Defining Target Markets
Armstrong Garden Centers
Armstrong Garden Centers have many locations around California and offer a wide variety of plants, flowers, trees, seeds, fertilizers, and more. Due to their size they provide many different options and many more options than Tree of Life as they have 31 spread around California, a much larger staff of 1000 and a much larger customer base. Due to this they have a greater variety of products and services to serve their customer base as California has forests, deserts, beaches, mountains and many more varieties of landscape which support or necessitate certain types of garden products and services. Their "about" section tells that their associates and employees are passionate about gardening and will do all that they can to help customers to choose plants, give customers tips for success, and much more whether they are an expert gardener wanting something very specific or a brand new house owner who wants a garden but doesn't have the know-how.
For example, one advertisement has the headline "A Beautiful Garden with Less Water" which could apply to areas that have droughts or areas that do not get much rain, areas that are very hot, or anybody who desires to save money and utilize less water to help the environment and droughts by using less water. For people who don't have the "know how" to build a beautiful garden they have services such as "Landscape Design Home Visits, Garden Consultation services, and an In-Store Personal Shopper Service eGift card." They also have classes to learn about plants and gardening. With these products and services they expand their target market and draw in customers that would otherwise decide not to start a garden or buy plants or other products from their stores.
Their website is much larger and has much more put into it than Tree of Life due to them being a much larger company with many different chains/locations and their website reflects this as it has something for everybody whether they are new or experienced. They have full range options for landscaping, classes and events, advice, and much more. They state "Whether you're a beginning gardener looking to plant your first vegetable garden, getting your first houseplant for your bedroom or have been gardening for years and are looking for a very specific plant you can't find anywhere else - we're here for you." Armstrong's mission statement is "We strive to take the guesswork out of gardening by providing horticultural expertise, exceptional service, and the best quality plants and products. We are passionate gardeners cultivating a welcoming environment for all to learn and be inspired." Due to their website and style of business they most definitely attract a much larger audience with more variety than TOL Nursery. Anybody ranging from children who want a plant to grow in their room to seasoned veterans who desire large-scale landscaping.
Tree of Life Nursery
Tree of Life Nursery has a single location in San Juan Capistrano and offer plants, trees, and more, they are much more focused on providing products which are native to or thrive well in California. Their website reflects this as it is not as large and polished as the Armstrong website. The firs thing you see on TOL's website is large text that alternates between "wholesale and contract grows, Casa La Paz (retail shop for plants, books, pottery, and all things California," and Tree of Life (TOL) Newsletter. This is followed by three squares with videos giving advice on: Plants of the California Deserts, Designing with California Native Plants" and "Habitat Gardening." The advice on these ranges from covering the evolution of desert habitats and the adaptations of desert plants, how these plants survive, and which of these can be planted throughout the summer to designing a garden landscape that reflects California's native desert landscapes. The third square gives a short description from the GM, Laura Camp, who describes how to attract hummingbirds to ones garden by creating native habitats.
The top of the page is more of a blog style and does not immediately show products or services for sale. Tree of Life's main goal or mission is to return California's hills, deserts, and other landscapes to their natural forms by propagating California's native plants. They have over 500 species and varieties available to assist in ecological restoration and landscaping on a wholesale level. On their "about" page they state " California’s unique climate, history and culture provide us with a canvas for a classic painting. Ultimately, with education and persistence, we hope to see a return to a more conservative, genuine landscape." Tree of Life has a tab and many resources providing education towards what destruction has rolled across California's landscape and the many fragile species, landscapes, and ecosystems.
The obvious difference between these two websites is that Tree of Life is poised towards education and conservation of California's natural landscape and flora and as a result, maintaining California's natural fauna as well. The individuals or customers that would ship at TOL would be individuals or companies passionate about conservation and the beautiful form of California's native plants and landscapes. This obviously puts them in a niche where they will receive less customers but as their passion is aimed towards conservation and restoration rather than the more profit driven Armstrong garden centers. TOL presumably attracts individuals such as biologists who have a passion for the preservation and conservation of California's natural flora and landscapes. Their website provides substantial education to hopefully pull on the heart strings of individuals to assist in maintaining and repairing California's natural landscape.
Both websites have a black background with many parts that are green such as green text, green emblems, and more. The layout is similar with the emblems in the top left corner a search bar in the top right corner and tabs below that. Below the tabs on both websites is a square with alternating images showing different aspects of the businesses. Tree of life is focused more on specific plants, wholesale, and education and has less content than Armstrong that focuses more on hiring, shopping, landscaping, classes, and much more. There can definitely be crossover between the types of customers, it's possible that customers from Armstrong Garden Centers can discover that they enjoy plants that are native to California and come across Tree of Life Nursery as an organization that has much more knowledge and focus on such plants. Anybody from tree of life can cross over to Armstrong if they desire classes on gardening, landscaping services, and a wider variety of plants. Of course there are many more ways customers could crossover but these are just a few. Armstrong has many more features aimed towards selling products or things such as advantage programs one of which is right at the top in the middle. Tree of Life Nursery shows features that give away that they are aimed less towards profit and more towards conservation and maintenance, one of these features is that they place their "OUR MISSION" at the bottom of the main page and includes their mission, values, and goals whereas you have to go to "about us" on Armstrong Garden Centers' page to see their mission statement, which is also much shorter and does not give away nearly as many, if any values or goals aimed towards positive conservation and education aimed at the native environment rather than artificial environments behind white Pickett fences. Both websites are tidy, have great use of fonts and colors, although within a few seconds of viewing their websites the details give away the huge differences in the way and why these companies operate.
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