Independent retail consultant, Liam Kelly explains why retailers need to put profit before pride and kitsch before chic
I’ve always admired follies, those enigmatic buildings and structures that were de rigueur on many a country house estate in previous centuries, set on a hill or in a glade, often with no true purpose other than to showcase wealth, ostentation or just to have a talking point when one went for a promenade around the meticulously well-kept gardens of society’s elite back in the day. Notwithstanding that some of these projects were created for more altruistic reasons such as community employment in times of social crisis, they still remain a testament to people’s need for ornamentation and features that are decorative accents to their gardens, erected to add to rather than take from the planting and landscaping into which they either nestle, or in some cases dominate.
Of course, adding decorative features to your garden didn’t have to be on such a grand scale, so statues, birdbaths and sundials amongst other structures were also used in abundance for a similar purpose, albeit on a much smaller scale. Indeed this kind of accessorization was the norm from a certain period, as any well-to-do house owner would at the very least have a statue of Apollo sitting on a plinth in their pleasure grounds, or a cast iron bower clothed in scented, climbing roses at the end of their herbaceous walk. And even the gardens of smaller homes featured some sort of ornamentation, perhaps homemade or cobbled together from old tools or farm machinery but decorative nonetheless.
In the intervening years, we have swapped one kind of folly for another – as many a forlorn hot tub, pizza oven or other fad purchase can attest to, none of which weather in the same way as an elegant heap of granite, a copper sundial, cast iron birdbath or even a weathervane made from a few pieces of scrap metal.
So homeowners have always decorated their gardens with more than just plants, and in an ideal retail world we would be selling someone a 21st-century folly, but sometimes we need to simplify things a little, as the majority of gardeners don’t have huge formal gardens. It’s also worth remembering that not everyone has a few hundred euro or more to spend on a new-fangled-whatsit that will be used or admired for six months and then go resented and unused for the remainder of its stay in that outside room. This doesn’t mean that I think you shouldn’t stock ‘The Next Big Thing’ but more so that at times you need something more to scale and more saleable, accessible and affordable for the flurry of summer gardeners who will be hitting the garden centre in the coming months.
The fact is that many retailers are not capitalising as well as they could on this lucrative category of garden decor for a multitude of reasons, not least of which is the snobbish factor of not wanting to stock what many business owners wrongly class as ‘tat’, which they think is best left to German supermarkets and discounters, or for the simple fact they do not personally like a range of products, which is irrelevant in retail. Admittedly your shopper demographic plays a part in the goods you choose to stock but very, very few retailers can be picky enough to base their stocking regime on the fact that the majority of their customers are all discerning high earners with plenty of disposable income. And what’s not to say they don’t like a little bit of whimsy in their gardens anyway? Or conversely that those or lower incomes won’t want to splash the cash on a high-end garden accessory?
‘I think it’s fair to say that the customers themselves are changing much more rapidly than many retailers are’
After all, a €500 fire pit is a great sale but will only appeal to a small segment of customers, while a €40 wind spinner, a €50 birdbath or a €20 wind chime will appeal to a much larger number. If we look at the maths it’s worth considering that adding a modest average of €20 euro to the shopping basket of one in three shoppers is more profitable than selling that fire pit to one in 200. (In case the fire pit wholesalers start rattling their flaming sabers in this direction, it’s not that I am advocating one range over the other, my argument is that garden centres should be stocking both.)
My point is that too many of the small to medium retailers in this sector think their stores and sales revolve around plants, pots and garden care with a few sets of furniture and a range of barbecues – which apart from the big brands are becoming increasingly more and more difficult sell – stocked for the summer months. At best they will stock a small section of plastic windmills and the occasional citronella garden torch to pacify those who ask, instead of allocating space to a serious, confident and well-promoted display from one of the many suppliers of garden décor that are shipping their wares into this country. Think quality solar lighting, resin ornaments, bird baths, outdoor wall art, lanterns and so on, items that will add to the profitability of the business and increase footfall when effectively merchandised with a little flair and competency.
So although my focus on such a specific category may seem a little irrelevant in the overall scheme of retail gardening, it does point towards that narrow mindedness of some retailers as to what they choose to sell. Of course, the sector as a whole should focus on plants as being the core of their business but we need to think beyond that towards what other lines the customer needs to be tempted by – and purchase – from your store. Just because you’ve never stocked a certain range of products doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice for right here and right now. Customers’ wants and needs have changed immeasurably in the past few years. I think it’s fair to say that customers themselves are changing more rapidly than many retailers are, and not just in our sector.
Garden centres – or whatever we now want to call them – cannot exist purely on plant and garden care sales, in truth they never really could although many trudged along regardless. The need for our sector of retail to change and embrace transformation is palpable, and if that means selling a garish wind spinner with bedding plants, fertilisers and other garden care products then that’s what you must do. That same rationale applies to any number of ranges such as clothing, interior décor, stationery, cards, books, kitchenware or whatever keeps you in existence as a business, and this also means measuring your sales area and these new categories to ensure every square meter of the store is at its most profitable, regardless of what is sold there (within reason). That’s the key point.
There are times when you need to put profit before pride, and kitsch before chic. Surely anything else is the other type of folly? ✽
 LIAM KELLY – Since establishing Retail Services & Solutions in 2007, Liam has become one of the most influential people within the retail side of Irish horticulture. His knowledge of the mind set and ethos of those in this sector, combined with his problem solving ability, experience and hands-on work ethic make him uniquely placed to offer advice and help to those who need it. Key to his success is his knowledge of purchasing, pricing and sales combined with his understanding of layout, signage and merchandising, and how the interaction of these can lead to increased sales and profits. He can be contacted on 086 822 1494 or lksolutions@eircom.net |
