Unlike the familiar saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, people do judge a store by its “cover”. The first impression a person is going to get of your garden centre is from its windows, the front door and the outdoor signage. Many a decision on whether or not to enter is going to be based on this first impression. Furthermore, if the potential customer does get by the cover and enters the shop, they must feel comfortable inside, or chances are they will walk right out.

So it is very important that both the inside and outside of your shop are kept as attractive as possible. Both should reflect a personality and image that appeals to your target audience.

Think of your shop as you would of an impulse item. You want the passerby to be stopped in his or her tracks by your windows and signage, and drawn right through the front door. Then, once the customer opens the door, you want them to be further drawn to your merchandise.

Start with your footpath or car park. You want it to be head and shoulders above all the other footpaths on the same street. If someone surveys the entire block from across the street, you want your entire package – footpath or carpark, garden centre and signage – to stand out from all the others.

If you have trees in front of your centre, plant flowers in the tree bases. Consider installing decorative lights on the trees, turned on at sunset. Originally used around the Christmas holidays, lighted trees are becoming popular year-round in many business districts. They’ll focus attention to your store front, especially if you have evening hours.

…. Then the signs, awning and canopy

A great deal of thought should go into your decision on how to display the store’s name as well as whether or note you will have a canopy or awning over your windows and/or doors.

…. Look at the windows

The one place where you should not cut any corners is with your windows. They might be the most important part of the store because they set the scene for what the customer will find inside. When properly used, your windows are your least expensive and most effective form of advertising. They bring customers into the store!

Your first step should be to decide on an overall philosophy of how you will use your windows, what you want them to say, and how you want them to deliver your message. There are many options available, and what you do and how you do it will largely depend upon your marketing strategy.

Here are some things to consider for your windows:

• A minimum of product versus a packed window?
• Yes or no on price tags?
• Movement in the window?
• Finding a window decorator or doing it yourself?

And then, your potential customers enter the front door…