There is no such thing as the best garden furniture display
“How should we display our garden furniture?” It is a question that occupies a lot of garden centres. Understandably, because the effect on turnover is considerable. Yet the answer is less simple than people assume: in our view, the best display does not exist.
What we do notice on visits is where it goes wrong. Not through a shortage of choice, but through too much of it. Rows of sets, different colours, materials and arrangements, all neat and complete. Except that for the customer it makes choosing harder, not easier.
Outdoor living is not about furniture, after all, it is about moments. A cup of coffee in the morning sun, a long summer evening at the table, or unwinding after a day's work. But the customer has to be able to see those moments in the store. And that does not happen by itself.
Too perfect or too full
A common mistake is that displays are either too perfect or too full. A tightly styled setting looks beautiful but quickly feels unreachable: lovely, but it will never look like that at my house. At the other end, a fully laid-out collection creates doubt. Because when everything is possible, choosing gets hard.
What is interesting is that showing less often works better. Not by removing choice, but by displaying it more deliberately. One clear mood, a recognisable arrangement, and above all calm. That helps customers sense faster whether something suits them.
When everything is possible, choosing gets hard.
The first impression counts for more than you think
What a customer sees first sets the tone straight away. If it is a setting they recognise themselves in, they look at the rest of the department differently. If not, you have already partly lost them.
It also helps to build in clear contrasts. Not everything in the same style or price bracket, but different worlds next to or behind one another. Compact against spacious, practical against luxurious. That makes choosing easier, because customers recognise their own preference faster and find a match for it.
Frame it without closing it off
One thing that stood out, and that we have been pushing for some time, is the use of semi-transparent dividers. At the recent spoga+gafa, curtains were everywhere in the garden furniture halls. They frame a set clearly while keeping some tension and openness: there is more to see beyond. Garden centres should use this far more often. Hang a simple rail and divide with it.
In the end, good display is not only about mood but about helping people choose. And that is where the biggest opportunity sits. Because the moment a customer thinks this could stand in my house, the purchase comes a good deal closer on its own.
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