Wednesday, January 28, 2026
The point of sale is the solution!
Faced with the rise of AI and online sales, we might think that the garden center has become obsolete… Not at all! Weary of all this technology and yearning for a bit of human connection, consumers, driven by their herd instinct, are also seeking human interaction. Sales teams are back at the heart of the action… All the better!
The future of garden retail?
One might have thought that the garden center would become a relic of another era. Between artificial intelligence, online sales platforms, endless tutorials, and price comparison sites, everything seemed to be conspiring to make the physical store secondary. And yet, the exact opposite could be true. By digitizing everything, consumers are growing weary. They're looking for something else. Something real. Contact. Exchange. And in the gardening sector, more than in many others, this need for human connection is becoming central. Let's not forget that the store is a refuge. It's a place of consumption, but also a place where people come as much to learn as to buy. Chatting, especially about gardening, remains a classic!
Is hope reborn?
The garden market is dynamic, complex, and subject to the vagaries of climate, production, prices, and seasons. That's a lot of variables… And this complexity can't be reduced to a product description or a photo on a screen. It needs to be explained, translated, and guided. This is where the store regains its vital role. The salesperson becomes a conduit of meaning, an interpreter of the living world, someone who helps make choices, avoid mistakes, and achieve success. This guiding role is also linked to our nature; we aren't yet fully ready to live in isolation. Exchanges and discussions with a plant expert or professional still hold great value for amateur gardeners.
Good morning !
This reconquest of the store relies on simple, almost obvious things, but too often forgotten. Customer service is one of them. Before the price, before the product, before the advice, there's the first contact. The look, the smile, the famous "hello." For several years, the Garden Consumer Guide has been observing this seemingly insignificant detail. A store where you feel welcome is a store where you stay, where you listen, where you buy. It's also a store you return to. Human connection can't be decreed; it's practiced, every day, in every aisle, with every encounter. Of course, we can still improve on this; the essential thing is to be aware of it! Management and training can also help us motivate our teams.
The future of the garden…
In a context of standardized product ranges and rising prices, the garden and pet store is no longer simply a display of products. It becomes a medium, a space for explanation, education, and reassurance. It tells a story, gives meaning to choices, and transforms constraints into opportunities. This is where the difference lies between a product seen and a product understood, between a plant purchased and a thriving plant, between price and advice, between a casual customer and a loyal one.
It is this profoundly human evolution that we will be discussing at our "Garden Consumer Guide" conference. It will take place on Wednesday, March 25th at 9:30 am, during JdC Garden Trends. Our goal is not to defend the store on principle, but to show that it is once again becoming the heart of the experience. And perhaps, quite simply, the last place where gardening can still be experienced in a way other than through a screen. If this is the case, we will have to find... and train future sales teams... Let's get to work!
Roland Motte… Gardener!
President of Promojardin Promanimal
President of Promojardin Promanimal
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