Technology: A Different Perspective - Find your X Factor

Garden centres in the United Kingdom, as elsewhere, are struggling to adopt an effective e-commerce strategy with uncertainty regarding the purpose of websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media outlets.

Many retailers are viewing the Internet simply as a one-stop shop where consumers can locate the product they are after at the cheapest price, click a button and presto ... transaction complete.

This, however, is not the case. A website should be used to inspire customers and provide them with practical tips to help them succeed with their garden projects and to act as an online showroom for the garden centre with relevant product information and slideshows of the plants and products on display.
 

To sell or not to sell … online, that is

The question on most garden retailers’ lips is how far down the online sales route should they be going?

The answer really, at the moment is that being purely a bricks and mortar retailer will not be sustainable in the future as more and more of our customers use the Internet to search for products and stores. Equally, given the product range, the geographical coverage of a centre and the necessary margins, an offer totally based on the internet will not be successful, either.

It stands to reason therefore that the answer lies somewhere in the middle with centres using their online presence to attract customers into their stores to enjoy the offer, experience the environment, interact with team members and be made to feel like they are part of the business.

A website that achieves all of these benefits though needs to be transient, constantly moving and being updated, inspiring customers and involving them in the process. Inevitably most garden centre team members are too involved in the day-to-day of the hard goods in front of them, and this aspect is neglected. Professional help can come in as secondary support to constantly update the offer and keep it fresh and alive.
 

Get social

Equally social media can be an effective way of communicating with customers and driving traffic into the stores. Some of the successes already recorded include using coupons only available on Facebook, using flash sales where a popular product is reduced for a short period of time and exclusive viewings of new season product lines.

Customer loyalty will be built by encouraging customers to feel a part of the business and an involvement in it. They want to be part of the journey and the overall success of both themselves and the garden centre. Ultimately the Internet and social media should be embraced and used with enthusiasm, constant love and attention to update, maintain interest, amuse and engage our customers to reflect the personality of our garden centre. In this way brick and mortar, click and collect and pure webshops will all survive and thrive side-by-side. Remember, there is nothing new in this world anymore. The trick is in re-inventing tried and tested formats in a way that engages today’s audience.

Let’s face it, The X Factor is nothing more than a talent show, but it has been re-invented in a way that engages and inspires the audience. No longer is it simply an act coming on stage, singing a song, telling a joke or whatever and then waiting for a vote. The audience want to be involved with the participants, to go on the journey with them, cry with them, laugh with them, celebrate with them. Not much different from our customers really!

Kevin has worked as an independent garden center consultant to retailers, suppliers, DIY stores and trade organizations across the UK, Ireland, Europe, U.S. and Japan since 1995 and founded The Garden Works in 2001. Kevin can be reached at kevinwatersconsultancy@gmail.com.