Southern States Retail Revival
How can we ensure that a century old brand thrives for another 100 years?
4 weeks | role: 3D modeling, retail layout, customer experience
This was presented to a panel at Southern States, Winter 2020
Introduction
Background
Southern States began as Virginia Seed Supply in 1923. This cooperative of farmers formed to help one another find seeds that were suitable for Virginia growing conditions.
Problem
Farming has changed a lot in the last 100 years. The big farms continue to grow while more and more mid-size farms are disappearing every year. Southern States retail locations rely primarily on the midsize family farms.
Opportunity
While small and mid-size farms may not be as prevalent as they used to be, there is a movement of people looking for an agrarian connection. The houseplant industry is thriving thanks to Millenials choosing plants over kids, and homesteading, sustainability practices, even beekeeping are becoming popular. Southern States has the opportunity to shift from the one-stop-shop for the career farmer to the place for people who want a taste of the homegrown lifestyle.
Solution
A new Retail Experience
Move Southern States from a product modelt to a product and service model to cultivate the farmer in all of us.
Our revival is planned in three stages:
Renewed brand principles and elevated employee experience.
Store modifications to reflect a service approach, including an updated digital experience.
Inviting the homegrown dreamers to visit the new Southern States through advertising and social media.
New Brand Principles and Employee Experience
By updating the mission to be more about the love of land, we are including an audience wider than farmers, without alienating their current audience. Managers should look to hire people who are passionate about what the Southern States lifestyle represents, and then empower them to do their jobs. We like to think of these employees as the type of friendly neighbors that you go to for advice when their tomatoes are thriving, and yours…aren’t.
Employee Manual
Manifesto Video
2. Updated in-store experience
Exterior
Currently the stores feel very “strip mall” along large roads. Designing the locations so that they feel more like a rural barn will be more welcoming and visually interesting to new and existing customers.
An expanded and updated front porch can serve as a backdrop for seasonal outdoor merchandise or events such as community market days, barbeques, or their notorious chick days in spring. Having a visible outdoor space will not only improve curb appeal, but also catch the attention of passersby.
The Workshop
This is where Southern States will host regular workshops from canning to kombucha to beekeeping. The counter can be used to display merchandise when not being used for events or as a consultation area for customers with problem plants. A chalkboard features the upcoming events.
The Floorplan & Booths:
The booths on the sides of the store are inspired from a traditional marketplace. Wayfinding on the walls allows customers to find what they need throughout the store.
Merchandising
Everything in the store is modular so it can be moved depending on the needs of the business. Green shelving will highlight the natural or organic product, which is more appealing to the new target. The fixtures are mobile and can be re-arranged for events.
Online Experience
An updated online portal allows customers to see content tailored for their needs and interests. Southern States has a wealth of knowledge and useful content already, it’s just a matter of getting the right information to the right people. Customers can also check their soil sample results here with recirculation to the products they need for a healthy yard.
3. Marketing
Farmers Market Presence
Stands at local farmers’ markets are a low-cost way to show up in the relevant communities. People who are shopping at farmers market value the same things as Southern States. They can promote workshops, as well as sell products that this market might need such as composting bins or feature some of their co-op farmers produce.
Print ads featured in local publications would feature different types of homes all with projects that can be done by visiting Southern States.
Out of home
Living green walls are featured on murals and billboards, highlighting that you don’t need a farm or a huge yard to grow something.
Direct Mail
Direct mailers are printed on seed paper and sent to homes that don’t have a lot of outdoor green space. There would be a coupon driving them in-store to receive a free pot with any purchase to get started planting their seeds.
Radio
Paid Social
In addition to a growing presence on social platforms, paid social mimics the hand drawn images in print, with a playful tone.
Conclusion
Looking forward
In a our current COVID world, there seems to be a resurgence of people interested in maintaining and updating their homes, planting vegetables, and other agrarian activities. There is a need for Southern States to update their virtual presence because that is the only way their retail business will continue to operate. They can still host DIY projects or workshops from the comfort of a live stream, and could benefit from having experts on hand to video chat with people who need help at home. I think that the company is small enough to be agile and implement these changes in time to still be relevant, but large enough to have a fair amount of reach to be able to create an impact.
Looking Back
We were able to present these updates to the store at Southern States Corporate offices in Richmond, VA. It was a great opportunity to present our theoretical work to people who are dealing so closely with the company and are making relevant retail decisions every day. It made the work much more real for us and forced us to think of how they could start to implement some of our suggestions in real life.
teammates
What now?
Check out some more work designed for Virginia brands
