From all the friend and fan requests I’ve been getting, it looks like garden centers are fully embracing social media as a marketing venue. Ah yes! We are indeed living in a digital world! Will online storefronts be the next frontier retailers explore?

We talked about the pros and cons of online stores in our November issue. Not long ago, I came across this blog post from consultant Bob Phibbs: “Why You Should Abandon Having an Online Retail Store.”

Here’s Phibbs’ take on the situation…
The easy money online has passed. If you want to have an online store presence, you need to invest the money to be at least as good as the big boys. Just like an independent coffeehouse has to be at least as clean as the local Starbucks with a speed of service no slower, with a product at least as fresh, you have to meet the competition’s standards just to be in the game.

In essence, if you’re not willing to invest the time, money and effort to create a user-friendly, high-tech and ultra-engaging online experience—why bother?

Garden Crossings in Zeeland, Mich., looks like it’s willing to take a chance online. I got this press release earlier this week talking about its new virtual storefront.

“You might say that our goal with the website was to create an online garden center,” explained Heidi Grasman, Garden Crossings’ co-owner. “The website gives customers—both retail and wholesale—a trusted online source for gardening information, and a sense of community.”

Anybody else out there giving online sales a go? Leave us a comment and share how it’s working out for you.