Understanding how customers choose roses in a garden centre can’t be done online! In-store research revealed what was driving confidence at the moment of purchase, and how point-of-sale displays could best support it.
- Who: David Austin Roses, a specialist rose breeder known for its distinctive English roses and strong brand heritage.
- What: In-person usability research exploring how customers browse, compare and choose roses in a garden centre environment, and how effectively point-of-sale (POS) displays support decision-making.
- How: We conducted moderated shop-along sessions with garden centre shoppers, observing how they naturally browsed the rose displays, interacted with POS materials and worked towards a purchase decision in a live retail setting.
- Result: Clear insight into how shoppers choose roses in-store and practical recommendations to improve POS design so it better supports customers as they move from browsing to confident purchase.
Background
Choosing a rose is both an emotional and practical decision. Shoppers may be drawn first by colour, fragrance or imagery, but they also need reassurance that the plant will thrive in their garden and suit their space. David Austin Roses offers a wide range of varieties of roses, and the team wanted to understand how well their in-store displays support customers navigating that choice.
While Web Usability’s work often focuses on digital journeys, this project explored a different environment: the physical retail space of a garden centre. The aim was to understand how customers behave when browsing roses in person. The research also explored how a range of POS elements, including plant labels, bench organisation, branded displays and a new rose selector board, helped shoppers navigate the range and build confidence in their choices and influence their decisions at the moment of purchase.
What we did
We carried out qualitative, in-person research through moderated shop-along sessions with 12 garden centre shoppers. Testers represented a broad mix of rose-buying experience, from complete novices to confident gardeners, with different garden sizes, planting contexts and purchase motivations.
Sessions took place at a working garden centre under normal trading conditions. This allowed us to observe how customers naturally browse and make decisions in a realistic retail environment.
Testers were asked to explore the rose displays as they normally would while thinking aloud. This approach allowed us to capture both what shoppers said they were looking for and the behaviours that emerged naturally as they moved through the displays.
Across the sessions we observed how customers:
- Find and orientate themselves in the rose area
- Browse and narrow down a wide range of varieties
- Compare options before choosing
- Seek reassurance before committing to a purchase
Impact
The research gave David Austin Roses a clearer understanding of how customers approach rose selection in a garden centre environment and how in-store displays influence purchasing confidence.
Insights from the study helped the team understand the stages shoppers move through when selecting a rose, from initial browsing to final commitment. This provides a framework for designing displays that better support customers throughout the decision process.
The work also highlighted the importance of ensuring POS displays support different browsing styles, balancing visual inspiration with practical information that reassures customers their choice is right for their garden.
Overall, the research established guiding principles for point-of-sale design that help David Austin structure garden centre displays in ways that reduce friction, support confident decision-making and reinforce the brand’s premium positioning.
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