Some people buy their gardening supplies at the local big box store. But millions order them from catalogs, a purchasing method that goes back to Colonial times.
The best way to find out how any catalog market is doing is to talk to a mailing list broker. So we did. We called Carolyn Woodruff, vice president of consumer marketing at Direct Media.
Woodruff has 25 years of experience in the list business, and has helped sell everything from House and Gardens magazine (she was having lunch with the folks from that fine publication the day we spoke) to seeds and pesticides.
What’s happening in the gardening business? Carolyn sums it up in two words: “It’s blooming.”
CM Plus: It’s that wonderful time of year again. Are you preparing your spring catalog mailings?
Woodruff: Actually, you need to get them out in February.
CM Plus: How is the business doing?
Woodruff: It’s a growing market no matter how high or low the ticket. First of all, we’ve had a couple of rebirths. Breck’s and some of the Foster & Gallagher properties have come back to life. And you have Rodale going not only into gardening, but into bird properties related to the gardening market. You even see the general merchandise catalogs like Lillian Vernon and Carol Wright selling gardening products at this time of year.
CM Plus: Why this boom?
Woodruff: I attribute it to the same thing that’s happening in the party gifts area. Party gifts are going through the roof in direct mail because the American public is looking for something to celebrate, and they’re staying home more. Look at movie sales—they’re down and people are buying DVDs. Also, real estate is a very important investment area for most Americans. If you own your own home and want to sell it, you have to beautify it, and you have all these shows on television telling you how to do it. You have to go through the same process whether you’re selling your house for $200,000 or $2 million. Of course, the $2 million person might hire someone to plant some flowers.
CM Plus: What would you tell a newcomer to this market?
Woodruff: To do an analysis to find out where the largest universe is, and determine what price points you want to be at.
CM Plus: What kinds of mailing lists would you recommend?
Woodruff: Gardening merchandise lists are effective, and you have a whole other arena of affinity gardening products that are sold in newsletter or book form. Then there are secondary markets that work well, like the home entertainment area. The other area that really works well is health—lists of health book buyers and magazine subscribers. It’s that naturalist behavior—people want to plant herbs for their own health or cooking use. Of course, you also have your questionnaire lists like the Lifestyle Selector, Behaviorbank and Target Source, where you can go in and get the person who’s just raised their hand and said, ‘I’m interested in gardening.’ Those files do extremely well. Then there are the enhancement properties. More and more hotline lists are enhanced with gardening information, and that has significantly extended the marketplace.
CM Plus: Are there any pitfalls in this market?
Woodruff: The weather. If we have a storm late in March or early April, we have a problem. Those gardening books sit there. If you have a day like today, people are buying. If you have a late winter, that’s going to kill your response. If you have an early spring, that’s going to help your response dramatically.
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