Don't try to sell everything to everyone or all your customers will see is a big green wall. Put the right plant into their hands, ensure their success and be ready to sell more.

1. PEOPLE + PLANTS
Don’ttryto sellthema sea
of green…
Bill Calkins
bcalkins@ballhort.co
m
@BillCalkins

2. Curate For Customers!
WALL

3. Coincidence? No way!

4. Meet: Tyler + Nicole
Young, Urban + Active
Work hard - Play hard
Not gardeners (yet)
Super trendy!
Small-space, big-
look plants
transform their
balcony!

5. Meet: Tyler + Nicole
 Small footprint
 Easy care
 Healthy!

6. Meet: Amy
Eco-Friendly Lifestyle
Self-sufficient + simple
All-natural
Reduced impact!
Drought-tolerant plants & pollinator
attractors are her thing!

7. Meet: Amy
 Drought-tolerant
 Native
 Backyard habitat!

8. Meet: Sarah
Busy Mom
Healthy + colorful
Low-maintenance solutions
Decorator style
Flower-
filled
baskets
are a

9. Meet: Sarah
 Impulse color
 Healthy veggies
 Low-care alternatives!

10. Meet: Sarah’s Family

11. Meet: Amanda
On-The-Go Career
Easy-plant, Easy-care
Combo Style
Weekend Entertainer
Stylish, trendy
small plants
and dish
gardens fit
her zest for
entertaining!

12. Meet: Amanda
 Long-lasting perennials
 Low maintenance, big impact
 Backyard beauty!

13. Meet: Nancy + Mike
Recently Retired
Space to fill
Entertain family + friends
Time to experiment
They
garden
for fun,
fitness
and front-
yard
appeal!

14. Meet: Nancy + Mike
 New (recognized) varieties
 Plenty of shade
 Holiday products

15. Meet: Gloria
Master Gardener
Plant Finder
Versatile gardener
Loves a challenge
New &
novel are
a magnet
for Master
Gardeners
!

16. Meet: Gloria
 Gardener extraordinaire!
 Hungry for info
 Cares for plants

17. SHIFT Insights
AmericanHort.org/SHIFT

19. Over 40 stores across 8 states from
California to Massachusetts were
visited, assessed, and observed.
These stores ranged in size, focus,
market, and more.
The research team took notes, shot
video, held interviews, asked
questions, watched for trends and
habits, and recorded everything.
This project required that we
proceed strategically, holistically, and
boldly to cover every aspect and
every angle.
SHIFT

20. SHIFT Insights

21. Understanding Customers
Most consumers don’t identify with the term “Gardener.”
They recognize and enjoy their interaction with plants.
There are individual motivations that drive plant selectio
Not necessarily “sun or shade.”
Customers have distinct motivations for being in a garden center
and fall into different purchasing profiles based on demographic
experiences and lifestyles.

23. SHIFT Insights

24. Unforgettable Experience
Hours at garden retail stores seem to be scheduled around
business preferences and not around consumer convenience.
Stores are set up from a perspective other than the cust
point of view.
If the foundation of your business is plants and that’s what
your customers shop for, then plants need to be the focus.

25. Unforgettable Experience
Visual merchandising increases purchases.
Opportunities for impulse buys should be strategically
incorporated into a retail layout.
Refunds and returns vary and impact customer experience
and satisfaction.

27. SHIFT Insights

28. Speak Their Language
Customers shop from afar – ever notice?
Many are reluctant to interact with the plant.
Language that implies work scares people.
Garden retail language should be consumer facing.

29. Speak Their Language

31. Speak Their Language

32. Speak Their Language
Benefits of plants aren’t talked about nearly enough.
www.ballseed.com/DownloadABenchCard/PromoteGardening/

33. Speak Their Language
Many customers (new and current) just
don’t understand how plants grow.

34. SHIFT Insights

35. New Business
Traditional business models (selling from the production
greenhouse) might not be as successful with today’s consumers.
Business owners wear too many hats.
Get involved with local and national causes and let customers
know you care about something beyond business.

36. SHIFT Insights
AmericanHort.org/SHIFT

37. THANK YOU!
Bill Calkins
bcalkins@ballhort.co
m
@BillCalkins