Springing Forward: Outdoor Living Seminar to Prepare Associates for a Busy Season
Spring may be several weeks away, but the Exchange is getting its annual jump on the Outdoor Living season with this year’s Outdoor Living Seminar from Feb. 6 through 10.
For the ninth straight year, the seminar will be virtual, conducted on demand , allowing Outdoor Living as well as associates cross-training within Outdoor Living to view presentations during times that fit their schedules. The webinar will include nearly five hours of content.
“The seminar helps associates understand the various elements of Outdoor Living,” said Divisional Merchandise Manager Bob Olander. “People cook outdoors, so we have a tremendous amount of grilling options. We have options for outdoor seating and for outdoor dining. And for green-thumb people, that’s where the garden shop comes in. The webinar is really about helping associates see the big picture and understand what we’re all about. The goal is to generate excitement for the Outdoor Living season. It’s a $65 million business annually, a big-volume category for the Exchange.”
“Outdoor Living” is about more than having a green thumb. It’s also about lawn and garden décor, grills, outdoor power, patio furniture and more.
“We don’t refer to the category as the patio shop or garden shop or mower shop,” Olander said. “It’s referred to as Outdoor Living for a reason. Customers want to create their own unique space for the outdoors. It may be a patio, it may be a small deck. It may be just a really nice yard. What we offer are all of the tools to do that.”
A three-piece balcony set from Home Creations Inc., one of the vendors presenting at the Outdoor Living seminar.
Because of new hires and job changes, Outdoor Living sections throughout the Exchange often have some new associates each year.
“That’s why it’s worthwhile to go through this process,” Olander said. “It gives vendors time to present what’s important in their categories. We try to invite our most important suppliers and newer suppliers to provide the hands-on knowledge associate will need.”
Trends this year include such outdoor-cooking methods as griddles and pizza ovens. “Last year, it was really all about traditional gas, charcoal and pellet grills, all of which are still very important,” Olander said. “But griddles are taking off now. That creates more versatility. There are lots of things you can do that you might not be able to do on a more traditional grill. There are more ways to cook outdoors.”
Another trend is a shift toward more rechargeable battery-operated power mowers and handheld tools and fewer gas- or electric-powered ones. But the seminar is just as vital in educating associates about areas where there aren’t major shifts.
“We’ll have representation from our main patio furniture supplier, HCI, which is new for this year,” Olander said. “It’s important for our associates to get face time with the vendor to understand what our assortment is all about and how to merchandise the category, as well as what pieces go together. If the groups are merchandised together properly, you’ll sell more pieces.”
Vendors presenting this year include Base4, Char-Broil, Traeger, Blackstone Griddle, Weber, Echo, HCI, Merotec, Positec, Scotts, Swan, Melnor and more.
During the first couple of years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when more people stayed at home, Outdoor Living performed well as many began working on improving their outdoor environments. Although some people have returned to more traditional work settings, the trend toward outdoor improvement continues.
“Industry data still suggest that the outdoor space is important to our consumers and to consumers in general,” Olander said. “They’re going to continue to be outside, they’re going to continue to grill and garden, they’re going to continue to do all the things they’ve been doing.”
The deadline for associates to register is Jan. 31. To register, click here.
Vendor information was incorrect in the photo caption in the original version of this story. The caption has been updated with the correct vendor.
