Week 4: Defining Your Target Market

 When establishing a new business, it is important to establish your brand. From there you must think about the audience you wish to reach. Establishing your target market and demographic is very important in the initial stages of your business. In doing so, you must identify where and who might benefit from your product or services. One example of this can be found from two nurseries here in California. Armstrong is a well-known chain of nurseries that can be found throughout the coast, while Farmstand is a local nursery in Vista.Upon a basic review, you can see both websites offer plants. However, Farmstand specializes in succulents, while Armstrong has a long list of plants they sell and grow.

    While both Armstrong and Farmstand seem to support plant loving customers, Farmstands target market has a more specific demographic. Customers that shop there are more likely to live in dryer places. Succulents also come with less maintenance, so this may be for people who don’t want to spend too much time tending to their plants. On the other hand, Armstrong has thousands of different plants and stores that are capable of reaching more customers. Their guarantee for their plants is assured through their website and brand. They commit to making sure that they will find the best plants for everyone, not just succulents.

    When looking over both websites, right off the bat, you can tell the differences in layouts. Armstrongs website was clearly done professionally and they understood the concept and quality of design. As soon as you enter their page, you’re immediately greeted by bright colors and plants. As you scroll you’re able to see a list of services that are offered. While on Farmstand’s website, you can tell that their website was picked from a site that has templates. Although it is pleasing to the eye, it is very simple. There are three sections in which you can find information and a few plant pictures over them.

    Although they are both nurseries, the only crossover between the two of them is succulents. People who are shopping between the two stores are a specific customer with certain landscaping ideas in mind. You can tell that Farmstand is a home owned business, versus a chain store. This could work to their benefit for customers who feel like they want more care, however since all they have is succulents, they can potentially lose a lot of traffic because their target market is more narrowed down then Armstrong.

    In conclusion, you can tell both websites are aimed at trying to make sure customers are satisfied with their product. As mentioned earlier, the audience or target market of the smaller home owned store in Vista is smaller than Armstrong alone based solely on victim alone. Having a chain store is completely different from a farmstand. However both businesses can attract customers. Some people may appreciate the authenticity of a farmstand while others will trust the reliability of a franchise.