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Press Releases 2019
May 2019 Reach a new generation of screen-fingered gardeners
Research by the Office for National Statistics (2018) found 78% of adults use smartphones. We feel that most garden centres are failing to engage with their tech-savvy customers.
The study found mobiles were the most popular devices across most age groups, apart from those aged 65 years plus, who preferred a tablet for internet shopping, entertainment and research purposes.
A high percentage of adults from Millennials to tech savvy Generation X and baby boomers are using touchscreens on a regular basis whether it be on their smartphones or tablets. They will be using them in a number of ways from shopping, socialising or research. These devices are part of their everyday lives so why not incorporate them into a retail environment?
Creating a modern plant area to appeal to these tech savvy gardeners is key if garden centres want to develop and grow new markets.
We’re the only provider of materials like this catering for millennials and those of all ages who prefer to have their information in an environmentally paper-free format at the tips of their fingers.
To add to this, research conducted recently (January 2019) by Common Sense Gardening shows that 84% of Millennials would not garden unless it was simple to do so.
The generation, now in their twenties and thirties, said they would garden if they had easy to maintain outdoor spaces and that the activity was made much easier for them.
Younger people haven’t been brought up with the same cultural points of reference as their parents and grandparents were, so they need extra guidance and assistance to help them understand where to start with plants.
It’s important to reach them in a way they are comfortable with. Millennials are tech obsessed and they research things online. They are used to touchscreen technology and they are highly driven by visual content.
Our Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosks are proving a hit in garden centres’ plant areas as touchscreens are not only for Millennials but can also be used by everyone, even the over-50s understand the technology as it is so easy to use.
By creating a modern plant area, garden centres are providing a pull for Millennials, which the gardening sector is working hard to encourage, without alienating the 50 plus generation either as they are embracing smart technology.
Our Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosk guides customers to the plants a garden centre sells – it’s like having a new team assistant in the plant area, ready to help answer plant-related questions.
The home screen can be personalised by the garden centre to chosen plant groups, such as easy-care plants, houseplants, or trees for small gardens and there are buttons to quickly find plants by name, or by criteria to meet a customer’s precise needs.
It’s not just a bonus for Millennials, who are familiar with using touchscreens on their smartphones, but it is also beneficial to the older generation who are used to using technology on iPads to keep in touch with families and friends. People who are time poor can also use the kiosk, as it will save them trying to find a member of staff to help provide plant information.
As well as customers using the kiosk, staff members can also use it to help find answers to plant questions quickly and efficiently.
Garden centres can also use the Touchscreen Kiosk as a digital advertising tool while the Plant Finder is not in use. Customers can be made aware of seasonal offers, promotions and daily specials. Content can be scheduled any time of the day and kiosks can run targeted campaigns to a single screen or to a network of units across multiple sites.
We have already installed Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosks for Blue Diamond, Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre in West Sussex, Everton Nurseries in Hampshire, Fakenham Garden Centre in Norfolk, Ferndale Garden Centre in Derbyshire and Busy Bees Garden Centre on the Isle of Wight.
Maria Currie, Director at Everton Nurseries, explained: “The interactive Plant Finder Kiosk is a hit with our customers, allowing them to access all sorts of plant information at the touch of a button. Thanks to the breakfast offer being promoted on the kiosk, footfall in our restaurant has also increased. Digital marketing is the way to go.”
We have been working with Review Systems Digital Signage Ltd in Preston on the hardware for our Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosks. The company offers bespoke and off the shelf digital signage solutions to the horticulture industry.
If you would like to see one of our Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosk in action, we will be on stand 96 at the HTA National Plant Show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on June 18 and 19. We’ll be on hand to answer any questions you may have about our kiosk.
Photograph caption: Terri Jones, Managing Director at Twyford-based Joy of Plants, with a Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosk.
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