garden wildlife
Increasing awareness and sales
Many species of garden wildlife have been in decline for years. GCUasked category experts about the products on the market attempting to arrest the slide
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s consumer awareness grows of the plight of traditional garden wildlife, including key pollinators, products which offer them greater protection have grown in popularity.
Wildlife World marketing manager James Allan comments: “Sales of our wildlife products have increased significantly over the past 12 months due to more awareness being made around the decline of wildlife habitats.” That decline has been dramatic in some areas. “People are now aware that the decline in bees is a major factor and with the knowledge now available around bees more and more people are becoming accustomed to adding a bee habitat to their gardens,” James explains. “Somewhat alarmingly, half of bee hives have died out in the last 20 years, and hedgehogs have declined to one million from 36 million 60 years ago.”
It does mean that as consumers become more aware of the extent of the problem, it has allowed retailers to benefit with the growth in these product areas. James continues: “Solitary bee products have continued to grow over the past few years, this has also followed the trend of hedgehog habitats as well as other species in decline. So there is a continued demand for hedgehog habitat and food, and bee and bug biomes are now very popular and available in different sizes, designs and formats such as insect hotels.”
Wild bird care is another area which has benefited from increased consumer attention. With the colder weather approaching, Gardman is encouraging retailers to get wild bird care departments in top shape to maximise the key sales period. The company adds that using point of sale solutions in key areas of the store will help convert browsing customers to buyers.
Gardman director of business development Lolly Lee comments: “Around 80% of all till
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purchases are impulse, so the importance of effective merchandising techniques cannot be emphasised enough.”
Oaktree Garden Centre & Nursery at Bracknell in Berkshire is among a number of garden centres which have set up special displays to help drive wild bird care sales this autumn. Working with Gardman’s marketing department, the centre gave its foyer a seasonal wild bird care makeover to wow customers as they entered the store, Gardman says.
Oaktree general manager Phil Went explains: “We wanted to create a compelling autumnal entrance display that would generate impulse sales and also entice customers to visit our wild bird care section instore. Gardman’s visual merchandising team managed the coordination of this fantastic theatre display and the results have been great, particularly bird tables, which have seen a definite uplift in sales.”
Retailers can also make the most of garden wildlife products in other ways. James comments: “Retailers can improve sales through their stores by becoming bee/wildlife champions, adding bee habitats, such as our
giant bee and bug biome, to the outside of stores and creating an in-store bee knowledge hub.
“Make the connection for customers between seeds, plants and wildlife,” he suggests. “For instance, display a solitary bee hive next to a selection of bee friendly plants, which would direct people to a separate wildlife product category area with point of sale and infographics. By taking this approach most retailers would be able to see up to 40% increase in their wildlife product sales.” Looking ahead, the category looks like it will continue to grow. “The outlook for the market here in Europe and also the US is extremely positive,” James says. “Companies are becoming aware of copied unsuitable habitats that do not work, so by adding fully functional and tested products this in turn will help conservation. Also, as retailers help their customers with more educational information, they will demonstrate their commitment to environmental awareness and social responsibility as a business.”
More retailers can make the most of the fact that improving the odds for garden wildlife is good for gardens, as well as for sales.
Making the most of merchandising
The Gardman merchandising team unveil their top tips for effective merchandising in your wild bird care department
1 Keep your wild bird care displays easy to shop by grouping product ranges together 2 Draw customers in with an impactful display of bird tables and bird feeders 3 Highlight seasonal lines with promotional POS to encourage increased basket spend 4 Use free-standing display units (FSDUs) to encourage sales of key and promotional lines; till point is a great place to catch customers so try dual siting FSDUs here too
5 Gardman’s range of stands, plinths and gondola displays can easily add extra selling space to your wild bird care area, so be sure to discuss these merchandising solutions with your sales agent
GCU November 2015
As offering wildlife protection increases in popularity, companies such as Wildlife World have expanded ranges to offer more stylish and attractive options
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