Retailers & Garden Centers

Independent Garden Centers

Eco Garden Systems has developed a program specifically for retailers. This program minimizes expenses (shipped direct to you – no middleman to add to cost) and helps you connect with a new set of consumers that may not see you as a solution to their problems. Most Eco Garden Systems’ customers have either given up gardening due to some sort of physical limitation or they have never taken up the hobby as they feel they will not be successful do to:

• Lack of time
• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of space
• Lack of a “Green Thumb”
• Perceived growing things as too difficult or too limiting: “I can’t go on vacation if I have a garden.”
• Soil, sun, heat or other “natural” issue that prevents them from participating in the #1 hobby in the US
• Physical limitations

Building top line sales

As with most retail outlets today, garden centers are always looking for ways to grow their top line sales. There are really only three ways to build top line sales – and an Eco Garden is the catalyst for all three:

• Build Traffic – if you are an Eco Garden retailer, you will have a product that is not available from Amazon or from big box retailers (let’s face it, this is where much of your business goes if they are not shopping with you). Additionally, many of the consumers who are interested in an Eco Garden are not currently gardening – our right sized, raised bed garden will let these consumers get into (or back into) their favorite hobby.
• Build Basket Sales – the goal of every retailer is to get each customer to put one more thing in their basket. What if you could find a way for the customer to put 10+ things in their basket? An Eco Garden is a catalyst here as well – see our Basket Chart for a look at what is possible in terms of total sale should a customer buy and Eco Garden Original Garden.
• Recurring Sales – each new customer that a retailer can secure will, on average, shop with that retailer for seven or more years. This customer, who was driving past your store prior to purchasing an Eco Garden, will now see you and your team as their go to experts for anything outdoors. What will that mean over the next several years for sales? Think hardware, seeds (year after year), power tools, equipment, soil, fertilizer, décor, etc. An Eco Garden can be a powerful tool for keeping a steady flow of new customers coming to your locations.

Building Bottom Line Profitability

What retailer out there wouldn’t like to make more money? By reviewing an Eco Garden Systems’ “basket”, you can see that profit dollars is a key component to each purchase. These will be incremental profit dollars as well as most of the customers who buy an Eco Garden will be new customers to your store. The really great thing about getting a new customer is now you are part of their “shopping set” – where they go to buy anything they need for outdoor living, yard maintenance and potentially home maintenance. Some quick math may help show the benefit:

With five sales per year (initial purchase is four units plus free display unit – retailer pays shipping & handling) and six years of selling Eco Garden Systems’ products, a retailer can grow sales by almost $215,000 and profits by over $70,000 just by bringing in the Eco Garden Systems product line.

Bundle Selling

The one stop shop for everything gardening. Many retailers have had great success bundling products together for a complete solution. The main approach would be to bundle the garden and growing medium (peat moss and soil) into a single package price. This makes it incredibly easy for the consumer to get started. Combine this with “white glove” delivery and setup and your team can have a huge impact on customer loyalty. Imagine the reaction of a customer purchases a package, your team delivers, assembles and fills the Eco Garden Systems’ Original Garden and all the customer has to do is plant. That will create tremendous word of mouth about the quality of your service – leading to even more customers putting your location into their retail choice set.

Adding an annual seed subscription service (you curate where the seeds come from and provide a selection list for your customers to choose things they prefer. Start with the basics, expand to some exotic varieties and even have your staff choose the products they like – as part of a Staff Recommendations list. This will help keep your customers coming back season after season.

Consumer Value Proposition

We have shared the value proposition for your business – but what does the consumer’s value equation look like? We have identified multiple characteristics that will help the consumer – including our Total Cost of Ownership chart – see below.

In addition to financial rewards, there are the personal rewards for your customer that goes beyond the amount of produce the garden can deliver. Some of these are:

• The “Easy Button”: an Eco Garden makes gardening easier – no bending, stooping or crawling plus care & maintenance is simple and straightforward
• Size & Efficiency: for space strapped customers or just those that want to use their yard for something else besides gardening, each 4’x6’ Original Garden can produce as much as a 4’x12’ in-ground plot
• Sustainability: with an Eco Garden, your customers will automatically become better stewards of the environment. No run off, limited nutrient contamination and 65% less water used – all benefits for those striving to leave our planet a better place
• Hyper Local: there is not better “Farm to Table” play than to garden – your customer can be Organic right out of the gate by controlling all inputs for our raised bed garden. Construction is “food safe” right out of the box – and will provide worry free produce for the entire family

Still wondering if our product is right for you and your customers? Check out the points of difference that make up our Eco System.

Where can I download a brochure?

We have created a brochure especially for Community Centers like yours who want to embrace gardening. View our eMagazine Eco Garden System for Retail for specs and benefits for your industry. Contact us to talk about your needs or place your order!