HOW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING GARDEN CENTRE WORKERS, NOT REPLACING THEM

Andrew Burton of Pleydell Smithyman takes a look at technology coming into the garden centre, and how garden retailers can embrace those technologies to add to the workforce – not replace it.

There is no hiding from it, and we all know it; technology developments and AI are buzzwords on everyone’s lips. They are without a doubt an evolution within our industry that is already changing the way we do things. Whether this is through the use of AI or improved computer systems that help processes, the technological world is enhancing many areas of a retail business. This includes process and operational efficiencies, selling techniques, marketing, and customer service to drive sales and profit.

The question many businesses are asking is if technology is going to enable a business to save costs, work more efficiently, and deliver things that we humans do now more slowly or less efficiently and less precisely. Whilst in many cases this may be the case, this question opens the mindset from many that this will drastically affect jobs.

In many industries, this may be the case, and when we see the likes of Amazon, who are now delivering via drone, or seeing giant warehouses become fully automated, or watch bars and coffee shops becoming automated, then it can be understood that this perception may worry some business owners, management, and the staff..

It is obvious we need technology!

There is certainly a place for technology in our business – especially in areas such as stock management, delivery processing, pricing, and marketing – and when we consider specific aspects such as ordering of products in the shop or externally, marketing communication via social media, or analysing stock levels, or evaluating sales and margins on new and existing products versus its stock placement and location, it is obvious we need technology.

I’m not naïve to think that we can’t do without technology, but let’s reflect on our garden centre industry in the UK and the non-technological aspects and why we need to keep our teams and personalities to help drive the business forward. In my view, there are many reasons why technology won’t replace staff completely: however, I have three that consistently jump out to me.

Firstly, when working with the team at Pleydell Smithyman, we very often put a lot of

focus on vision and values. When I think about owners in many of our independent garden centres, why they do what they do, what they enjoy doing, and what they need to help them. Sometimes the answer is to improve IT, but often it isn’t something that needs technology. Sometimes it’s things such as helping their community personally, or employing a team

member who lives and breathes their values, or wanting a personality that may not tick all the boxes but who is someone that adds a point of difference to their business. Our garden centres are rural businesses with individual personalities that have points of difference to high street corporates, and often this comes down to the people they employ within the business, not a piece of equipment or a programme.

Secondly, I feel that if not controlled, technology can add pressure to demanding results. It is important that businesses need to be commercially focused, and they have to deliver results, but we may get to a point where this noise from results highlighted from technology and process improvements outweighs other values of the business. We read a lot about mental health and the pressure many people have, and the preciseness of technology, whilst good for profit, often is not empathetic enough. There has to be balance, which people can give, and sometimes changing to technology may have its risks.

The third aspect for me is that technology needs people. The people in our businesses may have some roles technology can change, but for technology to work well in our businesses, it needs people to make it work effectively. It’s like having an EPOS system that provides 50 reports, but the team uses four. Why have all this technology if you are not going to use it – so you have two choices here – don’t have it or have a team that use it better so it complements what they do.

If I had to summarise my thoughts on technology and staff, there is no doubt it is essential in many areas, and as such a garden centre business has to invest in their future because technological advancement helps in so many ways. But the values and vision for a business come from its people and leadership team, and sometimes what they want isn’t a laptop telling them their gross profit percentage has dropped 1% without any feeling or a computer system that tries to sell empathetically to a customer that wants personal service — it’s someone who listens, understands the person, and helps them reflect. All in all, meaning technology is here to stay, but I also feel, that whilst roles will adapt, so are staff.