New approach to plant displays increased average sales from $55 to $85
 Congratulations to Pathways to Perennials in Kettleby, Ontario, Canada, one of the top ten winners of the 2008 Perennials Marketing Contest sponsored by Plant Publicity Holland and the Perennial Plant Association.
“Pathways’ ‘Combo Crazy’ perennials display was created out of necessity,” admitted garden center co-owner Lorraine Mennen, “as we are constantly challenged to find space to house, care for and properly display all our plant material. Being plant lovers first and stylists second, we have a million plant favorites that we just can’t do without, as well as wanting to try out all of the hot, new things.”
For the past couple of years Pathways has tried something different with their displays. “Instead of the same, old, traditional row layouts in alphabetical order or by botanical name, blah, blah, blah, inspired by garden centers overseas, we started classifying our plants by their specific uses, such as: butterfly magnets; hummingbird attracters; simple, quick groundcovers; drought tolerant plants; shade lovers and collections categorized by blooming season,” said Ms. Mennen. A cedar pergola was constructed over one display area, providing shade to perennials. “This added feature,” explained Lorraine, “showed customers how architecture could be incorporated into an outdoor living space. We also made sure to group shrubs and perennials in some of our favorite ‘collections’ so that customers could see our combos in action.”
Planting diagrams/maps were given out to those who wanted them. “This procedure silently sold the package and educated the gardener, encouraging them to buy entire collections of plants, rather than just one or two,” Lorraine continued. “The result was great success! We had customer’s buying more shrubs and perennials than ever before, as, all of a sudden, they had plants for different purposes and could be assured that they would have color and interest year-round… all they had to do was plant and enjoy.”
“This display technique increased our average sale from $55.00 to $85.00, with many customers coming back weekly to see what collection would be featured next.”
Located 50 miles north of Toronto, Pathways to Perennials is a ‘destination’ garden center and nursery situated on 11+ acres. About half their clientele come from a 20-mile radius, the balance from Toronto. The garden center also is a bus tour destination with those customers coming from as many as 150 miles away. A great on-site café, open from May to September, with a delicious health-conscious menu is no doubt an added draw for their long distance visitors. |
