CONFERENCE REPORT


GROWING OPPORTUNITIES IN GARDEN


Day two of the Global DIY Summit in June looked at the changing garden sector and what opportunities the industry presents for retailers. Speaking on this topic were Dr Sebastian Gundel, managing director customer offer & corporate marketing at the 650-strong home improvement chain OBI, as well as horticulturalist and broadcaster David Domoney, and Karcher managing director retail channels Christian May.


THE CHANGING GARDEN LANDSCAPE


David Domoney believes there is a “passion with plants that’s very different from other products we sell.” Mr Domoney, who has a background in retail, having worked at B&Q, Texas and Homebase, describes himself as a “born-again horticulturalist,” who spends most of his time talking to gardeners. The main question he chooses to address in his presentation is: ‘why


would a customer choose to shop for a garden project in a DIY store rather than a garden centre?’


Customer types and new gardeners Mr Domoney details two very different customer types that present opportunities to retailers: • The home improvers who will buy gardening products because of convenience while they’re at the shop


• The bargain hunters who would usually shop in a garden centre, are keen gardeners and who will bulk buy products, like gro bags, fertiliser, attracted by things that will be cheaper on promotional offers. But, he tells delegates that there is another type of customer – new


gardeners. He refers to a recent survey which found that most respondents who have never gardened before would rather shop in a DIY store because they find the complexities of the chemicals and fertilisers, plants and compost – the level of choice in garden centres – too daunting. He explains: “You have, in DIY, a great opportunity to cultivate these new gardeners into a great following.”


How to get them spending The question on delegates’ lips was ‘how do I get these customers spend- ing money in my business?’ “Home improvers are the do-ers,” says Mr Domoney. “They will have some DIY knowledge but don’t venture out into the garden. They are the group that TV loves. These customers like light, easy-to-produce projects.”


The type of jobs he believes this group would love and retailers can


inspire them with is anything from ‘that gap in the conifers is a great place for a gazebo’, to ‘garden stakes turned upside down and painted look great’, or even ‘how about putting a firepit in there?’ “Just telling them to paint a shed in nice colours doesn’t excite them – you need to think extreme,” he explains. “Imagination – that’s how you get


10 DIY WEEK 29 SEPTEMBER 2017 the DIYers to go outside into the garden.”


When it comes to the bulk-buying bargain hunters, Mr Domoney encourages retailers to target them with newspaper advertising or look at gardening and womens’ groups. “Flyers targeting these groups will get you customers that buy in multiples of 10 rather than single items,” he says. “They love tips. They want you to fire their passion. You know they have knowledge so appeal to that. You can provide tips on how to grow your own veg but don’t stop there! We need to sell the final link – the cooking aspect. You can do recipe cards: ‘grow your own spuds then boil them, add butter, cracked black pepper, etc’.” For new gardeners, Mr Dooney believes it’s about focusing on the experience and the joy of gardening. “We are selling fun, easy and with a reward at the end. Raspberries are so easy to grow, then you can stuff them with chocolate or how about rosemary – it looks great, is easy to grow and the you can put it with your lamb. “Give them goals for the garden, jobs for December, etc. We want them to experience the first stages of gardening and that’s why they become regular gardeners.”


The key to it all is making sure you enthuse your customer, whether you do that on social media, in store or online. “You need to nurture the hobby of gardening in people who have never gardened before.” He concludes: “The success of gardening in the future depends on nurturing these three customer types.”


Retailers need to “sell the final link” and excite customers by suggesting ways of cooking and using the things they grow


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