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How do you think retailers/suppliers can benefit from visiting the Retail Lab? With consumers leading the way we shop, it is ever more important to create a retail environment that delivers instant gratification, answers questions, evokes new ideas, and inspires at every step. This is where the Retail Lab comes in – it’s the perfect tool for thinking differently about the retail environment. The area is designed to provide fresh thinking for both owners/operators and their merchandising teams. Tackling key consumer trends, which are shaping shopping habits and future demand, the Retail Lab will be fit to bursting with ideas on how to dress the retail space, and how to think outside the box and develop new merchandising concepts that will see garden centre customers coming back time and time again.
Why do you think the gardening industry is particularly exciting right now? Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their impact upon the world in which they live.
As a result, they are making more conscious decisions in all aspects of their lives – from eating healthily and understanding ‘food miles’, to embarking on a possible plastic-free future as the single use plastic issue continues to rage. The concept of healthy living is helping to drive growth within garden retail, particularly the house plant resurgence. From air purifying to recognising the overall health benefits of being surrounded by greenery, plants are a huge part of modern living. Additionally, the rise of grow-your-own and veganic gardening is changing what was once a traditional gardening category.
Gardening is for all ages, but how do we appeal to every demographic? My career has shown me that grouping consumers alone is not enough to truly understand the difference in demographics. Instead, we need to break down consumers into themes, so modern, contemporary, adventurous etc. Recognising this enables us to make more targeted approaches, providing
them with the kind of product and information that they need to engage with gardening on a personal level. It’s also really important to understand what matters to each – for instance millennials. We know they live in smaller homes and therefore have less space in which to garden. The likelihood is that they will also be renters, so they know that they’ll move on shortly. In doing so, they need gardening solutions that offer flexibility and can be moved from home to home. Multi-buys also don’t appeal to millennials. Cost wise it might be appealing, but the lack of spaces means they are less likely to want ‘more’ but instead, they want solutions that work for the present moment. With the kind of knowledge, retailers have the ability to create displays that address this, but also don’t segregate from other shoppers. Think displays of ‘instant gardening’, container planting ideas, and small-scale projects. Perfect for millennials, but also for time poor gardeners, or those wanting a weekend project to satisfy their green fingers.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? When I was offered my first TV job, I was hesitant to accept. However, the producer of the programme told me they had selected me due to the fire in my eyes. The passion that I displayed for the subject matter is what appealed, and I realised that doing projects you were passionate about was the most important thing. From that moment on, I have only ever worked on projects that excite me, and where I can see I can make a difference. It’s a liberating feeling, and also means I never feel like I’m working. So, for anyone embarking on a new job opportunity – make sure you feel the fire in your eyes, and you’ll know it’s the right choice for you.
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www.gardencentreupdate.com
GCU August/September 2019
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