4 ways to promote a garden centre app

So your app is ready to rock: great! But how do people know you have an app available for them? We will share 4 ways to promote your newly built garden centre app to assure you reach your target audience. 

 

1. Use existing channels

Needless to say, you need to use your existing communication channels to inform customers they can download your app. Send out an email newsletter, post it on Facebook and Twitter. 

Make sure readers can click to your page on Google Play or the Apple App Store directly. You can use an URL shortener like bit.ly to limit space on social media and to count the number of clicks. 

Don’t forget to promote the app in your garden centre as well: make posters and add QR codes to refer visitors to the Apple App Store and Google Play to download the app.

 

2. Set up a smart banner

A smart banner is a small banner on top of your mobile website promoting your app. Have a look at this one for example:

 

 

Setting up a smart banner to promote your garden centre app is very easy but be aware it will only work on iOS devices. It will significantly boost the number of downloads of your app so we still recommend doing this. 

Just add this line to the meta-tags in the header of your website:

<meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=myAppStoreID"/>

You can find your AppStoreID if you search for your app on the Apple App Store. The Garden Connect Events App can be found via https://apps.apple.com/sr/app/gc-events/id1438727224?l=nl. The AppStore ID we need to use is “1438727224”. 

Just add this meta-tag to your website and you’re ready to promote your garden centre app!

 

3. Show a lightbox

If you don’t want to set up a smart banner or if you want to promote your app to Android users as well, set up a lightbox. A lightbox is an image that pops up when visitors open the website. Lightboxes can be annoying but they work pretty well!

You need to create a visual you want to add to the lightbox (have a look at Canva.com) to get started. Within the Garden Connect Platform, you can add a lightbox so it opens on mobile devices only. You can also select if the lightbox should be shown every visit or only every X days. 

You need to link the lightbox to a page on your website explaining the benefits of the app. Don’t forget to include links to Google Play and Apple App Store on it.

 

4. Offer perks

What’s in it for me? Boost the downloads of your garden centre app by offering some special perks to customers. We have developed many apps for garden centres and the ones who are most successful are using perks to boost the number of app users. 

How would that work? Let customers log in on the app via their loyalty card. Special offers will be available for app-users only after logging in. This answers the question: if you are willing to take the effort of downloading the app, you can enjoy some exclusive perks.

The app will allow you to increase footfall. Are you stuck with a bunch of houseplants? Just publish a short-term promo on the app. Need some more footfall in your restaurant on weekdays? Try offering a free cake via the app. 

 

Your own garden centre app gives you access to your customers 24/7 and can be used for quick offers. There’s no need to prepare everything months in advance, you can do it instantly. 

The 4 ways to promote your garden centre app described above are proven to be successful for our customers. Do you want to develop your own app or do you have issues promoting your garden centre app? Feel free to reach out to us via +44 203 475 5541 or send an e-mail support@gardenconnect.com.