Home & garden marketing best practices: key insights from the 2024 state of ecommerce report

Home & garden businesses have a prime shot at capturing consumers’ attention, according to new research.

Klaviyo’s 2024 state of ecommerce report reveals that 72% of large home & garden retailers have seen higher profits over the last 12 months, while 70% report higher margins—and nearly all (92%) expect to see revenue increases this year.

But even though most home & garden companies (63%) are raising prices, that’s not the only reason revenue is increasing.

The home & garden industry is experiencing some distinctive shifts—largely driven by consumer preferences and market trends specific to this space. And to capture their share of that growing pie, home & garden companies need to continue making strategic investments this year and beyond.

The 5 insights highlighted below are just a glimpse into the rich data and takeaways contained within the fullstate of ecommerce report. Keep reading to learn how to capitalize on them to drive revenue and growth.

Insight 1: The industry is seeing longer buying cycles and less frequent purchases

The majority of home & garden shoppers (56%) make a purchase only a few times a year—which means home & garden companies have their work cut out for them if they want to drive sustained growth and revenue.

Given that the average buying cycle in home & garden may be longer compared to other verticals such as CPG or health & beauty, planning your marketing and content strategy ahead of time will be essential for sustaining customer interest and reducing drop-offs during the buying journey.

How to use this insight to thrive in the home & garden industry

One simple way to get started is to create and maintain a seasonal content calendar that aligns with key decorating and gardening milestones throughout the year—for example, the date of Pantone’s color of the year announcement.

By regularly sharing fresh, relevant content (such as DIY project ideas, highlights of different decor trends, or maintenance tips) across platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and email newsletters, you can keep your brand top of mind for potential customers who may not be ready to buy right away.

Estelle Colored Glass, a vintage-inspired stemware and cake stand brand, uses Klaviyo to engage customers post-purchase by sharing lifestyle content and hosting tips. The goal: to engage these customers on a continued basis and encourage them to purchase more stemware, whether for their own households or as gifts.

Even after doubling their email campaign frequency, Estelle Colored Glass saw spam complaints drop 38% YoY in Q1 2024 while their Klaviyo-attributed revenue jumped 46%, proving the effectiveness of strategic marketing campaigns in sustaining long-term customer interest—even through longer buying cycles.

Insight 2: Email and search offer compelling opportunities for acquisition and retention

According to the state of ecommerce report, the top marketing priority for home & garden retailers this year is customer acquisition (51%), followed by driving repeat purchases with existing customers (43%).

Although companies reported investing in various channels, they could benefit from focusing on more impactful ones—specifically search and email—to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

80% of consumers said search has an influence on their decision to buy a home & garden product, while 60% said the same for email marketing.

But only 37% of home & garden companies are using email marketing, and even though investments in search are increasing, it’s not one of the 5 most-used channels.

How to use this insight to thrive in the home & garden industry

From an acquisition perspective, start by focusing on high-intent keywords in paid search. Segmenting your email lists to deliver personalized product content based on subscriber behavior and preferences, meanwhile, ensures you’re reaching out to potential customers who are more likely to convert, maximizing your return on investment.

JewelCandle, a European scented candle brand, is a great example of how to leverage email effectively to drive acquisition and revenue. Using Klaviyo’s pre-built flows, JewelCandle has automated multiple customer touchpoints so that every geographical market has a personalized welcome email series, abandoned cart, back-in-stock, post-purchase, and win-back flow.

The brand’s abandoned cart email flow is the biggest revenue driver. From the first email alone, 6.3% of recipients place an order—without an incentive. The welcome email is a strong performer, too, with 25% of subscribers taking advantage of the discount in the automated welcome email.

You can also integrate your search and email strategies for even greater impact. JewelCandle, for example, uses Klaviyo’s Meta integration to create lookalike audiences to target across social, and you could accomplish this using similar audiences in paid search with Klaviyo’s integration with Google Ads.

This coordinated effort can create a more effective cross-channel marketing strategy, driving higher conversion rates across both channels.

Insight 3: Broadcast advertising is influential—and underused

Consumers rank broadcast advertising (TV and radio) as equally influential as email marketing (60%) in their home & garden purchases.

But out of all marketing activities at brands, broadcast ranks among the lowest, alongside affiliate marketing, print advertising, and out-of-home advertising. Only 30% of companies use broadcast advertising, and just over half (52%) of companies report increased spend in this area over the last year.

