September/October - 12

INNOVATIVE IDEAS
How to
By Abby D'Agostin
Houseplant
F
Set your IGC apart by learning how to houseplant
the Village Green Home and Garden way.
or thousands of years humans have incorporated
plants into their homes for a multitude of reasons.
Fast forward to the 1960s and '70s, when houseplants
became very popular. After taking a dip in popularity for a
few decades, the craze is back and stronger than ever.
Today, we have unbelievable new varieties, products and
techniques. How do retailers keep up? By being innovative
and learning how to houseplant.
Selection
The way I see it, your store's selection of plants
determines if you will both gain new customers and keep
current ones. At Village Green, we have strived to have the
latest and greatest most likely even before our customers
are ready for it. On the other hand, we always make sure to
have our everyday tried-and-true items as well. Making sure
to always have a balance of both is a good way to keep all
shoppers - no matter their age, experience level or budget.
How do you figure out what items the people want? Here
are a few ways that work great. Interacting with customers
on a regular basis will give you a lot of information about the
holes in your selection. Meeting with members of your team
and getting feedback from them is always helpful as well.
If you're really ready to get savvy, pull out your phone, get
on social media and search for houseplants or other related
keywords. This will populate videos, pictures, accounts and
more brimming with trends and other information.
Displays
Now that you have a great selection of houseplants, it's
time to put it to use. Attractive displays are one of the best
silent sellers for any retailer. About four years ago, when I
joined the team at Village Green, our houseplant selection
was ordinary and our displays were functional but not eyecatching
- no fun varieties, no cool displays - just lacking
extra firepower. So we flipped the script - we integrated
round tables, differing heights and cross merchandising.
Bringing different heights, shapes and products into an area
holds eye attention longer due to the contrast. This made a
difference right away.
12 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
Attractive displays are one
of the best silent sellers for
any retailer.
We decided to take it two steps further with our
innovation. First, we added The Plant Bar, a do-it-yourself
space for our customers to repot plants. They have the
option of either buying a plant and pot here and planting
it up, or bringing everything in from home. In both cases,
we charge a small fee for the media as well as any soil
covering, such as moss, to go with it.
Next, we added The Propagation Station. This is a collection
of vases with a variety of houseplant cuttings in them for sale.
This allows shoppers to be able to buy a plant at a low cost -
and be able to feel the success of growing it themselves.
Accessories
Becoming a one-stop shop for houseplants and supplies
includes carrying all the accessories your customers need
to be successful. The staples in the houseplant world
include media, pots, supports, fertilizers, pest care, tools
and décor. Finding which brands work for you can be
tricky, but don't give up! Remember to bring some of
these items into your plant displays as well.
Marketing
Social media (no matter what your opinion is on it) can
do wonders for a business - from posting about sales,
what's new in and around the store and even houseplants.
The new generation of plant purchasers use social media to
see what's out there.
It's as simple as posting pictures of new plants you
have received, doing a spotlight on one plant or getting
savvy and making videos. Anything you can do to get your
September/October

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October
