This week I compare two businesses in the same industry to differentiate between their target audiences based on the design of their websites. Here are my findings:
Rancho Vista Nursery:
Initial thoughts: Beautiful, thriving plants are shown. Next to which is a blank farmshop from 2018. Is this what it looks like today? Why is that photo there? It looks like they did not update their site, I may have chosen a faint plant background to envelop the visitor and draw them in. This theme looks a little disjointed. The zig zag edges on the photo connotate sewing, not planting to me. Is about us a link or is this one paragraph all they will tell me. What an opportunity to showcase the people that work there since they have been in business for 40 years. Maybe each person specializes in something and I would like to connect with them? Good, they have an interactive map so I can easily get directions.
Why is there a photo of a wedding that happened five years ago on the home page? Are they the owners? Maybe a photo of the plants showcased at the wedding would be interesting. This looks like a splash page as you can get all the highlights on one page. After attempts to find a navigation menu, I realized that one can click on farmstand and get retail information there. It is hard to tell the difference from the photos between the farmstand and the farmshop. The FAQ’s are handy for someone who is a beginner to a more experienced gardener. Inspiraton is nice too. Since this is such a visual industry, they could add photos pertinent to the subjects to make it more fun and inviting to a consumer, no matter what are.
It is hard to tell the demographic they are trying to reach. It does not look super high end as they do not offer services to help the homeowner. Good they have social media icons on their home page. Maybe the footer would be better to be on all pages. The last FB post was March 16. What a significant day . Maybe they are closed according to Instagram.
Now, after looking at Armstrong, as a first-time website visitor, I am confused. If they are open to wholesale trade, perhaps they should list products or services for that market segment.
Armstrong Nursery
Their website includes so many colorful photos, one can dream of having their outdoor space look like it. It looks like a full-service business with experienced people ready to help you. This typically may appeal to a first-time gardener who needs help. They have a lot of pots on their site, but no ecommerce. This suggests that they want people to come into the store as does their Find a location nearest you section. Probably because they have such a variety of outdoor products, including furniture.
I think they are trying to attract a higher end demographic as they even have delivery, planting and landscape design services. Perhaps it is a bit older as they also offer classes which can appeal to seniors with more time on their hands (and they offer a senior discount and special shopping hours for seniors now). Their about us page also looks geared towards a more mature audience with the history. They also show a variety of gift cards.
The website also includes photos of younger customers to appeal to this market (especially for planting a victory garden and having your own organic produce). They also have seven icons for social media to reach so many market segments, including linked in which may be helpful for their commercial business. They can educate on YouTube, show ideas on Pinterest and Instagram and get engagement on Facebook. Their use of video on their site also suggests a wider audience.
All I know is that I have received amazing service at Armstrong and my plants are thriving from there despite the fact that I have two brown thumbs!!!
I think I'm ready to go back to Armstrong now to plant some herbs...
Marla Hope
You are such a descriptive writer. You are so detailed and thorough.
ReplyDelete