PLANT LIFE BALANCE: 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE SALES

10 WAYS PLANT RETAILERS CAN IMPROVE SALES DURING COVID-19

In light of the impact Stage 4 restrictions will have on garden centres and retail nurseries in Metropolitan Melbourne we want to share some of the avenues you have to maintain strong sales. There are many simple marketing strategies you can employ to offset the challenges of being restricted to contactless ‘click and collect’ and delivery trade. Plant Life Balance teamed up with nursery industry marketing expert John Stanley to highlight 10 things you can do to improve sales right now. It’s comprehensive, it’s easy to understand and it can make a significant difference to your business right now. Work through the guide and look for opportunities to implement strategies into your business.

TREND 1 THINK DIFFERENT

If you want more people to buy from you then ask:

Why would they choose you? Yes, you!

Why is your nursery different to all the others that a customer could choose from?

What makes it unique?

Why must they go the extra mile to come to you?

Now is the time to be clear on your point of difference because in a competitive market, it is the clearly differentiated that do best. So, while you might still choose to sell everything, make sure you specialise in something.

TREND 2 GET YOUR WEBSITE RIGHT

First, can you easily find the following pieces of information?

Your point of difference

Your address

Opening hours

Phone number and email

What’s in stock

Links to your other channels e.g. your social media pages, your blog

Second, try opening the website on your mobile. Is it still easy to read and navigate? Statistics show that more Australians than ever are now accessing websites via their mobile phones, so having a mobile-friendly site is critical.

Third, can I buy from it in just a couple of clicks? eCommerce was already starting to take over the world, but COVID-19 has made it essential if you want to maximise sales. If you’re just starting out with this, don’t worry – not everything for sale in store needs to be for sale online. Start with the products you sell the most of, and get comfortable selling those online.

TREND 4 SPEAK THE CUSTOMER’S LANGUAGE

PRODUCTIVITY e.g that indoor office can’t be all screen time. Add some green time.

TREND 3 SET UP YOUR SOCIALS

Social isolation is making people more social than ever before, but the party’s on platforms like Facebook and Instagram now – so take this opportunity to grow your online following. People are increasingly taking to social media to research businesses and products they’re interested in and join shared-interest communities. Gardening and plants in particular has been trending on social media over the last few years, as established gardeners and budding green thumbs alike look to their social feeds for plant buying information, horticultural advice, and green home styling inspiration.

Social media is also one of the most cost effective forms of marketing, making this a great option for small businesses to reach friends, fans and potential new customers.

If you’re just starting out, start small. You don’t need to be on every single platform at the same time. Pick one or two that you can really focus on, and sustainably

Personal health and wellbeing has always been a big reason for people to buy plants, but right now it is the reason people are buying. Whatever is in your marketing and messaging, make sure it has a health and wellbeing angle. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

INDOOR AIR QUALITY e.g. plants are cleaning the indoor air you are spending so much time in.

MENTAL HEALTH & STRESS RELIEF e.g. the calming effects of having plants in your home, at a time a lot of us need help relaxing.

manage, before starting another. LEARNING e.g. kids learning from home? Green the classroom and watch their concentration grow.

EXERCISE e.g. gardening is great exercise, so why not use this time at home to improve your yard?

HEALTHY EATING e.g. want to eat more vegetables? Then grow your own.

FAMILY ACTIVITY e.g. everyone needs ways to keep a healthy family vibe. Plants and gardening are a fantastic family activity for doing so.

TREND 5 MAKE BUYING EASY

Stage 4 restrictions mean that garden centres and retail nurseries in Metropolitan Melbourne must only trade using contactless ‘click and collect’ and/or delivery.

CLICK & COLLECT – Save time, buy online. Setting up a system that allows your customers to browse and buy from home, then collect at your nursery is another winning formula that mixes eCommerce with real world nursery sales. Make it even easier with a drive through lane so people don’t even need to leave their cars. We’re predicting drive-through Click & Collect lanes will not go away after COVID-19 – this will continue to be a trend for garden centres moving forward. They’re just too convenient!

