Tackling Product Overload
How do you decide what products to carry in your store? There are so many options out there.
Take for example one of the largest online retailers, Amazon. At recent check, they have 371,064,392 products for sale. A much narrower search for “gardening” comes up with more than 880,000 products from which to pick.
As you’re heading to distributor shows in the coming weeks, let me know what you see. How long do you give a product before you decide if it’s a success for your store or not? Do you merchandise new introductions to the store differently? Let me know at [email protected].
Last week the IGC Show in Chicago celebrated its 10th anniversary at Navy Pier. There were lots of great products on display (way too many to highlight in one newsletter), but I thought I’d share five new launches from various categories that caught my eye.
The Perfect Plant, Marketing Garden
The Perfect Plant is an interactive kiosk rolling out in some garden centers that helps with customer service by allowing shoppers to search for plants with certain characteristics or identify insects and appropriate tie-in products.
Gourd Lamps, D’barro Pottery
These gourd lamps are made from rotted gourds found in the Yucatan Peninsula, and they are crafted by Mayan artists with local designs and blown glass elements.
The Sunbubble
There’s no doubt that the Sunbubble is a vertical garden that looks sturdy. The root chambers are UV-protected, high-density polyethylene and the trellis frame is galvanized steel to handle what they call a “tower of flowers.”
App, Local Plant Pro
Started by the owners of Changing Seasons Landscape Center in Illinois, Local Plant Pro is in its infancy but aims to connect participating garden center experts with local consumers who have questions about everything from plant concerns to specific varieties.
Plant Marker, Timber Bay Home & Garden
There are lots of plant markers on the market but these from Timber Bay launched at the show have a certain charm crafted from a copper stake and glass placard that can be written on with a dry-erase marker.
Do any of these seem like winners to you? What else have you been seeing? Let me know!
Cheers,
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