January 2025 - 46

Cracking the Code
to Year-Round Success
in Lawn & Garden Retail
Seasonality is a defining characteristic of the lawn
and garden industry, bringing unique challenges and
opportunities. Managing complex inventory, accurately
forecasting fluctuating demand and keeping customers
engaged year-round requires strategic planning and the
right tools. We sat down with Peter Saratsiotis, Lead
Account Executive, Retail, at Lightspeed to discuss
how retailers can ensure profitability, boost customer
satisfaction, and thrive through every seasonal shift.
Can you give us an overview of the main seasonality
challenges that L&G retailers face throughout the year?
Lawn and garden retailers face fluctuating demand
throughout the year, which can make it challenging
to accurately forecast inventory needs. Overstocking
ties up cash and can leave you with dead stock, while
understocking means missed sales opportunities.
Lawn and garden businesses are also dealing with
a lot of perishable items, like plants, that can also be
affected by unpredictable weather. Basically, there's
more unpredictability in terms of sales, customer
demand and product shelf life in the lawn and garden
vertical than, say, apparel.
What's the best way for L&G retailers to manage
fluctuating demand and prepare for peak and
off-seasons?
The best way to manage fluctuating demand, and
complex inventory in general, is with a smart inventory
management system that tracks stock levels, helps
predict demand and streamlines ordering processes.
For example, Lightspeed Retail has advanced reporting
and forecasting features that enable retailers to identify
trends and predict demand based on past trends. By
analyzing historical sales data and actionable insights
within Lightspeed, retailers can order the right amount of
inventory, predict staffing needs for peak days and hours,
and plan promotions for maximum impact.
Inventory management can be particularly complex
for L&G retailers. How does a smart inventory
management system help with that?
A smart inventory management system enables
retailers to manage large inventories of different
product types, including multi-variant, composite and
weighted products. Using Lightspeed, retailers can also
update products in bulk, create customized categories,
automate reorders for high-demand products and track
stock levels in real time.
We take it a step further by integrating customer
profiles and purchase history into the system. This allows
retailers to more easily spot trends and better understand
their customers. If a store serves both contractors and
homeowners, they can create customer groups and
analyze their purchase history to identify trends.
Are there any specific tools or features that help
retailers keep track of inventory turnover, especially
for seasonal items?
Lightspeed offers a range of tools designed to
help retailers track inventory turnover, especially for
seasonal items. Product performance reports and
inventory sell-through reports help retailers quickly
identify which items are moving fast and which are
lagging, making it easier to make decisions about
restocking or markdowns.
For L&G retailers dealing with seasonal peaks,
seasonal tags can be added to inventory items, which
helps organize and track products specific to certain
times of the year. Lightspeed also allows customization
and saving of reports so retailers can tailor inventory
insights according to their needs.
Engaging customers year-round can be a challenge in a
seasonal industry. What are some strategies that you've
seen work well to keep customers engaged, even
during the off-season?
I have clients who've had a lot of success engaging
customers with loyalty programs and tailored promotions.
Lightspeed has in-store customer loyalty built directly into
the platform, which makes it easy for lawn and garden
businesses to reward repeat customers with points or
discounts. You can also leverage Lightspeed's advanced
data and reporting to create targeted promos to entice
customers into your store, even during off-peak times.
Hosting workshops or running social media campaigns
tailored to customer interests is another great way to
engage your customers. For example, you could create a
campaign to promote indoor gardening supplies during
winter. It could include workshops or demos on the
types of plants that thrive indoors, what they need and
how your products can help them thrive. By providing
real value to customers, you can build trust and keep
them engaged with your brand.
46 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JANUARY 2025ADVERTISEMENT | © 2025 Lightspeed Commerce
http://www.lightspeedhq.com
January 2025

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