The WoW Effect for Garden Centers

Location, location, location. Doesn’t tell the whole story does it? Getting the customers in the door requires more than just setting up in a high traffic location. Keeping them coming back is where you really unleash the power of WoW.

WoW provides a total customer experience. WoW defines a Garden Center’s personality.

When advising GGS customers who are building a new garden center, or adding to and refreshing their existing garden center, we recommend they walk through their customer experience.

1. Consider your Retail Garden Center Curb Appeal

Inviting Garden Centers are bright, and attractive, with lots of colour upfront. Display gardens at the front of your property attract shoppers, and also gives them ideas on how to arrange the plants they will buy from you. The Garden center structure’s front wall should be glass, so prospective customers get a peak inside. The taller the greenhouse, the taller the panes of glass the more impact it will generate.

2. Front Window Displays Need to Tempt Gardeners inside

Here is the magic of retail marketing. Your displays should complement the personality of your store and appeal to your target shoppers. WoW displays evoke emotion, and are always unique. Think outside of typical floral arrangements and create something new. Challenge common perceptions of what plants are for, and where possible make a BIG bold statement. Here are 3 amazing ideas I pulled off the internet to create a conversation:

3. Make shopping inside Delightful

The biggest advantage a greenhouse offers as a garden center shopping environment is the impression customers have that they are buying from the grower. But in no way should the garden center greenhouse be designed the same as a commercial grower’s greenhouse. Rolling benches do not work with retail shoppers. Extra high gutter do. Fan and pad ventilation is too noisy for a customer experience. Natural ventilation works best. Aisles need to be wide and designed to encourage the shopping foot traffic patterns.

4. Make Signage Helpful Plus More

Wow Garden Centers deliver an impression in everything they do, including signs. Remember to be helpful and informative while always showcasing the personality of your store. Here are 3 examples of ways signs can contribute to a garden center’s WoW.

	Marking stones are a great way to mark plant locations, while adding to the display. Consider that this type of signage will also appeal to gardeners, making your signs a POS revenue generating add on item.
	Structural layout of your Garden Center can provide ways to incorporate customer friendly information. Walking paths, fence lines, and the side of your greenhouse are all opportunities for creativity to increase customer enjoyment while shopping.
	Signs should answer shoppers’ questions, or make them think. Do this in ways that complement the personality of your garden center.

5. WoW doesn't work if you forget the Retail Basics

Garden Centers with lots of pizzazz that have crowded narrow aisles, not enough parking spaces, shopping carts with rusty squeaky wheels, etc. will not WoW no matter what the amazing features are. Inattentive or rude garden center staff, and lack of cleanliness cannot be replaced with fabulous displays and modern greenhouse structures. To WoW a garden center must deliver EVERYTHING shoppers expect, PLUS that extra WoW!

GGS designs, manufactures, and builds greenhouse greenhouse garden centers for retailers all over the world. Custom designs in the structure, as well as time tested experience ensures garden centers built by GGS will help you WoW your customers.