Garden Center Survival Myth #1: “Our Future Depends On Attracting A New Generation of Shoppers”

Robert Hendrickson
Managing Director
The Garden Center Group
Baltimore, MD

I think I’ll call it the “LDG Approach To Business” short for “Life-Preserver Desperation Grab” which is the attempt to stay afloat by following whatever topic the industry seems to be peddling. Several years ago all the talk was about branding. But that band-aid short circuited when overly-aggressive vendors took control of the process focusing their attention on branding their own companies or products and lazy retailers did nothing more than throw up a bunch of posters. Then it was experiential retailing where every store was going to become a mini-Disney until people found out that would mean spending time and money on something other than products, mainly facilities and staffing. Then it was loyalty programs that ended up being nothing more than a new way to give away margins to the very people that were already spending the most money. And that doesn’t even include the long forgotten life-preservers called Christmas shops, water garden departments and garden gift products, which were later renamed garden decor when the first stuff didn’t sell. Gardening as a lifestyle is now competing for attention with the next industry Titanic... generational marketing. You know the drill... boomers are a dying breed of old geezers that somehow must be quickly replaced with one or more of the next alphabet generations. “Quick! Throw me a preserver! The industry says our only hope is to attract a brand new generation of people that could care less about us now. What’s a blog?! How do you pod cast?! Is that some type of fishing pole?”
For companies going down for the last time... sorry... there’s no magical ring for you to grab to stay afloat. The best companies in any industry, including the very best garden centers, know that no one element or demographic target is capable of producing long-term success. For them it’s always the on-going process of continual improvement that will position their companies as marketplace leaders. They don’t just get a toe wet on the shore... if something is available that could help their company grow... it’s full steam ahead... damn the torpedoes! Visit winning retailers like Best Buy and Whole Foods. Notice anything? Their stores attract people of all ages because they’re great places to shop for any age. Work on becoming a truly great company and exciting place to shop. The next generation will find us when they’re ready.