What s Happening in the Lawn & Garden Market? Chris Beytes, Editor, GrowerTalks

Transcription

1 What s Happening in the Lawn & Garden Market? Chris Beytes, Editor, GrowerTalks

2 A brief history of our world

3 Before WWII A brief history of our world Gardening was a hobby primarily for the wealthy

4 Before WWII A brief history of our world Gardening was a hobby primarily for the wealthy It was more utilitarian/necessity for the regular folks

5 A brief history of our world After WWII Abraham Levitt and his sons helped create the modern subdivision

6 A brief history of our world Levittown, on Long Island

7 A brief history of our world After WWII They started giving birth to the Baby Boomers

8 A brief history of our world After WWII They enlarged the house, then bought bigger ones

9 A brief history of our world The Boomers started buying their own homes, larger than their parents, and eventually would up in McMansions and Faux Chateaus

10 A brief history of our world After WWII Garden centers followed the same path between 1950 and 2000, from small nursery to mega chain retailer

11 A brief history of our world After WWII Garden centers followed the same path between 1950 and 2000, from small nursery to mega chain retailer

12 A brief history of our world After WWII Garden centers followed the same path between 1950 and 2000, from small nursery to mega chain retailer

13 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Then: for ornamentation and differentiation

14 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Now: for lifestyle and function/purpose

15 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Outdoor rooms

16 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Rainwater conservation/runoff control

17 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Privacy

18 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping Edibles

19 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping

20 A brief history of our world The role of landscaping It s about lifestyle, it s more purposeful. It s no longer just ornamental horticulture. (Which is why some programs now call themselves environmental horticulture. )

21 Changing Demographics

22 Baby Boomers Changing Demographics 77 million, born between

23 Changing Demographics Gen-X 49 million, born between

24 Changing Demographics Gen-Y 76 million, born between

25 The big problem: Changing Demographics There are fewer Gen-Xers than Baby Boomers, leading to a dip in the consuming population.

26 Changing Demographics

27 Changing Demographics

28 Changing Demographics

29 Who is Gen-Y? Changing Demographics Says Dr. Charlie Hall: Arguably the brightest, most aspirational, best educated and the greenest generation to date.

30 Changing Demographics But also: Incomes down. More than 30% are unemployed. They carry large school debts.

31 Changing Demographics What will they do in the future? They will move into the housing market, but what can they afford?

32 Changing Demographics What will they do in the future? They aspire to home ownership, but will be cautious because they witnessed the house bust.

33 Changing Demographics What will they do in the future? They want to live in urban areas walkabout suburban town centers, says Charlie.

34 Changing Demographics What will they do in the future? They re liable to rent for years.

35 Changing Demographics Immigrants: 40 million (13% of households)

36 Changing Demographics Immigrants: 40 million (13% of households) Immigrants arriving now to 2050 will drive 82% of population growth

37 What all this means to you

38 What all this means to you Size/scale Gardening will continue to be done on a smaller scale. More containers, fewer and smaller beds.

39 Convenience What all this means to you Packaging will be even more important

40 Convenience What all this means to you Packaging will be even more important

41 Convenience Packaging will be even more important What all this means to you

42 Convenience Packaging will be even more important What all this means to you

43 What all this means to you

44 What all this means to you

45 Convenience Not just convenience of carrying, but of purchasing, too What all this means to you

46 What all this means to you The Container Store s elfa closet design system:

47 Authenticity What all this means to you Two aspects: Natural materials, and origin of product

48 What all this means to you

49 What all this means to you

50 Going green What all this means to you One of your biggest challenges and opportunities

51 Going green What all this means to you Peat has a bad wrap in the gardening press, and that could carry over to many bagged garden goods

52 Going green What all this means to you Future consumers will be VERY attuned to environmental issues. It will be critical for peat producers and sellers to spread positive environmental messaging not as a REACTION to negative press, but to plant a positive message in the minds of consumers long before they hear the negative.

53 Going green What all this means to you Sustainable/natural/organic products

54 We re a maturing industry

55 We re a maturing industry Five stages: Birth, Growth, Shakeout, Maturity, Decline

56 We re a maturing industry Two options for businesses competing in a mature industry: Differentiation: Produce a differentiated product and charge sufficiently higher prices to more than offset the added cost of differentiation. Low-cost: Produce an essentially equivalent product at a lower cost be the most efficient producer.

57 Social Media: a quick primer

58 Social Media: a quick primer What is social media? Two definitions: - Friends and family - Business-to-Consumer, Business-to-Business

59 Social Media: a quick primer How I view it: The opposite of mass media

60 Social Media: a quick primer Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest etc. are just tools to help you do that. The phone was the first social media tool. A fax machine even works, but we didn t get all excited when we got our first fax machine.

61 Social Media: a quick primer Social media is a mindset, not a task for your to-do list. Either you re into it or you aren t

62 Social Media: a quick primer Social media is personal. It comes from a person, not a business. That gives your business a personal touch.

63 Social Media: a quick primer Should YOU be using social media?

64 Opportunities

65 Green/Organic/Sustainable Opportunities

66 Opportunities Green/Organic/Sustainable Telling the story, make it personal and important. Not just dirt or mulch.

67 Opportunities Green/Organic/Sustainable Telling the story, make it personal and important. Not just dirt or mulch. Convenience

68 Opportunities Green/Organic/Sustainable Telling the story, make it personal and important. Not just dirt or mulch. Convenience Improved packaging/co-branding gardening kits

69 Opportunities Green/Organic/Sustainable Telling the story, make it personal and important. Not just dirt or mulch. Convenience Improved packaging/co-branding gardening kits Private labeling to take advantage of authenticity trend

70 Opportunities Green/Organic/Sustainable Telling the story, make it personal and important. Not just dirt or mulch. Convenience Improved packaging/co-branding gardening kits Private labeling to take advantage of authenticity trend New technologies, materials, textures, colors, application methods, durability, benefits (drought)

71 Opportunities Biochar?

72 Opportunities

73 Opportunities $2.78

74 Opportunities

75 Opportunities $13.10

76 Finally

77 What s Happening in the Lawn & Garden Market? Chris Beytes, Editor, GrowerTalks