connect-2-consumer's podcast

Value is a lot like beauty; it depends on the beholder. In this week's podcast, Dr. Bridget Behe will discuss the five components of perceived value and how they feed into setting prices. Struggling with profitable pricing? Listen to this podcast to learn how to increase the perceived value of your products. 

If you don't have the time, expertise, or money to collect survey data about your customers, perhaps you have time to collect Zip codes. They are relatively easy to collect but quite powerful to use, especially when you combine them with the census data used on the American Fact Finder website. This week, Bridget will discuss how to use Zip codes and bolster your marketing strategy.

Do you have a marketing perspective? All too often marketing gets confused with (only) advertising. In this week's episode, Bridget will discuss the American Marketing Association's definition of marketing and how many firms develop from a product perspective to a sales perspective and (finally) to a consumer-focused marketing perspective.

This week, Bridget builds on the research findings from focus groups with Gen X and Gen Y and discusses four marketing campaigns that put those findings in action. The campaigns are (1) Helping Your Garden Grow: We Guarantee It! (2) Grow Up Gardening, (3) We LOVE Where You Live, Too! and (4) How Does Your Garden Grow? These free marketing campaigns can be adapted by most retail operations and can help you better connect with Gen X and Gen Y.

Baby Boomers have been a key market segment for the Green Industry for decades. What do younger-aged potential customers think about horticulture, plants and gardening? This week, Bridget will discuss four key findings from online focus groups conducted a few years ago. Listen and learn a bit more about what the next generation of potential customers is thinking about our industry, both good and not-so-good.

This week, Bridget continues to discuss bee-friendly insect management strategies but combines them with consumer perceptions of other eco-friendly practices. These include containers made from recycled materials, sustainably-sourced potting mixes or media, and recapturing/recycling irrigation water. Results from a 2015 study showed that the insect management strategies were slightly more important than other eco-practices. Yet, these finding should encourage businesses to be more transparent about the environmentally-friendly practices in which they are engaging.

Part of our industry’s connection to the environment is the food sources we provide for pollinators. With pollinator populations in decline, some colleagues and I wanted to understand what consumers were thinking about the use of neonicotonids. This week, I’ll discuss some findings from a recent consumer study where we investigated their knowledge of pest control terminology. The results show some accurate, and inaccurate, consumer perceptions about the industry’s use of neonicotonids.

Pollinator friendly insect management practices are a "hot topic" in the horticulture industry today. How do consumers feel about the promotion of pollinator friendly plants and do they pay any attention to the signs and displays? My guest this week is colleague and friend Dr. Hayk Khachatryan. Hayk and I will talk about our recent article on the topic published in the journal Sustainability. Are some consumers willing to pay more for pollinator friendly plants?