Going to the Men
For years, independent garden centers have considered women aged 35-65 with income north of $70,000 their target market, but a new study by the National Gardening Association indicates that this statistic might be on the move. The group’s 2002 study of consumer gardening practices, trends and product sales identifies men as the more important of the two sexes in last year’s purchases of lawn and garden products (see Headlines page __ for more results).
So does this mean that garden centers should stop stocking pink flowers, gardening clogs and small-sized gloves? Absolutely not, but it does mean that we should all be more aware of the product mix offered. If men are shifting their buying power to lawn and garden, a few changes will need to be made to capitalize on the trend. Stock a wide variety of earth-toned and strong-colored containers, plants and giftware. Be sure you carry men’s sizes in apparel. Reevaluate the number of do-it-yourself items you carry. You might even want to take another look at your signage, merchandising and overall image.
Retooling for the male consumer can be as simple or involved as you want, or need, to make it. To get you started, we’ve collected together a few products with something of a masculine flare.
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