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critical mass
pots
of profit
Colorful combinations of
plants and containers will help lift customers’ gloomy
spirits—and your sales.
by
John
Stanley
The downturn in the
economy has hurt a number of different retail categories. Read
most newspapers or listen to CNN, and you may believe that
everyone is feeling gloomy.
Consumers are “cocooning”—going out less and sitting at
home while waiting for the economic storm to pass. But all is
not gloomy; those customers sitting at home want to cheer
themselves up. To do so, they’ve gone to pot—pots of paint and
plants, that is.
One of the ways people like to remove the gloom is to
surround themselves with bright colors. That is why two bright
spots in retail are the paint and garden categories.
retail
opportunity
Potted plants in
bright colors offer profit opportunities, but just putting them
on shelves and hoping they will sell is not the answer. To learn
how to effectively merchandise and display plants, consider
taking a serious look at how paint manufacturers put a story
together for retailers.
Paint retailers realize it is not the specific color that
is important. They provide lifestyle pictures, solutions and
ideas; they have become color trend solution centers. Consumers
select from a color palette; they are told what color
complements another.
Florists also are experts in color combinations,
especially when arranging cut flowers. The key is to take that
expertise a step further and apply it to plants and container
combinations. There is a huge opportunity for you to develop a
“color fashion department” and to grow plant sales.
keys to
success
To learn how to use color more effectively to sell plants,
try these seven steps:
1. Read lifestyle magazines, and identify the
up-and-coming color and form trends.
2. Visit a progressive paint retailer, and look at how it
displays its categories.
3. Select a group of containers that complement your
plants.
4. Create container gardens that show you are a
trendsetter.
5. Offer consumers completed planted bowls as well as a
designer service in which
you create customized
bowls for them.
6. Plan now, and get ready for the spring color bonanza.
7. Once you have created your concepts, position a color
container department in a
prime location in your
store.
With consumers now wanting to shop to cheer themselves up,
they will be looking to retailers who understand color
combinations and who are able to offer them color solutions.
Container plants in the right combinations, in the right pots
and at the right price points will ensure you have a winning
formula.
John Stanley is an internationally acclaimed conference speaker
and retail consultant. He is the author of several marketing and
retail books including the best-sellers “Just About
Everything a Retail Manager Needs to Know” and “Think For
Your Customer.” For more information, visit his Web site,
www.johnstanley.cc,
or email
info@johnstanley.cc.
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“Critical Mass” offers
experts in the floral business a monthly forum to express their
views on a variety of topics of importance to the industry.
These viewpoints are not intended to reflect the opinions of
anyone at Super Floral Retailing or Florists’ Review
Enterprises, Inc. |
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Super Floral Retailing • Copyright 2009
Florists' Review Enterprises, Inc. | |
