airport, there were lessons to be learned at every turn, tips that retailers can apply to their own stores. Here are 15 examples of how the Danes create a satisfactory customer and employee experience, as seen during this year’s congress.
 

Make employees feel welcome from the very beginning.

When the group visited LEGOLAND in Billund, we got a look into the inner workings of the company and how they let employees know they’re valued. For example, when new staff members are hired, they will have a fresh bouquet of flowers waiting for them on their first day of work. As with any seasonal business, employee retention is a top priority.
 

Make a splash at the entrance of your store for a great first impression.

At several of the garden centers, we were greeted by musicians playing traditional Danish music and people wearing traditional garments. At each store, many of the staff members were lined up and waiting to greet us as we arrived. Before we even got into the stores, we had a positive experience that already put us in a better mood.
 

Give customers an easy way to reach you.

At Haveoasen, a garden center with a relatively large outdoor plant area, customers don’t need to walk back inside in search of an employee if one isn’t in sight. Next to a clearly labeled, large map of the entire property and wooden signs pointing to different departments is a bell that customers can ring to request help outside. Are your employees accessible to customers?
 

Manage customers’ expectations.

Waiting isn't usually an experience that people enjoy — especially at the airport — but knowing how long you have to wait is helpful in making it more pleasant. At the Copenhagen Airport security checkpoints, there are signs that show the approximate wait time to get through the line. It’s a concept we saw repeated at LEGOLAND to let visitors know how long they would have to wait to ride each ride. In your store, are you facilitating a less stressful experience for customers with clearly displayed prices and an easily maneuverable store?
 

Examine your product offering with a critical eye.

Peter Vang Christensen, owner of the 108,000-square-foot Plantorama Hillerød store we visited and seven other Plantorama stores, told us that the store’s outdoor plant selection is limited because they prefer having the highest turnover possible rather than the widest variety around. However, they have a very large selection of indoor plants, especially orchids, because it’s a year-round business like their pet department. At Holbæk Planteskole, IGCA member and owner Niels Bergen is one of only a few Danish garden centers to sell bulk stone, rock and pavers. He said that it’s difficult to sell, but for now it’s helping him to differentiate his store from the rest. However, he’ll be keeping an eye on it to determine whether or not it will be a good department in the future.

Give customers many little reasons to like your store, too.

Before leaving the indoor area of the store to peruse the outdoor plants, we had the chance to pick up an umbrella at several of the stores. Other stores offered free coffee and water for parched customers. Dog lovers fawned over Skrædderbakken garden center’s friendly dog, Molly, who made the visitors feel welcome. These were just a few of the small ways they made their stores more memorable.
 

Take the opportunity to create something beautiful out of less attractive items.

While waling through Odense, the congress’ home base city, we traveled through an area where they were building part of the new metro system. The walled-in area had a few “windows” to allow the public to observe the progress, but for the most part the walls were solid. Rather than leave the plain white perimeter walls as is, different community groups were allowed to create artwork on them, which in turn made for a beautiful backdrop that distracted from the unappealing construction scene behind it. What in your garden center could you beautify?

Consider bringing a well-known brand on board.

At Plantorama Hillerød, the largest store that we visited during the congress, the café pays a 6 percent royalty to sell a well-known coffee brand to customers. However, it’s been a worthwhile endeavor at the store it’s been trialed at, since when overall store revenues increase, cafe revenues do as well, but at an even higher percentage. CEO Vang Christensen is considering putting a similar café into all of the Plantorama stores, but is carefully considering whether or not he’ll be doing it as a service to customers or for profit.
 

Determine what’s bringing customers in and when to attract customers.

GardenShop Høsterkøb created its grocery department, including fruits, vegetables, vinegars, wines and more, because it was a way for them to bring customers in more frequently than the three times a year to buy plants; it might mean increasing their visits to weekly or more. The store also sends out weekly Facebook offers to bring loyalty club members in. When we were visiting, they were offering a free rose plant to the first 200 club members in honor of the approximate number of IGCA Congress delegates present. Most customers in line had complementary items in the cart along with their free rose.
 

Know when to renovate and when to start over.

It's not unusual for a store to occupy a smaller footprint initially and expand as demand and sales increase. However, at one garden center we visited, the owner commented that perhaps it would be better to move to a more adequate property and start over; the renovations and additions had altered the customer flow in a way that he wasn’t fond of. Tante’s Have garden center changed locations back in 2003 because of the physical restrictions of the property and the business improved in the subsequent years.
 

Get children into the garden center to create lifelong customers.

This is one point that’s frequently mentioned; but how does a retailer achieve it? During a special promotion time at GardenShop Høsterkøb, children of loyalty club members are eligible to take home a free balcony pot and soil with the purchase of a plant. It’s proven quite popular with customers, and creates a lasting memory for the children.
 

Also, find a way to get Millennials into the store.

They're likely to spend three times as much as Baby Boomers, said retail consultant John Stanley. He made this statement on board the bus one day. The idea is, even if you have to spend a little to get Millennials in the door, you will quickly recoup that investment and potentially forge an enduring relationship with these new, loyal customers.

Create an experience customers will want to relive over and over.

At Jesper's Planteskole, the plants and accessories weren’t the only reason people came to the store. There was a well-equipped children’s area, complete with a playground, two trampolines and a small petting zoo. Inside, tropical plants filled a butterfly enclosure where children and adults alike could experience every step of the life cycle of the creatures.
 

Capitalize on famous local connections to give your brand an edge.

Gartneriet PKM, located in Odense, is the biggest greenhouse grower in Denmark, with 190,000 square meters of growing space. The operation exports most of the 21 million plants it grows each year, and was looking for a way to make its campanula stand out and represent its origins in the international market. So the company created a new brand called Fairytale Flowers, with a silhouette of Odense-born Hans Christian Andersen adorning the label.
 

Think outside of the planter.

The IGCA Congress coincided with the annual Odense Flower Festival, a community event that attracts thousands of national and international visitors. Each year, businesses and community groups create elaborate flower displays throughout Odense that can only be described as works of art. This year, the theme centered on the 150th birthday of composer Carl Nielsen, and many displays were music-related. Two of the most interesting aspects were the containers and methods used to showcase the plants: There were several renditions of string instruments (such as on the cover of this issue), sheet music rolled into cone planters, non-musical planters like tin cans and even rows of twine strung across alleyways to hang orchids overhead.