15 | Orgill Case Study “These are very important insights for us as we consider where we can take the program moving forward,” Stine says. “It is also very important for us when it comes to understanding what elements of the marketing tools retailers find the most effective or easiest to use.” For instance, Stine says program participant feedback indicated that some of the floor labels being shipped to retailers would become dirty or look worn in a short period of time. “We don’t want this, and the retailers don’t want this to happen, so this was valuable feedback for us,” Shore says. “So we took this feedback and chose to replace some of those floor decals with window decals that would last longer and stay fresh throughout the selling season.” The Future As the Spring Is Here program moves forward, the Orgill team is committed to continuous improvement, whether that be through the expansion or addition of vendors, the evolution of marketing aids or additional opportunities for more category education. “We certainly aren’t content to say that the program is ever ‘perfect,’” Shore says. “If we want to help our retail customers continue to be relevant in this important category, we know we will have to continue to tweak the program.” Since its creation and launch, there have already been a number of evolutions with the program, from additions and changes to the marketing tools, to expansion of vendors and brands available to retailers. One of the biggest changes has been in this latter area, according to Ray. “We have had a solid core of vendors who have been with us since the start of the program,” he says. “But we have also seen the addition of some significant brand partners that have helped us provide even more options to our customers.” Companies, like Scott’s and Jonathan Green, which were originally absent from the brands available through Spring Is Here, are now part of the stable of brands available for retailers participating in the program. “A lot of it comes down to the retailers having the range of vendors in the program to select the products that resonate within their market,” Shore says. “We want to be selective with the brands we work with because we really want them to provide the support our customers need, but we also want to continue to look for opportunities to help retailers drive success within the category.” This commitment to evolving the program has helped build on its initial success. Shore says program participation has grown every year, and Orgill has seen marked increases in sales from the vendors supporting the program. “Based on retailer adoption of the program and our sales numbers tied to the program, we could call it a success, but we feel that the sky is really the limit when it comes to retailers who could opt in to this program, so we aren’t going to declare victory just yet,” Shore says.
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