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On a cold, snowy day in Chicago, I did something for the first time that I told myself I would never do: I ordered groceries online.
I know; this doesn’t seem like a momentous occasion or even something worth sharing with you, but I was always the person who said,
“I want to pick out the perfect tomatoes and make sure my lettuce has the latest expiration date on the shelf.”
In late February when I was more than over the snow, not feeling the best, had nothing in my refrigerator and saw a sponsored Facebook post for free delivery, I hesitantly went grocery shopping while sitting at my desk.
I definitely paid anywhere from 25 cents to $1 more for most of the items, but it was convenient. My “personal shopper” even called me from inside the store when one of the items was out of stock to ask me if I wanted a replacement.
I don’t plan for this to ever be my new normal because I love grocery shopping, I live within walking distance of multiple stores, and I felt terrible for the woman out in hazardous weather who had to fill my order.
That’s not the point though. The point is that this has become the new normal for many people with grocery shopping and could become the new normal for many plant shoppers. Flip to page 20 to read the “Top 10 Considerations for Selling Online” from Steve Maddox. He’s been on all sides of the industry and is now working closely with retailers and e-commerce with Bower & Branch.
I mentioned it was a Facebook post that drew me to Instacart, which made me think of two other articles you won’t want to miss this month.
On page 14, read about new-media marketing and the research from Kansas State
University about what garden centers are doing and how it’s working.
Then you have to head to page 62 to read about Pumpkin Glow, an event at Ellis Home and Garden in Longview, Texas. This is a bit of a spoiler, but last year they had 4,000 more attendees than the year prior, and the only difference they made in marketing was $200 on Facebook.
get merchandising
Spring is here, and your busiest weeks are right around the corner! When the store is in tip-top shop, make sure to grab your camera and take some photos of your best displays.
That’s right — it’s time for Lawn & Garden Retailer’s 2018 Merchandiser of the Year competition.
You have until June 22, to submit your entries for this year’s competition. Send up to five photos of your favorite creative display or group of displays that appeared in your store this year to me at [email protected]. Make sure to include a short write-up with the purpose of the display, when it was featured, how you created it or what customers had to say. See page 43 for more details.
The judges’ five finalists will be featured in the September/October issue of the magazine with a winner crowned in the November/December issue. You could be the winner of bragging rights and some great prizes from our sponsors!
Need some ideas? See the finalists and winners from the past seven years at
www.lgrmag.com/merchandiser-of-year.
Good luck!
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