The home and garden retail segment can often prove to be a challenging one for eCommerce businesses. Up until recently, consumers couldn’t image making home and garden purchases online; and for many, it is still the case. Even if products were ordered online, the transactions themselves were only made once the customer had been in-store to get a feel for what they were buying.

Home and garden retail is unique. They can be expensive, highly personal purchases that are made infrequently at household-level. As a result, customer journeys are often long and fragmented - weighing up a range of different options and price points. Once the tough decision has been made, receiving products can be awkward. Items can be bulky, with long lead times. And this is before even considering how sales for a large portion of items - especially garden products - are heavily reliant on season.

This creates a cocktail of challenges for eCommerce retailers that don’t necessarily have a bricks and mortar presence to ease the customer journey for consumers. However, with the right approach, brands can make home and garden retail a huge success. 

In this article, Deepak Anand, General Manager, SHOPLINE EMEA, will explore the challenges that eCommerce businesses typically face when it comes to home and garden, and how they can overcome them with the right technology deployment. Deepak will discuss:

• The Importance of Providing the Vision - There is no substitute for feeling and seeing a product in person. But with relatable and inspirational product/setting imagery, or even virtual reality (VR) integrations, retailers can help their customers visualise products in their own home
• Don’t Underestimate Social - When it comes to product inspiration, TikTok and Instagram have become treasure troves for customer research. An effective social strategy can help brands become front of mind to highly relevant audiences
• Market Effectively - Personalisation, whether through seasonal or individual discounts, unique recommendations or loyalty rewards, bespoke interactions with customers will help brands cut through the noise in a highly competitive environment
• Effective Fulfilment - Customers expect long lead times for many bulky items. For the right product, they will be willing to wait… but not too long. By offering, effective, flexible fulfilment options and transparency over expected lead times, brands can build trust while helping customers receive their items in ways that suit them best