Innovative Ideas: How to houseplant
For thousands of years humans have incorporated plants into their homes for a multitude of reasons. Fast forward to the 1960s and ‘70s, when houseplants became very popular. After taking a dip in popularity for a few decades, the craze is back and stronger than ever.
Today, we have unbelievable new varieties, products and techniques. How do retailers keep up? By being innovative and learning how to houseplant.
Selection
The way I see it, your store’s selection of plants determines if you will both gain new customers and keep current ones. At Village Green, we have strived to have the latest and greatest most likely even before our customers are ready for it. On the other hand, we always make sure to have our everyday tried-and-true items as well. Making sure to always have a balance of both is a good way to keep all shoppers — no matter their age, experience level or budget.
How do you figure out what items the people want? Here are a few ways that work great. Interacting with customers on a regular basis will give you a lot of information about the holes in your selection. Meeting with members of your team and getting feedback from them is always helpful as well. If you’re really ready to get savvy, pull out your phone, get on social media and search for houseplants or other related keywords. This will populate videos, pictures, accounts and more brimming with trends and other information.
Displays
Now that you have a great selection of houseplants, it’s time to put it to use. Attractive displays are one of the best silent sellers for any retailer. About four years ago, when I joined the team at Village Green, our houseplant selection was ordinary and our displays were functional but not eye-catching — no fun varieties, no cool displays — just lacking extra firepower. So we flipped the script — we integrated round tables, differing heights and cross merchandising. Bringing different heights, shapes and products into an area holds eye attention longer due to the contrast. This made a difference right away.
We decided to take it two steps further with our innovation. First, we added The Plant Bar, a do-it-yourself space for our customers to repot plants. They have the option of either buying a plant and pot here and planting it up, or bringing everything in from home. In both cases, we charge a small fee for the media as well as any soil covering, such as moss, to go with it.
Next, we added The Propagation Station. This is a collection of vases with a variety of houseplant cuttings in them for sale. This allows shoppers to be able to buy a plant at a low cost — and be able to feel the success of growing it themselves.
Accessories
Becoming a one-stop shop for houseplants and supplies includes carrying all the accessories your customers need to be successful. The staples in the houseplant world include media, pots, supports, fertilizers, pest care, tools and décor. Finding which brands work for you can be tricky, but don’t give up! Remember to bring some of these items into your plant displays as well.
Marketing
Social media (no matter what your opinion is on it) can do wonders for a business. From posting about sales, what’s new in and around the store … the new generation of plant purchasers use social media to see what’s out there.
It’s as simple as posting pictures of new plants you have received, doing a spotlight on one plant or getting savvy and making videos. Anything you can do to get your business out and about on the internet is bound to garner some attention.
Knowledge
Maybe you or your team doesn’t know that much about houseplants or have that much information. Don’t fear — with the internet at our fingertips via our smartphones, it becomes a quick source of information when used correctly and with reliable sources. Or, if you’re like me, you have a book collection dedicated to houseplants. My favorite and the most tried-and-true is “The Houseplant Expert” by D.G. Hessayon, Ph.D.
Box stores and grocery stores are selling houseplants, but they haven’t learned how to houseplant. Rise above them! Offer a good selection, entice with displays, enhance with accessories, attract with social media and learn how to houseplant.
For an enhanced reading experience, view this article in our digital edition.
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