When trying to draw customers into a retail setting, we don’t often think of using our landscape as marketing. However, your outdoor environment can have a direct impact on luring potential customers and clients through your doors.
Sometimes it’s a subtle touch, while others may be a true outdoor experience. So long as you create an attractive environment, good landscaping (and hardscaping) can bring new customers to your brick and mortar location. Find out how below!
Create a Usable Environment
Often, we associate landscaping with aesthetic flowers, lush greenery, and other beautifying elements. Yet it’s so much more than that! In an age where convenience has made shopping online the go-to over purchasing in-store, you need to give people a reason to get out of the house and into your business.
Landscaping can be designed as an outdoor environment where a crowd can gather, socialize, participate in events, or enjoy a meal. By creating an attractive landscape with benches, tables, or a fountain where people can sit and enjoy the view, you make your storefront a place to go and gather.
“So what?” you may ask. “Just because they gather in front of my store doesn’t mean they’ll come inside.”
This is where a little bit of creative marketing goes a long way. From subtle invitations (such as opening your store doors) to using your outdoor environment for special events and promoting sales, you can really up your daily profit by engaging the crowd your landscape draws in.
Don’t Let Your Landscape Hide Your Business
One of the biggest mistakes retail fronts make is installing a landscape design and then letting it grow out of proportion, hiding their business from those driving by. If it’s been awhile since you’ve invested in your landscape, take a step outside and view your business from the street or parking lot.
Is your sign visible?
Do your trees overtake your storefront?
Can people see who you are and that you exist as they’re passing by?
If you find your landscape is working against you, contact a company like Blue Landscaping to help you modify your current installation or create a new one that draws attention to your business—not away from it. When selecting trees, aim for those with skinny trunks that aren’t prone to outgrowing their designated area. Your landscape should compliment your location, not overtake it!
Exotic plants are surprisingly effective when drawing in foot traffic. Especially in Florida where tourists and snowbirds are seeking that “tropical experience.” Make your storefront an attractive place to be, and curiosity will draw people in.
Also, don’t be afraid to get into the holiday spirit. Decorate for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other festive holidays, and plan sales and events along with it. You’d be surprised how effective it can be!
Blue Landscaping and Blue Outdoor Solutions is a landscaping and hardscaping company located in Southwest Florida. Their service areas include Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Estero. To learn more about their services, call 239-566-BLUE.