Sunday is disrupting the stagnant yard and garden industry by leveraging a DTC model, personalized customer experiences through soil analysis, and a modern brand identity. This episode provides valuable insights into how a digitally native brand can succeed in a traditionally brick-and-mortar sector by focusing on data-driven personalization and a strong omnichannel strategy.
Key takeaways
Implement data-driven personalization: Sunday's success hinges on its soil sample analysis, offering tailored product recommendations that traditional retail can't replicate. Ecommerce businesses should explore unique data collection methods to personalize offerings.
Prioritize a strong DTC presence even with retail partnerships: Despite being in major retailers, Sunday maintains 75% DTC sales, allowing for direct customer relationships and control over the brand experience.
Identify and address industry pain points: Sunday thrives by offering a modern, less intimidating alternative to the 'confusing and intimidating' traditional garden center experience, highlighting the importance of understanding and solving customer frustrations in legacy industries.
Brand and messaging should convey innovation and simplicity: Sunday's approach to branding and packaging aims to differentiate from fifty years of stagnant offerings, attracting new consumers with a fresh perspective.
Expand product categories strategically to become a platform: Sunday's growth from lawn care to pest control and gardening aims to establish it as an 'outdoor home platform,' demonstrating the value of thoughtful category expansion.
Sunday wants to be the DTC brand that powers everyone's backyard.
The company first launched in 2019 with lawn care products, but has since expanded to pest control and garden products. While it's available in major retailers like Costco, Walmart, Lowe's and Target, Sunday's business is still 75% direct-to-consumer.
"To be the outdoor home platform that we want to be, we really need to be able to be across these categories," founder and CEO Coulter Lewis said on the Modern Retail Podcast.
He joined and spoke about how the company has grown over the last five years -- as well as what its plans are for the future.
One way Sunday is able to keep such a large DTC base is by tailoring its online experience. For example, it has people send in soil samples, which then creates a report on the types of products they need for their outdoor spaces.
"We actually now have the largest soil database ever created," Lewis said.
And that type of program can't be replicated in a store like Walmart. And even the store experience itself isn't ideal -- especially the garden sections filled with 15-pound sacks of dirt and fertilizer where Sunday is usually sold. "When you walk in that part of the store, you smell it from 20 feet away -- it is legacy brands, legacy branding and incredibly confusing and intimidating."
With this, Sunday is trying to have its customers opt for a newer brand that looks different than the previous industry leaders. And, have them purchase differently than before. While the company has been growing every year, it still has ambitions to reach new heights.
"We're still brand new," Lewis said. "Our category, there's been nothing new in half a century -- fifty years of the same. And so, we're growing every year, expanding quickly."
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Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Implement data-driven personalization: Sunday's success hinges on its soil sample analysis, offering tailored product recommendations that traditional retail can't replicate. Ecommerce businesses should explore unique data collection methods to personalize offerings.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Prioritize a strong DTC presence even with retail partnerships: Despite being in major retailers, Sunday maintains 75% DTC sales, allowing for direct customer relationships and control over the brand experience.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Identify and address industry pain points: Sunday thrives by offering a modern, less intimidating alternative to the 'confusing and intimidating' traditional garden center experience, highlighting the importance of understanding and solving customer frustrations in legacy industries.
What does this episode say about product & merchandising?
Brand and messaging should convey innovation and simplicity: Sunday's approach to branding and packaging aims to differentiate from fifty years of stagnant offerings, attracting new consumers with a fresh perspective.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Expand product categories strategically to become a platform: Sunday's growth from lawn care to pest control and gardening aims to establish it as an 'outdoor home platform,' demonstrating the value of thoughtful category expansion.
