Garden and Outdoor: Ready, set, go green!

The Hardware Journal caught up with the team at Whelehan’s Gardening, who are busy preparing for Summer 2018. Their enthusiastic, green-fingered and green-minded staff talk us through the essential checklist for retailers.

Get set up early! Keen gardeners will buy the products they know they will need, as soon as they see them on sale, even as early as the beginning of February. As soon as we get the first mild day of the year, your customers will be out in their gardens, tidying and cleaning up and getting their outdoor areas ready for the season ahead.

  • Early, pre-season displays of moss and algae control products in particular (such as Patio Magic, MossOff, etc.), will see immediate extra sales IF displays are prominent, and offers are clearly displayed.
  • A high-impact, colourful display with a simple layout will decrease consumer confusion and encourage your customers to purchase more products.
  • Identify and highlight the various categories and sub-categories within the Ferts & Chems displays. Plant Feeding, Lawncare, Weed Control, Pest & Disease Control products should be merchandised by category to avoid consumer confusion.
  • Maximise the use of Point-Of-Sale material to help identify the above categories.
  • Special Offer signage is essential, and should be checked regularly – there is no point doing a Special Offer if the consumer does not know about it.
  • Off-shelf displays of key gardening products in high-traffic areas of your store will massively increase impulse purchases, and can be changed and refreshed during the year to reflect seasonal requirements.
  • Free-standing display units of volume lines can result in 50%-60% extra growth in sales, and can be used to create a dedicated “Special Promotion” display area in your store.
  • Do not forget the power of brands! Consumers are happy to invest in products they can trust to do the job first time. The improving economy will see further consumer willingness to trade up to trusted brands.
  • Remember that consumers are not always looking for the cheapest product. Offering promotions and good value with branded products will grow turnover and drive cash margin growth.
  • Value-Added, “Extra Free” packs, offered by suppliers of the key branded products, are a great way to encourage consumers to spend a little extra while maintaining retail margins.
  • Merchandising planograms are available from the main suppliers of Ferts & Chems to the Irish market, and can help to identify which products should go where on your displays, to try to minimise consumer confusion and help maximise sales.
  • TV and Multi-Media advertising of the key brands will drive consumer awareness of new and existing branded products. Ensure that you do not miss out on potential extra business by not having the advertised products in stock.

Please contact your Whelehan Gardening representative should you require any further or more detailed information on any of the above points. Planograms are also available and can be tailored to individual space requirements. Contact the Whelehan Gardening office on 01 4688 900 or orders@tpwhelehan.ie.


Catch up on the other posts in our Garden and Outdoor supplement here.