The August 2010 issue of Garden Center magazine noted that garden centers have been adding new product categories as a way to hold onto the growing number of younger buyers that have started frequenting garden centers.
For instance, the article mentioned that County Line Garden Center in Harleysville, PA introduced a jewelry department that was a big hit with younger customers.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a little skeptical. It seems to me that there are huge opportunities to sell to younger buyers by changing marketing techniques – using less jargon, simplifying the decision-making process, selling the end result rather than the pleasure of gardening. That’s where I’d put my emphasis before branching out into completely new product categories.
What do you think?
