Page 14 - Gazette - November 2023

As business owners we should provide our consumers with the
tools to source everything they need for their plantings. Profitable
garden centers have both larger and smaller shopping carts to
service all consumer shopping styles. Remember, increased
space, increased purchase potential. Some gardeners make large
purchases at the beginning of the season and then may come back
here and there for fill ins. Another purchasing style involves instant
REMEMBER, gratification. Millenials, Gen X, and Gen Y have grown up in the
culture of instant gratification and we are seeing their gardening
INCREASED purchases reflect that. Lastly, we have our budget friendly gardeners
that come in once a year for a few items.
SPACE, Push carts for shopping make gardening accessible to the elderly,
disabled and even young families, when carts have the child seat
INCREASED option. The sizes between your benching both in- and outdoors is
an important factor when choosing carts for your garden center.
PURCHASE Smaller aisles or spaces may require a cart with a sharper turn

radius. Making sure your shopping carts have good maneuverability,
POTENTIAL the ability to ride smoothly over gravel or rough terrain is equally
important. The larger the wheel size, the easier the cart glides over
gravel and the occasional hose.

Location, location, location. Where do you have your carts staged?
Are they easily visible? The front entrance to your garden center
not only invites your customer inside, but it is where shopping
carts should be. When a customer must spend time searching for
a shopping cart, they become instantly distracted from the buying
experience they came to do. Where we place additional carts
around the garden center also impacts sales. For example, we can
also stage shopping carts in additional areas through the journey
of your store, like pottery, soils, or shrub area. If a cart is readily
available, customers are apt to start a cart instead of walking away
from the purchase.

14 | GRIFFIN GAZETTE 2023