children 



A Market You Can Tap With A Clear Conscience 



Margaret Hagen 



ccording to an article in the June issue of 

 CrowerTalks, "gardeners are the hottest in 

 dividual consumer market in the industrial 

 ized world today." Roughly 78 million 

 households are involved in gardening and 

 in 1993, each of those households spent an 

 average of $309 on this activity. 



So who is doing all this gardening? According to 

 Wayne Dickson (co-owner of the horticultural marketing 

 firm Dickson Felix Inc., Washington, D.C.), the most obvi- 

 ous division of gardeners is by age. And the three pri- 

 mary age groups that he sees evolving consist of matur- 

 ing baby boomers (aged 30-39), "golden" gardeners (65 

 and over), and children. 



Clearly, boomers are the most numerous, and, in some 

 ways, the most affluent of these three groups. But we 

 wouldn't want to overlook the saplings for the trees. 



A pre-schooler growing cherry tomatoes at the age of 

 three may be a passionate gardener at the age of 35. 

 And he/she may have the income to match. And since re- 

 search shows that children's attitudes about the environ- 

 ment are formed before they get to school, the savvy 

 garden center may want to stock some plants, toys, and 

 books designed to capture that young gardener's eye. 



Not only will you be sowing seeds for the future, but 

 you'll most likely be tapping into the parents' desire for 

 quality family-oriented activities at the same time. In ad- 

 dition, that child, when he gets a little older (8-14), will 

 have a phenomenal influence on his parents' purchasing 

 decisions. Wouldn't it be nice if he had good memories 

 of your store? Also, garden centers that stock product 

 lines geared to children frequently find that children 

 come in with up to $20 of their own to spend. 



Need anything else to convince you that devoting 

 some retail space to children is a good idea? How about 

 the fact that it's a way to develop one more niche mar- 

 ket? And niche markets are the opposite of what mass 

 merchandisers do. 



With mass merchandisers gaining quickly in the areas 

 of service and quality, it soon won't be enough to offer 

 high quality merchandise and a knowledgeable sales 

 staff. But filling a niche that no one else in your area oc- 

 cupies, and doing it well, will motivate people to drive 

 out of their way for your product. 



There are a few things you need to know about be- 

 coming the niche. You'll need to become an expert on 



children's gardening You'll need to present seasonal pro- 

 motions that will bring customers back four-to-eight times 

 a year. And it could take up to three years before your 

 customers and the community realize that you specialize 

 in children's gardening. If you participate in community 

 events and do some clever advertising, it will take less 

 time. 



While you're devoting some retail space to children, 

 you don't want to forget the other two gardening groups 

 (boomers and golden agers). And the best way to appeal 

 to all three at the same time is to "Entice, Entertain and 

 Educate". 



Your store should be user-and-family-friendly. Below 

 are some great ideas from retail owners who have 

 learned how to reach out to and draw their customers in. 

 Maybe you'll want to try some of them yourself. 



At Gateway Gardens in Concord, NH, they had a sec- 

 tion devoted to just children for over a year after open- 

 ing the garden center. Currently they have a small four- 

 foot-square table and chairs with crayons and coloring 

 books. They also stock packaged products from seed 

 companies (pizza gardens, butterfly gardens, etc), kids' 

 tools and clothing, gloves, books and bug finders. Susan 

 Englund feels the key to children's products is placing 

 them in an obvious and appealing location in the garden 

 center. 



At Gateway they also have a year-round water garden 

 display in the entrance that enchants children. It features 

 fish, fountains, and a frog that sprays water. In the sum- 

 mer they advertise "free frogs if you can catch them." 



Outside, during the growing season, mazes are created 

 at the outer edges of pie-shaped gardens using potted 

 perennials, pumpkins or whatever is in season. Garden 

 clinics, aimed at all ages, are held spring and fall (23 so 

 far) and a newsletter is mailed four times a year. Susan 

 states that they will always have some space devoted to 

 children's gardening because "it's a prime tool for getting 

 parents and kids involved in gardening, with the whole 

 family working together." 



At Wilson Farms in Lexington, MA, 90% of the advertis- 

 ing budget is spent on promotion. Although more a road- 

 side stand than a retail garden center, most of their pro- 

 motions would work in either setting. Keith Hutchins of 

 Wilson Farms says their activities motivate "kids to bring 

 in their parents who don't just buy things, but also have 

 a good time themselves." Their emphasis is on the idea 



DECEMBER 1995 -♦• JANUARY 1996 



