Week 4 Post 1-Working on Your Business and Your Target Market

Identifying differences in companies target markets.

This Week I compared two businesses in the same industry to find differences between their target audience based on their website designs.  Here is what I found: 

Armstrong Nurseries:

When you first open up the website, it is bright and colorful.  The text is easy to read and follow.  I gathered that Armstrong’s Target audience is the do it yourself gardener.  I was impressed with their company because of how much they care for their employees. Each employee has shares in the company the time they work there.  Their reasoning behind that is to promote a common care and vested interest in the store they specifically work at. I have been to Armstrong and have experienced very happy employees who are so knowledgeable. The overall design of their website and marketing is on point reaching customers of all ages and gardening experience. Their site is very clear, you can obviously tell what they are selling: flowers and plants.vegetables, fruit trees etc.

Rancho Vista Nursery:

Rancho Vista Nursery has a 10 acre farm where they grow high quality succulents for wholesale and also have a small farms-stand where they provide product and classes for the do it yourself gardener.  Their target audience is mainly local nurseries. There website design isn’t what I would have chosen.  They have a very charming farm stand aesthetic which gives off a message that they would have fruit and veggies for sale or fruit trees.  They only sell succulents.  They could use some help in the area of their branding overall.

The obvious differences that stand out to me are Armstrong sells a wide variety of plants and trees to the everyday do-it-yourself customer while Rancho Vista Nursery sells only succulents wholesale to nurseries. Armstrong has a much more professional website and presence while Rancho Vista has a more budget friendly site.  Their pictures are beautiful, but they need to modernize their website. I have always been happy with my customer service at Armstrong and every plant I've purchased from their has thrived.  

Time to go play in the dirt!

Heather