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Your Garden Center brand
starts in the parking lot

Talk to them when they step out of their cars

You have a marketing plan in place. You paid for advertising and relied on word-of-mouth to get your customers to make the trip to your garden center. Now, are you ready to impress and inspire them into becoming life-long customers?

In your parking lot... set the tone of the shopping experience your customers can expect in your retail garden center. How much curb-appeal does your garden center have? What does your signage look like? Does your storefront match your brand? Is your parking lot trim and neat, or untended? All these things create an immediate impression in your customer’s minds. Will they expect down-and-dirty products or higher quality? This affects your price points.

When your customers step out of their cars you want to impress them and let them know that they are welcome. Keep your lot clean and add some features that are available within your store (make sure they are products that can't be easily removed - like garden lights or heavy stone seating). Define paths that lead into your garden center store or nursery area. Invite them in with the use of colors and lighting. Keep an eye on the cleanliness of your lot and take pride in the details.

Stay away from the negatives. Try not to use signs that say "NO PARKING", "STAY OUT", "CLOSED", or "KEEP OFF THE GRASS". Instead try using works like "GREEN AREA: PARKING LOCATED IN FRONT", "BACKSTAGE AREA", "CURRENTLY CLOSED (ONLINE HELP & STORE NOW OPEN!)", or "STROLL ON THE PATHS (NOT ON THE GREEN)". Try to use a positive inviting tone in all your communications.

Use exterior signage to help increase sales even before they enter your store. Do your customers know what new plants are available? What specials you have? What services you have for them? What makes your garden center different? By the time they enter your doors they should know the answer to all of these questions.

One of today's hottest marketing tactics is to place advertisements (posters, mini billboards, etc.) in the parking lots of grocery stores. Advertisers are charging premium dollers for this space. Why? Because people notice them. Most parking lots are bare and void of any color so images really stand out. Start thinking of your parking lot as a place to communicate with your customers.

Add a parking lot water run-off garden that helps the environment. Dedicate an area to your customers with a picnic bench and a descriptive sign. Think of your parking lot as an extension of your store. How can you help you customers feel more relaxed and comfortable? How can you introduce your brand... right in your parking lot?

Train ALL your employees to keep their eyes on the parking lot. If ANY employee sees someone needing help putting items into their car or returning an item they should be met at their car. When there's a problem it's best to have an employee help them right away, to help defuse a bad situation. Remember, when they pull up, your customers are at your store... not your competitors'. Set the tone on how they will be treated right away.

info@holbergdesign.com

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