With the increased focus on health and wellness caused by the pandemic, people are starting to make lifestyle changes from healthier eating to home improvement. Early into the pandemic, we were left with no choice but to stay stuck in our homes. During this period, many Americans continued to work from home, allowing us to see our humble abodes in a new light.
To make our homes more comfortable for both work and personal life, home improvement has made its way up on our priority lists. Because of this, initial setbacks brought on by the pandemic were reverse and the gardening and landscaping industry is looking as strong as ever.
Emphasis on Home Improvement
The pandemic didn’t just bring an economic downturn in its wake. Health and safety protocols like social distancing led to isolation within our homes. Being stuck at home led many to feel isolated and without a routine. These feelings of anxiety, stress, and loneliness can take a toll on our physical and mental health, so people were finding ways to cope: exercise, video games, home remodeling, redecorating, etc.
The need for people to find ways to cope led to the unexpected trend of home gardening. Not only can plants help clean the air, but they can improve your general well-being. This focus on home improvement helped keep many gardening and landscaping businesses from closing down.
Green Businesses Stayed Open During Pandemic
What might be surprising to some is that green industry businesses were allowed to stay open when non-essential businesses like theaters, spas, and museums were forced to close. Why? Businesses in the green industry such as gardening shops, greenhouses, and landscaping services were deemed essential.
This accompanied by the increasing demand for houseplants further encouraged more people to improve their homes, especially their outdoor spaces. However, with the rising popularity of online shopping platforms, these businesses have seen a decrease in sales in brick-and-mortar stores.
Because of the pandemic, businesses have been forced to make the shift to digital and recreate their business models to keep up with the digital economy and its consumers.
Business as Usual for Landscaping Companies
A nice outdoor space used to be a luxury for the average household, but the COVID-19 pandemic has led to even the smallest of outdoor spaces being redecorated or remodeled for regular use. Many are now emphasizing beautifying their outdoor spaces, which are now considered a necessity rather than a luxury. The current global situation has even prompted many to lead a more sustainable lifestyle by growing their own crops instead of going to the grocery to buy fruits and vegetables.
Whether you’re building an outhouse, setting up a patio, or adding a layer of compost, plastic mulch, and conditioner to your soil to keep your plants and crops healthy, our outdoor spaces have one thing in common. They’ve become a place to reduce the stress and anxiety brought on by these uncertain times.
For landscaping companies, it’s business as usual. Since landscape work takes place outside and in the open air, the chances of spreading or contracting the virus are lower. With the increasing need for an improved outdoor area, the landscaping industry has generally been unaffected by the pandemic. If anything it increased their business opportunities.
However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any changes.
How the Green Industry is Changing
Going Digital
Whether we like it or not, we are entering the era of the digital economy. Consumer behavior has completely changed, and as people continue to get more comfortable with shopping online, there are no signs of things going back to the way they used to be. Businesses are shifting from brick-and-mortar stores to e-commerce and those who are quick to pivot and adjust to these changes are more likely to thrive compared to those who aren’t.
Starting from Scratch
For many businesses, the digital landscape is an unfamiliar one. From establishing an online presence to creating optimized and interactive websites for users to shop from, business owners are likely to have difficulty adjusting at first. Not only do you have to adjust your business practices, but may also have to completely restructure your business model to keep up with consumer demands.
Getting Creative
Digital is the future, meaning that most if not all business will eventually make their way into the digital landscape. With so many businesses for every kind of niche imaginable existing online, it’s up to business owners to uncover unique problems that only their business can solve Some green businesses offer curbside deliveries to decrease person-to-person interaction while other businesses attract customers by offering personalized items or curated bundles.
Last year was a period of adjustment for many businesses, but this year we’ll be able to see how these businesses adapt to keep up with consumer behavior. As for the gardening and landscaping industry, they will likely continue to thrive as more people turn their living areas into personal slices of nature.
