Getting the product mix right.

摘要

The Prides Corner is a 142 ha (350 acre) nursery in Lebanon, Connecticut, that services customers in the northeast quadrant of the USA, from Maine to northern Virginia and west into Ohio. At Prides Corner, the customer base is 60% independent garden centres, 25% rewholesale distribution yards, 20% landscapers and 5% grocery stores. This paper describes how the Prides Corner got their product mix right, i.e. by finding out who the customers are and what they want. The two methods that Prides Corner has used to get the product mix right in light of these factors are discussed: (i) expansion of existing product lines (addition of taxa grown of a particular genus) and (ii) plant branding. Each method has led to increased sales and the ability to better respond to the needs and wants of the customers.