This points to an opportunity for companies that are focused on acquiring new customers to stand out by leveraging an overlooked marketing channel.

How to use this insight to thrive in the home & garden industry

Align your home & garden marketing campaigns with seasonal trends and peak buying periods. For example, run TV or radio ads for gardening products during the spring and summer months, when interest in gardening and outdoor projects typically spikes.

You might also consider integrating broadcast advertising with your digital marketing efforts. This not only helps you track the impact of your broadcast campaigns (which are typically harder to measure compared to digital advertising campaigns), but also makes your brand messaging more cohesive.

For example, if you’re a seasonal brand like Balsam Hill, you might consider running a multi-channel marketing strategy to promote non-hero products in the off season. Balsam Hill did this with their spring refresh campaign, educating past purchasers on other products using their email automations.

Insight 4: The majority of purchases are still happening in-store

Unlike in many other ecommerce verticals, where owned and operated ecommerce websites drive the majority of revenue, both companies and consumers in the home & garden space still lean toward the in-store experience.

74% of companies in the home & garden space earn their revenue from transactions at their physical stores, while 65% of shoppers say they purchase these products in person at branded stores.

For many home & garden brands, online purchases through third-party ecommerce sites like Amazon (70%) and their own branded ecommerce sites (61%) are similarly lucrative in terms of revenue. But less than half (48% and 35%, respectively) of consumers use either.

Consumers, in fact, are more likely to shop for home & garden goods at third-party retail stores like Walmart (49%).

How to use this insight to thrive in the home & garden industry

For companies that are able to leverage their physical retail store as a hub for driving sales and customer engagement, this is an opportunity to enhance the in-store experience with interactive displays, exclusive in-store promotions, and personalized customer service to attract more in-person shoppers.

You can also use your digital channels to drive foot traffic and in-store sales, for example, by highlighting unique in-store experiences and promotions through social media or sending targeted email campaigns to entice online shoppers to visit the store. This approach capitalizes on the strong consumer preference for in-person shopping and bridges the gap between your online and offline channels, creating a more integrated marketing strategy.

Jenni Kayne, a luxury home brand with over 20 retail stores and a thriving ecommerce website, uses email to encourage in-person shopping, strategically sending online shoppers discount codes that are redeemable only in stores. And if a customer near a store abandons a $5,000+ cart, their local store manager gets a notification in Klaviyo, their marketing automation platform, to reach out directly.

Strategies like these helped contribute to a 14.5% YoY increase in email revenue in Q1 2023.

For companies that don’t have physical retail stores, the ecommerce experience is the next most impactful channel to optimize. You can still capitalize on the preference for in-person shopping by enhancing your online and delivery experiences to mimic some of the benefits of a physical store.

Investing in high-quality virtual shopping tools, such as good photos and live chat support or consultations, can help recreate the interactive aspects of in-store shopping and help customers feel more confident about their home or garden purchases.

Insight 5: Consumers love loyalty programs

Shoppers love to be rewarded through loyalty programs. In fact, 89% of home & garden consumers use them.

But home & garden companies aren’t keeping up.

While most use tactics like discounts, sustainable products and packaging, and same- or next-day delivery to appeal to consumers, only 43% of home & garden companies have customer loyalty programs—by far the largest gap between brand offerings and the ones consumers are using.

How to use this insight to thrive in the home & garden industry

Start by designing a loyalty program that incentivizes the actions you most want customers to take. If you want more repeat customers, you could offer rewards such as discounts on future purchases. Or if you want to build excitement for new products, you could provide exclusive product access and early sales alerts in the program.

To maximize impact, promote your loyalty program and rewards through your website, email campaigns, and social media channels. Highlight the benefits of joining and how customers can easily earn and redeem rewards.

Don’t have the time or resources to invest in launching an official loyalty program? You can still replicate the experience by incorporating loyalty-based post-purchase flows into your email marketing strategy.

Get the full report to make your business bloom

The insights from our 2024 state of ecommerce report underscore the importance of proactive planning and targeted investments in the right marketing channels to engage customers and drive sustained growth.

The channels that work for other ecommerce industries aren’t necessarily the most impactful in the home & garden space. Understanding this unique landscape is crucial for businesses to effectively tailor their marketing strategies, optimize their outreach, and drive engagement in ways that resonate with this vertical’s audience.

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