Proven Winners

Dynamic retailers are constantly on the lookout for the next big trend or innovation as they work to remain relevant to their loyal customer base while also attracting new customers. Let’s explore three important trends to focus on in 2018.

Purple palettes

Purple will be found everywhere in 2018, as this calming hue dominates color palettes in gardens, home décor and organic foods. Purple is the new shade of wellness, and it will be sought out by consumers looking to purchase responsibly produced, healthy plants and food.

It’s perfect timing for the 2018 National Plants of the Year, which all fit this pretty-in-purple trend. Retailers have the option of adding the ultra-popular, two-toned purple Supertunia^® Bordeaux^™ Petunia, midnight purple Primo^™ ‘Black Pearl’ Heuchera, or low-mounded Spilled Wine^® Weigela to their purple-themed displays. Since all three of these plants have an extended season of appeal, they can carry the trend from spring through fall.

Curated product assortments

Gone are the days of mundane endcaps at garden centers. Those that are winning the retail game are offering inspired, cross-category collections of hand-picked items they know their customers will love.

Stepping up social media interaction

In 2018, consumers will assume that all local retailers are active across social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. If they don’t exist there, they simply don’t exist. Maintaining an active presence online is crucial. Social interactions are trending toward more live content, including Facebook Live videos, Instagram stories and messenger apps.

Start by taking advantage of the pre-sized social media graphics offered by Proven Winners, then challenge your more tech savvy staff to come up with ideas for live videos. They could be as simple as filming the delivery truck dropping off a fresh new shipment or documenting more complex DIY projects. And don’t forget to share trending Garden Answer videos onto your Facebook page, too.

Proven Winners is ready to help brick-and-mortar IGCs capitalize on trends for 2018 and create custom collections of regionally relevant plants. Get started at www.provenwinners.com/professionals.