The Next 3 Investments for Your Long-Term Success

Judy Sharpton

In the last two issues, I put you on notice that planning for the next season starts with cleaning out the clutter of the 2015 season and focusing on 2016. Basically, you have seven months until the first day of spring. Although that may not be your season opening date, it makes a great deadline to work back from for store renovation projects.

I come at this entire process from the point of view of renovating the physical store. You want to show your customer a fresh face every season. After all, that’s what she comes to your store to buy—fresh products for her home and garden. Last month we detailed the first three investments (your first impressions, concrete and carts, and receiving and storage).

Here are the second three worthwhile investments:

Fresh Departments: Make a list of all of the departments in the store: perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, fertilizers, chemicals, gifts, container gardening, watering, apparel, food, kids products, floral, etc. From that list assign staff to review all of the products in each category for redundancies—multiple products that only cause confusion for customers and staff—and then clean out those items from inventory. Then bring the staff together to determine which departments really need a facelift. Maybe some new shelving or paint. Look at a budget for each project and decide on priorities and deadlines. 

Bathrooms: In a world of hand sanitizer dispensers at every turn, the bathroom can mean a customer comes back to your store or not. Bathrooms are a customer service expression. It isn’t enough to clean the toilet and around the sink. Walls must be freshly painted and the air vent free of dust. Remove anything that isn’t part of the customer’s needs. And be sure cleaning products are stored in a high or locked cabinet to prevent a child from finding something you don’t want them to handle. It’s no small event when the industry actually presents awards for the best bathroom. Be sure your customer awards your bathroom a second visit.

Technology: This includes the cash register system and all the computer-based operations in your store— ordering, inventory management, social media, electronic communication and even security. Sit down with your staff and determine where technology is slowing your staff down. Assign responsibility for evaluating technology options. Review what you saw at the summer trade shows. Finally, determine technology-training needs for your staff. If you have vendors who utilize computer-based ordering, invite them to provide training in their particular technology. Whether your training is an informal course in how to use Facebook or Twitter or a more comprehensive technology-training program—bring your staff along with the technology revolution. GP

Judy Sharpton, LEED Green Associate and member of ARCSA, is a garden center design and renovation specialist with 35 years experience in advertising and promotion, and is the owner of Growing Places Marketing.