Garden centres are not just places for purchasing plants and gardening tools; they have evolved into immersive destinations where customers seek inspiration, relaxation, and a delightful shopping experience.
In this article, I explore four compelling strategies to truly maximise your garden centre’s revenue. Optimising the space you have will not only attract more customers but entice them to stay longer – and, ultimately, spend more.
Increasing the Amount of Available Retail Space
Ornaments, tools, furniture and more, a thriving modern Garden Centre is much more than pots and plants. But, in an industry dictated to by the seasons, merchandising stock at the right time can be a tricky balance.
To maximise revenue, it’s crucial to optimise the utilisation of available space – both inside and out.
Incorporating a temporary structure in any available outdoor space provides a weatherproof area to house out-of-season stock and potentially save on expensive storage costs.
This is particularly useful over the Christmas period providing you with an area to showcase non-themed stock all year round.
And after Christmas, it can serve as a space to sell Christmas wares at a discounted rate. Remember – people can’t buy what they can’t see!
Adding Sheltered Seating in Outdoor Areas
For many, the tranquil environment of your Garden Centre provides an antidote to the hustle and bustle of suburban life.
By introducing sheltered seating options, you can encourage socialisation potentially extending the duration of your customers’ visit.
Consider including a temporary structure to house cosy seating areas that shield your visitors from the elements.
You can fill these spaces with comfortable seating, cushions, and decor to create an inviting atmosphere. Well-rested customers can carry more stock, meaning more £s in the till!
Increasing the Number of Covers at the Café
If you are fortunate enough to have a café, you’ll know how valuable this is to your revenue. You’ll also know how, during winter and rainy spells, catering revenue decreases, in part because visitors can no longer enjoy al fresco dining, limiting your available space. So how do we combat that?
By introducing a temporary structure for use over the winter period, garden centres can maintain the number of covers all year round, accommodating more customers and boosting revenue in an otherwise restricted period.
Incorporating a seasonal structure to host a greater number of covers will ensure a steady flow of patrons throughout the year.
Introducing an Area to Perform Demonstrations
One way to engage customers is by creating an area where customers can experience demonstrations from experts. These could include interactive workshops, gardening classes, and even cooking demonstrations using fresh produce from your garden and equipment in your stock.
Demonstrations like this not only educate and inspire visitors but also provide an excellent platform to showcase and upsell related products.
With a temporary structure, you can invite local chefs, host guest speakers, or have staff perform tips-and-tricks classes all in one space.
Promote these events through your marketing channels and create a sense of anticipation, enticing customers to attend and potentially make purchases during or after the demonstrations.
Worldwide Structures Ltd have been partnering with Garden Centres since our conception. Although we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel the globe building our temporary structures, we have not forgotten our roots (if you’ll excuse the pun!).
No matter how small or large, we love supporting local businesses and understand the importance Garden Centres have in keeping local communities thriving.
When you’re ready to maximise your revenue by utilising any and all available space, let’s talk. We would love to help.