Best Customers

[makbootzy]

Gardening and Lawn Care Services

Best customer: Households aged 55 or older
High-income households
Married couples without children at home

Customer trends: Average household spending on gardening and lawn car services will
rise as the population ages.


Households pay for gardening and lawn care services either because they need to or be-
Cause they can afford to. The best customers of gardening and lawn care services are high-
income households, which spend triple the average on this item. Householders aged 55
or older, many of whom need help maintaining their homes and lawns, spend 34 to 91
percent more than average on this item and control 53 percent of the market. Married
couples without children at home (most of whom are older) spend 48 percent more than
average on gardening and lawn care services.

Average household spending on gardening and lawn care services rose 11 percent
Between 2000 and 2004, after adjusting for the inflation. This increase occurred despite the
Recession of 2001 and consequent belt tightening as discretionary income disappeared.
Behind the rise was the aging of the baby-boom generation into the best-customer age groups. This category should grow in the years ahead as the population ages.


Table 11.6 Gardening and lawn care services

Total household spending * * * * *$11,056,092,560.00
Average household spends * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *95.08

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Average * * * * * * * * * Best * * * * * * * * * Biggest
Household * * * * Customers * * * * * * Customers
*Spending * * * * * * * *(index) * * * (market share)
AGE OF HOUSEHOLDER
Average household * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *$95.08 * * * * * * * 100 * * * * * * * 100.0%
Under age 25 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4.00 * * * * * * * * * 4 * * * * * * * * * 0.3
Age 25 to 34 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *43.24 * * * * * * * * 45 * * * * * * * * * 7.6
Aged 35 to 44 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *68.25 * * * * * * * * 72 * * * * * * * * 14.9
Aged 45 to 54 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *108.36 * * * * * * * 114 * * * * * * * * 23.2
Aged 55 to 64 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *127.59 * * * * * * * 134 * * * * * * * * 20.2
Aged 65 to 74 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *146.68 * * * * * * * 154 * * * * * * * * 14.9
Aged 75 or older * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 181.26 * * * * * * * *191 * * * * * * * *18.9

[Steve]

Hi makbootzy,

This is fascinating stuff! Where did you find this and how is this effecting your marketing?

[makbootzy]

This is from the book "Best Customers: Demographics of Consumer Demand"
Well Now I can see who the "best customer" is and target those parts of town with flyers and door hangers. I think it would help to because you can focus more on the types listed instead of people they might just turn your service down.

[Steve]

Did you ever consider buying a mailing list with those specifics and sending out postcards?

[makbootzy]

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Jan. 06 2008,9:53)]Did you ever consider buying a mailing list with those specifics and sending out postcards?
That would be a good idea!

[Steve]

Our one friend on here Bob from http://www.plan-itgraphics.com runs a lawn care business and a printing business.

He is always telling us how handing out flyers is a waste of time and how ever since he started buying mailing lists and sending out postcards, his business really improved.

NOW is the time to be thinking about getting your postcards out too.

I think as lawn care businesses grow they tend to migrate more towards postcards because you get a better bang for your buck.