July 2020 - 24

DIRTY SECRETS
and many other affordable retailers are using to huge success
across many social media platforms. Using stories with real
people is amazingly effective and products regularly sell out
daily à la QVC.
Let's take this example one step further. Who says that local
producers of your products should stay a mystery? Do we not
get excited about certain brands of locally made anything to
support our hometown heroes who produced some of our
most beloved regional products? A certain cheese? A certain
candy? A certain wine or local micro-brew? Whole cities have
practically been founded on that very concept.
2. The " Go Local " Trend on Steroids
Why not start making brand rock stars out of the people
who grow your summer annuals or produce your favorite
potting soils or fertilizers? In the example of Jeff the tree
and shrub employee, why can't he make a quick video selling
BOTH the tree and the fertilizer when he interviews the tree
grower or fertilizer maker?
The opportunities to expand on this idea are voluminous,
but here's another quick one: if you have a staff member
passionate about pollinators, have them interview a
beekeeper in the garden center and do a show-and-tell of
pollinator friendly plants and items. On the flip side, maybe
make a corresponding video on gardening myths about
pollinators. None of these need to be long or professionally
produced; in fact the most popular are casual, not polished
and long, as the sound and video are decent quality.
Bring the Greenhouse to Customers
This is the wild wild West of online sales and social media.
" Dark stores " that were once public, thriving retail locations
become order fulfillment centers. Sounding familiar to how
you've felt lately trying to fulfill curbside pickup orders?
Consider adapting " subscription-based sales " to your new
COVID-era sales opportunities. Have you seen the new page
on Amazon solely devoted to subscription boxes? It's pretty
amazing how incredibly niche these retailers are getting -
with crazy amounts of success. You can get everything from
a fishing specialty box to fine liquors and everything in
between. The rise of niche subscription boxes is emblematic
of the content social media users want most right now,
namely that of both use and entertainment.
There are two basic groups of subscribers today; one group
buys these services for " replenishment of essentials " like
paper towels, diapers and basic food items. The second group
wants the experience of " discovery " in a box. Do those two
groups sound at all familiar? The replenishment group wants
red geraniums, petunias and the basic tomatoes they're used
to and comfortable with every spring like clockwork, while
the discovery group wants the succulents they've never seen
before, tomatoes that are new and improved on the market,
and houseplants they can " plant parent. "
With stores shut down, consumers are asking themselves:
How can I have the same kind of pleasure without leaving
my home? A lot of times, the answer is subscription boxes.
When the box arrives, if it's replenishment, you know what's
PESTICIDE FREE
INSECT CONTROL
®
Uniquely Designed For
* Maximum effectiveness
* Weather resistance
* Easy application
* Appealing appearance
* Reduced bycatch
Advantages To Stocking
* Customer loyalty
* Increased sales
* Marketing support
* Bulk savings
Targeted Pests
* Spotted Lanternfly
* Spring Cankerworm
* Fall Cankerworm
* Winter Moth
* Gyspy Moth
* Forest Tent Caterpillar
Dealer Inquiries
800-379-9677
bpancoast@treebands.com
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24 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JULY 2020
July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020
