Why do we approach a store? Why do webuy more than what was on our listswhen we got there? Do we traverse themaze of merchandise of our ownaccord or are subtle hints steering us

toward what the seller hopes we will purchase? And howdoes the seller use his or her space to the fullest to bothattract us and sell us something when we come in? Theseare the sorts of questions that can help you learn moreabout merchandising as you shop at other retail stores.

There are many different tactics that retailers use to sub-consciously convince consumers to make purchases, and

most of them can be seen while taking care of your weeklyerrands. Some of the very same principals that grocers,major department store chains and other retailers outsidethe lawn and garden industry use to maximize availablespace, attract their customers and increase their buyingpower can be just as effective in garden centers.

Attention To DetailWho knew you could get great merchandising ideas

while grabbing a carton of milk and a loaf of bread at thesupermarket? In an article for Cooperative Grocer, PamMusante wrote that “retail is detail.” Grocery manager ofSacramento Natural Foods Cooperative, Musante noted,“Before I became grocery manager, I was a produce manag-er for seven years. One of the best pieces of advice I got wasfrom a 30-year veteran of produce. I was lamenting the factthat there was no produce merchandising school I couldattend to teach me the tried and true tricks of merchandis-ing produce. He smiled and said that every produce depart-ment in every store is a school. He confessed that even after30 years in the business, every time he walks into a store hesteals at least one idea. I have found the same with mer-chandising grocery products.”

And the same is true for lawn and garden merchandisingand product placement. Retailers of these establishmentscan visit all sorts of other outlets and get new ideas on shelfmanagement, product mix and building displays.

Make your space work for you. In her own store, Musantewrote that with its size and volume of sales, every square footis worth more than $820 in sales annually. She looks at everyvacant spot as potential selling space, and you should, too.

Product PlacementMerchandising not only means attractive and pleasing end

aisles and case stacks but also product placement on the shelf.Successful retailers will ask themselves whether the flow ofproduct makes sense and what products should be at eyelevel. Moving certain products to different shelf levels maychange their frequency of purchase for better or worse. �

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Borrowing

MerchandisingTipsLooking to other businesses such as supermarkets anddepartment store chains can give garden center retailersgood merchandising ideas.

By Robin Seaton Jefferson

Supermarkets utilize many different marketing techniques that can be used in garden centers. Top:Creating height with in-store displays stores excess stock on the floor and catches consumers’ attention.

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Musante discussed two schools of thought onshelf product placement. The traditionalapproach is to place fast movers on the bottombecause the customers will bend down to pick uptheir favorite product (and view many other prod-ucts as they reach). The other school suggests that

retailers keep the fast movers at a prime locationsuch as eye level and give them more shelf space.“For consistent shelf displays, it is important todetermine whether your shelf sets are vertical orhorizontal. Whatever set design you choose, stickto it. I prefer to vertical shelf set, since it allows

each manufacturer achance at prime shelfspace,” she wrote.

Vertical Vs.Horizontal

Consider how every-thing is displayed, not justthe items on shelves. Talldisplay racks can be cen-tered in a room to hangaesthetic garden wares andmake the most of a smallindoor space. Even pesti-cides and other chemicalscan be arranged vertically.A tip for similar productmerchandising is stackinga large shipment of aproduct you plan to pro-mote on the sales floor.Picture the sorts of largedisplays you might see in agrocery store — pyramids

of canned goods and towers of cereal, for instance.Creating an impact display by stacking a product canpromote the item and solve storage problems.

Of course, limited space as well as barriers suchas windows can affect what type of product dis-plays retailers choose. If space arrangements are aconcern, look into stackable merchandisers thatcan be altered to accommodate a range of spaces.

The Strike Zone“There is a strike zone,” said Mathew

Goodman, display manager for George LittleManagement, LLC. “It’s an area where a customerwalks in, stops and slows down. It’s about 10-20 ft.into the store. They look left to right becausewe’re taught to read from left to right,” he said.

“In this strike zone, the person will oftenpick up an item, turn it over and look at theprice. They make a judgment about your storeright then, whether it’s fair or not. The strikezone is the best place to put the goods youwant to promote,” he said.

“A mid-size retailer might play up its end caps atthe beginning or end of each aisle. These are anintroduction to each aisle or a panoramic viewfrom anywhere in the store, like soldiers, they flowtogether,” Goodman said. “You might have oneend cap featuring seeds, garden spades, deer net-ting or potting soil. They introduce those thingsdown those aisles.” �

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Use wall space to display unexpected items vertically.

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Once through the strike zone, theright wall of the store is usually themost valuable real estate as this is thearea that is generally traveled firstand viewed most thoroughly by cus-tomers. Affordable items should beplaced here. Notice what your

favorite retailers place in this loca-tion the next time you’re shopping.

One of the most important mar-keting strategies in any store is direct-ing traffic flow. Go to your favoriteretail outlets or a supermarket andobserve the flow of traffic. Typically,

most grocery stores place the bakeryto the right. You move toward itswarmth and smell and then into aproduce section. It’s hard to breakaway from the flow and head straightto the back of the store for the milk.

A map of the store will recognize

the current traffic flow and develop aplan to direct the flow so customerswill shop the entire store with theirattention focused where you wouldlike it to be, Goodman said. “By strate-gically placing demand/destinationproducts and impulse items through-out the interior of your store, you canbalance the traffic flow throughoutyour store and increase your overallsales by making the best use of everysquare foot. Start by taking the pulseof your merchandise selection fromthe front to the rear of your store.”

“Once your customer passesthrough the decompression zone,”Goodman explained, “he or she looksat the price of the first item, generallyto their right, that is easily accessible.This initial item should have a pricepoint that is not overwhelming to yourcustomers, as this area, also called the

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Adding Curb Appeal

Storeowners and marketerscan take the strike zone wellbeyond the walls of the store,said Matthew Goodman, displaymanager for George LittleManagement, LLC. Drawing cus-tomers in from the roadway is anespecially effective technique inthe lawn and garden business,and outdoor displays can free upspace in the interior of the store.Notice how the exteriors ofsupermarkets and departmentstores lure you in.

Summerwinds TLC, a gardencenter outside St. Louis, Mo.,takes this technique very seriously.The property is located on a majorhighway in the St. Louis area. Eachspring, employees plant hundredsof flowers and foliage from thehighway leading onto the proper-ty. Customers cannot help but pic-ture the beautiful plants in theirown front yards.

“We use bright colors espe-cially because we are kind ofdown the hill off the highway,”said assistant store manager LisaColeman. “This year we are fea-turing beautiful glazed clay potsto draw the eye.”

There is a method to the colorschemes Coleman uses, even if itdoes spark from some of herfavorites. “I organize by bursts ofcolor. If I mix it all up, it’s not asvibrant as when you do it in solids.For instance, this year we areusing a lot of Mediterranean col-ors. People really go for the brightblue, then I add in blue green, ahoney color and then the reds.”

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strike zone, offers your customer theirfirst impression of your store’s prices.”

Keep It In MindThe next time you’re shopping

at retailers outside the greenindustry, don’t just reach for prod-

ucts. Think about their placementsand spatial relationships. Thinkabout why you’re choosing oneproduct or brand over anotherand then apply the same ideas atyour garden center. Remember:when it comes to merchandising,

it’s all about selling products,whether they’re shovels, pancakesyrup or designer jeans.

Robin Seaton Jefferson has been a writerand reporter in St. Louis, Mo., for 15 years.

She can be reached at (636) 332-9408 ortwo11creative@centurytel.net.

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