April 2005
Adding the Feminine Touch By Catherine Evans

Within the past several years, green industry experts have been drilling it into your heads that your main customers are women, and you need to cater to them specifically because they are the main purchasers in your store. For the most part, garden centers have done a pretty good job listening — moving the aisles to avoid the butt brush or displaying products higher up and off the ground so women do not have to bend over. Now it is time to start catering to their product needs as well.

I don’t know if manufacturers just recently started realizing the importance of female customers, but this year it seems as if a voice spoke up in their heads saying “we want more women customers;” it is great that this revelation finally happened. If women are the buyers, it is common sense to give them what they want, what makes them comfortable, what they need and most importantly, what makes them happy.

More manufacturers are designing their products with more feminine colors such as pinks, light blues and purples to catch the attention of their female customers. Even chemical companies have jumped on that bandwagon, making their packaging more appealing to women by utilizing certain colors and designs. Garden apparel companies are adding smaller sizes and giving a more fashionable design to gloves, gardening shoes, gardening clothes, hats, etc. Though container companies are still doing quite well with their bold and earthy colors, some are developing more of a selection of lighter colors in blues and even pinks and purples.

Now, I admit with spring and Easter upon us, some of you may think that is why manufacturers are using these products to start a feminine makeover. Though that may be true, think about the unexpected surprise when they realize that women love this stuff all year and want to keep it around longer than a few months.

Even plant breeders are noticing that pinks and purples are back in, and many of them are very excited. We all know that pinks, purples and softer colors are the core of green goods companies, and with that look even more popular now, breeders are jumping for joy. We thought there were enough pinks and purples on the market now, just watch, it will keep growing.

Both males and females love to garden, and there are many products out there that can cater to both. Just because there are so many new products coming out for females it does not mean that men are left behind, it just means that there is now more of an equal amount of gardening products out there for everyone… no matter who is planting the petunias.



Catherine Evans

Catherine Evans is managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer. She can be reached by phone at (847) 391-1050 or E-mail at [email protected].