Posted on January 27, 2009 by sidraisch
“Times have changed. Today people are more interested in what they will use and enjoy than they are in what they will own and enjoy.” Judy Stapler 11/08
You don’t need me to tell you how stressful it has become to live in this great country. While we serve a broad range of consumers, disposable income is becoming a thing of the past and every purchase can now be a major decision for some of them. Gas up the car? Buy food? Keep the home at a comfortable 70°- 72° or a more efficient 65°? Buy the art object or new car we’ve admired for months (now at a greatly reduced price) or decide to spend for something you can actually use. The net effect of this is that consumers at all income levels make decisions more purposefully. It is my opinion that come spring, we will see more people choose to buy those items they perceive that they actually need and can use and enjoy immediately rather than those they simply look at and enjoy owning over time.
Filed under: Consumers, Marketing, Product | Tagged: afford, better, big-boxes, brands, buying, car, consumables, credibility, disposable income, durable, enjoy, focus, food, functional, gas, Hummer, market, micro-mansion, ornamental, ostentatious, own, perceive, perception, perennials, plant, price, purchase, qualitative, Selling, signage, taste, trading down, trends, use, usefulness, value, veggies | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 16, 2009 by sidraisch
We have plenty of proof to make our case, however we fail to reflect on that proof and question our relevancy in the world today. We fail to use the evidence as proof in our marketing messages and question why consumers don’t place more value on plants while they spend increasingly more on cars, bathrooms, and gourmet kitchens.
Filed under: Consumers, Demographics, Marketing, PR, Plants, Product, Psychographics | Tagged: annuals, BMW, bulbs, channel, Charles Kuralt, Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul, Consumers, crime, flowers, food, fresh, fruit, garden, garden center, gift, God, green, greenhouse, heal, health, herbs, Holy Bible, houseplants, Independent, James A. Michener, Judy Stapler, Landscape, locally owned, mental, Nelson Mandela, nursery, organic, patients, perennials, physical, Plants, research, Retail, ship, tropicals, University of Michigan, urban, vegetables | 3 Comments »
Posted on January 13, 2009 by sidraisch
While it is significant that women make and influence an over-whelming majority of garden purchases, we must remember that we would have a hard time living without men customers today, and the ones they’re teaching to be our customers tomorrow.
Filed under: Consumers, Demographics, Marketing, Psychographics | Tagged: food, garden, independent garden center, married, men, restaurant, sports, women | 1 Comment »
