Baby boomers - Changing the Values of Shopping

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Baby boomers, that group of people, according to Bob Dylan and his peers who were going to change the world. The anthem “Things are a Changing” is very true of this market sector. From Woodstock to today this has been a group keen on making a difference to traditional values.

The generation that put garden centre’s on the map in the 80’s and 90’s is now buying properties abroad and having tropical holidays rather than pruning the roses. A decade ago this was the DIY generation and they have evolved into the DIM generation the ‘Do It For Me’ brigade. As a result landscape design and maintenance by garden supply companies is booming when they target this generation, whilst this generation now tend to look at garden centers as somewhere to purchase the odd plant rather than the monthly visit to help them maintain their own garden.

Why the change, there are many reasons as varied as the relaxation of gambling laws, to cheaper exotic holidays to the growth of restaurants and coffee shops. At the same time this is the richest generation ever at this age and they have money to spend, even if they are time poor and starting to think about their retirement

Baby Boomers and today’s Garden center

This sector of the market place are still interested in gardens and garden centers but are
also looking for new ideas to place in their garden. They are more aware of what trends
are being promoted on the radio and TV and there hero’s often include the media personalities. They are often more media savvy when it comes to radio and TV than many other groups.

Baby Boomers are the classic time poor generation, but they are concerned about image and are prepared to spend on image building in their gardens. They have established gardens on the whole and are therefore interested in buying added value items to enhance their garden rather than look for products to build a garden.

Do’s and Don’ts with this group:

Do’s
1 Do tell them what is new; they often do not know what the latest trends are
2Use as ‘Seen on TV’ promotions as this will appeal to this generation
3 Also use the press to help you promote and especially of a celebrity is involved
4 This generation is becoming grand parents and this is an opportunity to promote plants to them to celebrate a new birth. I.e. Plant a Tree for a New Born
5 They are looking for new varieties of labor saving color plants; promote these in your garden center
6 Provide the complete solution for them, but allow for an opportunity for them to get involved with a DIY component
7 A restaurant or coffee shop is now part of the offer in their minds

Don’ts
1 Assume they know what the fashion statements are in the garden
2 They will not tolerate bad customer service; don’t forget this key element in your business
3 Undersell, this generation will buy if they trust you, feel you know your subject and can provide the services
4 Rely on younger sales team members to service this generation .They perceive them as not being knowledgeable

Information about the Author: John Stanley is a conference speaker and retail consultant with over 20 years experience in 15 countries. John works with retailers around the world assisting them with their merchandising, staff and management training, customer flow, customer service and image. www.johnstanley.cc Marketing Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

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