MERCHANDISING Studio M's Painted Peace collection. Studio M's Mini Art Pole in a planter. Do you provide fixtures/displays for your products? How can garden centers use them? Godat: We offer a variety of great fixtures that our retailers love because of the way they help maximize space, but sales will always increase when IGCs think beyond the fixture and show products in a merchandised vignette as well. Everyone likes to envision what their garden or patio could look like with the addition of a few great plants and décor items. Don't make shoppers think too hard to piece together their space - pull together a handful of coordinating products, along with plants and flowers to create a scene that shows how it all comes together. (It's the same reason a staged house sells faster than an empty one!) You'll see cross-sales increase and you'll boost your customer's average spend. This being said, don't underestimate the importance of giving each product category a " home. " Staple items like garden flags should be shown in a few vignettes but really require a fixture where shoppers can browse all the available styles. Providing a destination in your store like this, and keeping your display full, can generate great volume. Make your fixtures easy to find so customers 20 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | MAY 2022 always know where to go for that next seasonal item. Hanesworth: We do not provide fixtures or displays for our products. Instead, we encourage our wholesale clients to display our products throughout their plant offerings and in their garden market. We have found at our retail store that the best merchandising for the planters and décor items is their use throughout the business, sometimes planted to show how they complement a variety of different popular succulents and small tropicals. Our Kanok Lanterns can be lit internally to attract attention to garden center entryways or for evening events. We encourage display of our Fern Fiddlehead sculptures throughout their large tropical plants for powerful impact. What tips or tricks do you have for IGCs to merchandise accent and décor items? Godat: Use what you have! IGCs have a huge advantage in their live plants and flowers. Just make sure they aren't totally separate from your accent and décor offering - blend them together! Use live plants to complete your vignettes and use décor items to create surprise elements among your greenery. Try popping a few Art Poles among your flowering trees to create an element of surprise and delight. Not only will blending these categories look great in your IGC, it will help you upsell. Include a few decorative plant stakes (our Bird