Understanding the consumers' needs is essential and will benefit the entire industry. The spotlight nowadays is on millennials, those who are born between 1980 and 2000. So how to connect the garden centers to this new generation? Together with Jon Morrison, Jeff O'Brien just launched their new marketing company that aims to tackle the challenge of drawing younger customers to garden centers.
Jeff O'Brien and Jon Morrison
You may think, Jeff O'Brien, this name sounds familiar. That's correct. Earlier this year, we published some of his key findings of his dissertation on consumer purchasing behavior in retail garden centers in North America on FloralDaily (click here to read the article). The results of his study motivated him to start his own business and together with Morrison, he launched Brands in Blooms earlier this month. "Garden centers are facing the critical challenge of staying relevant and engaging to a new generation of consumers. Traditional marketing methods are no longer sufficient as younger shoppers are looking for more from their online and in-store experiences. So, we specialize in transforming garden centers into thriving hubs that resonate with today's most influential buyers, namely millennials."
So what did he find when talking to millennials? The biggest takeaways are that more education and inspiration are needed. On top of that, he found that the current in-store retail design layouts seem to be confusing for many millennials and that many garden centers are missing the opportunity of social media.
So what does O'Brien recommend? A transformational change. "The main areas of transformation are the website, social media, and the in-store layout. For retail garden centers to attract and retain the younger generation, the website, social media, and in-store layout must be built on consumer lifestyles and needs."
And this is exactly what he and Morrison are doing with Brands in Bloom. "We offer garden centers a complete package: marketing consulting, modern website design, and social media management. We focus on what millennials like, ensuring everything from online to in-store reflects their interests and lifestyles. They have already posted some examples of their work at https://demo.brandsinblooms.com/.
For more information:
Jeff O'Brien
Brands in Bloom
Email: Jeff@brandsinblooms.com
www.brandsinblooms.com