HOME DELIVERY – Hardest for you, but most convenient for your customers. COVID is a good opportunity to try creating a ‘milk run’. Remember, the faster the delivery, the more compelling the offer for your customer, and word will spread fast that people can now buy this way.

TREND 6 FRONT UP

COVID might be keeping people out of shops, but they are still in their cars. Once you’ve made your products easy to buy, tell everyone by clearly signing your Click & Collect lane and other offers at your store front. While you’re at it, why not use your street frontage to put up health and wellbeing messages and remind people they can buy online? Street appeal matters.

TREND 7 OFFER ZOOM STYLING

People love to feel special – so why not offer your customers a personalised shopping experience with one of your store’s plant experts? Not only is this a great way to build genuine relationships with your customers, turning them from friendlies into loyal fans –but it’s a fantastic opportunity to engage your staff and show off their expertise.

During COVID-19, many people have more time on their hands and are getting stuck into home jobs, making this the perfect time to offer you could deliver this service via a 15 minute phone or video call, using a platform such as Zoom.

TREND 8 SELL SUCCESS

I THRIVE IN THE SHADE I’M HARDY I ’ M H & DON’T & D NEED MUCH N E E D WATER W A

I’M KID RIENDLY F GREAT WINDOWG W I N SILL S GROWER G R

We know plants and home gardening are wildly popular at the moment, but there’s a problem – people want success, but some are scared to get started in case they fail.

The good news? Nurseries already have the products on the shelf that will help them. This means there’s a huge opportunity for nurseries to not just sell single products, but bundle together “success kits” that set up customers with everything they need to achieve gardening success at home.

Create a variety of packs suited to different customers’ households and abilities. For example:

A STARTER’S SUCCESS KIT including easy to grow plant varieties, soil, pots and pest control products

VEGGIE GARDEN KIT with vegetable seeds or seedlings, gardening tools and soil improving products

SMALL SPACE KITS with multiple, smaller plants & pots

TREE PLANTING KIT with a stake, fertiliser & plant ties

POLLINATOR KIT with a selection of bee and bird attracting plant varieties for a biodiverse garden

A ‘LOOKS’ KIT, which groups together plants in curated themes such as easy-care, low light, hanging varieties, native edibles, jungle vibes, and pet-friendly.

TREND 9 TAG EVERYTHING

Every plant is a potential sale, so every plant should clearly communicate why it – in particular – should be picked up, purchased and taken home. Beginner or intermediate-level green thumbs in particular will need a bit of an extra hand understanding which plant to buy, and why that’s a good choice for them and their home.

We’re not talking here about the tag(s) that you will already have on each plant showing what it is, and how much it costs – rather, we’re suggesting an additional small tag that communicates a compelling snippet about that plant, for example:

I THRIVE IN THE SHADE

I’M HARDY & DON’T NEED MUCH WATER

I’M A FAST GROWER

I’M KID FRIENDLY

GREAT WINDOW-SILL GROWER

They’re simple measures to point people in the right direction, but go a long way in making sure your customers are able to make confident, informed decisions on which plant to buy for their home.

TREND 10 SPEAK THE CUSTOMER’S LANGUAGE

Events are a great way to:

Showcase your horticultural expertise and experience. Plants need gardening, and not everyone knows how to do it successfully

Connect on a personal level with your customers

Entertain and/or educate your customers – events can help you to grow a following and increase customer loyalty

Understand your customers better – in a relaxed environment, they’re more open to coming to you for advice, whether that’s about purchasing or maintaining plants

Recommend your products!

The great thing about events is that they’re easy to dial up or down, depending on your team’s capacity, and in the time of COVID-19, you can just as easily host an event online.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to the Plant Life Balance team at hello@myplantlifebalance.com.au. View the full guide at myplantlifebalance.com.au/retailers