<client>
foertmeyer & sons
<team>
weeraya jirawongwaris, joseph owens, maurshell stokes
<role>
service designer
<challenge>
Foertmeyer & Sons asked ‘How Might we redefine the current retail model of the horticulture industry?
Foertmeyer & Sons asked ‘How Might we redefine the current retail model of the horticulture industry?
<approach>
Our team worked with Foertmeyer & Sons to define & solve the problems they felt were plaguing them and their industry. Between declining sales and previous research attempts, the experts felt as though the modern consumer did not want or was too scared to own plants. Our first step was to validate or refute the previous research by taking an unbiased look at the industry's best practices to uncover what they were missing. Our team conducted trend mapping, in-depth interviews with SME’s, online surveys, and contextual observations with a Minimal Lovable Solution (MLS).
Our team worked with Foertmeyer & Sons to define & solve the problems they felt were plaguing them and their industry. Between declining sales and previous research attempts, the experts felt as though the modern consumer did not want or was too scared to own plants. Our first step was to validate or refute the previous research by taking an unbiased look at the industry's best practices to uncover what they were missing. Our team conducted trend mapping, in-depth interviews with SME’s, online surveys, and contextual observations with a Minimal Lovable Solution (MLS).
<key insights>
The horticulture retail industry is a long-tail market and they defy current customer service trends.
There is a definitive want for plants but customers did not have the convenience or ability to reach the garden centers.
Plants defy modern consumer search patterns and need a new common language to bridge the gap between plant experts and themselves.
The horticulture retail industry is a long-tail market and they defy current customer service trends.
There is a definitive want for plants but customers did not have the convenience or ability to reach the garden centers.
Plants defy modern consumer search patterns and need a new common language to bridge the gap between plant experts and themselves.
<outcome>
Through these efforts, we discovered that customers are not as afraid of owning plants as the clients had thought. Instead, there is a whole culture of plant ownership just waiting to thrive! All they need is better access to plants and experts to open the way to an enthusiastic audience. With the aid of our MLS we were able to prove to our client that there is a potential new, large market that is just there waiting for them if they swapped to smaller, more local solutions.
“We were not only surprised by their originality
of thinking, but also pleasantly surprised by their practicality. It’s easy to come up with ‘blue-sky’ ideas, but the innovations the teams presented were all very realistic and possible for small business.”
of thinking, but also pleasantly surprised by their practicality. It’s easy to come up with ‘blue-sky’ ideas, but the innovations the teams presented were all very realistic and possible for small business.”
- dan foertmeyer
