3 Practical Strategies for Running a Successful Hydroponic Shop

22 March 2019
 Categories: Business, Blog

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It is true that most people don't eat fresh produce, and this can be attributed to the convenience that local food stores offer. However, while farm produce has been made readily available, concerns remain regarding the freshness of the food. Therefore, if you know a little about hydroponics and suspect that residents in your locality want to grow their vegetables, then a hydroponic shop is a lucrative business. Since hydroponic equipment allows people to grow vegetables without much hassle, you will soon have customers streaming at your doors. However, how do you make sure that the business is successful? This article highlights strategies that will increase the chances of success for your hydroponic shop. 

1. Learn to Use the Equipment -- With the right instructions, customers will find setting up hydroponic equipment is a reasonably straightforward process. However, it is vital that you learn how to operate the equipment without referring to any manual. It is especially the case if you are planning to stock some of the latest designs of hydroponic devices. You do not want to be caught in a situation where you cannot help clients to get their hydroponic equipment working efficiently. If you have limited experience with hydroponics, then you can enrol in schools that offer hydroponic as a subject. Your number one objective should be to provide your clients with the help they need, whenever they need it.

2. Take Special Orders at No Additional Cost -- Given the capital outlay that is required to start a hydroponic shop, it is highly likely that you will begin with a few hydroponic supplies. It gives you an opportunity to test the business and allow it to grow gradually. However, that doesn't mean that you should turn away customers that want supplies you do not have in stock. For instance, a client might need High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights, but you only stock Metal Halides (MH) lights. In such cases, you can consider their request as a special order and buy the lights on their behalf. The strategy will help build your reputation, and the best part is that you don't spend a lot of money stocking different hydroponic equipment that you are not sure will sell.

3. Organise In-Store Education -- Rather than compete on price alone, you should think of adding value to your services. One way you can do this is to organise in-store education on some of the areas in hydroponics that your customers find difficult to grasp. For example, if your clients are not sure about the type of lights to use on different crops, then an in-store educational session can be a great way to feed them the information.