The explosion of television shows that focus on outdoor living spaces is phenomenal. Thanks to cable TV and the variety of 30 to 60-minute garden shows, consumers are feeling compelled to create peaceful gardens and beautiful patios of their own. Take advantage of this rising consumer need and make your shop the prime place for great yard decor.
How can you grow your profit with garden accents? It is simple. You just need the following: Products, Sales Strategies, The Right Price.
Product
Although a broad group of products, the garden and patio accessories category has a common agenda — enhancing the outdoor living area.
With such diversity, what garden products can small retailers carry? Gazing balls, plaques/signs, bird houses, and stepping stones are just a few garden decor items perfect for retailers with limited space or money. For retailers who have the available space, think big and functional. Offer your customers patio furniture, fountains, fireplaces and garden statuary. However, don’t let limited space keep you from these items. There are garden decor wholesalers with special order programs that give you ability to sell these products from a catalog.
Think about compatibility. Mixing your existing product lines with your home and garden items can increase sales for both lines. Place complimentary items together for impulse buying. Examples include: Barb-be-que sauces next to decorative bee catchers, glassware next to patio furniture, or garden flags with door wreaths.
Sales Strategies
Keep abreast of current trends. Do you feel overwhelmed and unsure of what products to buy? To be successful you have to know what to buy and why.
By watching home improvement shows and reading garden and outdoor living magazines, you can stay in tune with the latest trends. With up-to-date product and trend knowledge, you will be able to select the right garden decor items.
Let others get the word out for you. How? Take a moment and think of the shows you’ve watched recently or even a commercial. Have you ever seen a product and thought “Hmm interesting, I like that item.” Then the next week while shopping, you noticed that very product in a store and most likely, purchased it.
Capitalize on the momentum and interest created by someone else by offering trendy or hot items seen on TV. Think about it. Capitalizing on the latest trend will result in increased sales with little effort on your part. If you’re not currently selling garden and patio decorations, you’re probably missing out on sales.
Buying Right
“Buying right” is more than finding a good price point. Finding a supplier you can work closely with is essential. Find a wholesaler that will work with you, not just sell you a product. FGmarket has wholesalers who are willing to help you select the right mix of merchandise for your shop.
When purchasing products, make sure you get the best deal. Getting the best deal includes: payment terms, price points and the right balance of high-end, trendy and proven products. Before you buy, look at your past sales figures to determine the ratio of high-end, mid-range and low-end products needed. Once you have these figures, apply them to your outdoor garden decor items.
Next, negotiate with your vendors. Negotiating tip: XYZ Company sells fountains and birdhouses. The fountains are high-end priced items, but the birdhouses are in the middle prices. Ask for a quantity discount, such as, “If I buy three fountains and 20 birdhouses can I get a 10% discount?” Many wholesalers have discount specials.
In today’s economic times, it is a “negotiable” atmosphere. Don’t be discouraged or insulted if your offers aren’t accepted. On the other hand, be ready to move on if you feel you’re not getting a good deal. Remember, this isn’t personal, it is business.
Watch your garden and patio accessory items sales grow by knowing your product, formulating a sales strategy and buying right.
Need help finding the right garden decor and patio accessories? The FGmarket garden and partio vendors will be able to offer you a great selection of decor, planters, fountains, birdbraths, windchimes and garden accessories. To jump start your garden and patio product search, check out the FGmarket vendors highlighted below.
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