Strong e-commerce only works when the retail business underneath it is healthy. Pricing discipline, margin management, labor planning, merchandising, and leadership fundamentals don’t go away when you add online sales—they become more important. That’s why we recommend The Garden Center Group, a long-standing resource dedicated to helping independent garden centers run better businesses from the inside out.

The Garden Center Group supports a trusted North American community of 150+ garden centers, that has been around for over 20 years providing practical direction across the areas that most impact profitability and sustainability—benchmarking, budgeting, inventory and margin management, marketing and visual merchandising, brand building, property and site design, human resources, team development, and succession planning. Their value isn’t theory; it’s step-by-step guidance designed to reduce the time, risk, and isolation of trying to figure it all out alone.

Not every TGCG member is dropshipping within our program but we believe deeply in the power of community. Learning alongside retailers who are focused on strengthening their brick-and-mortar operations, improving financial discipline, and leading better teams creates shared momentum that benefits everyone. When retailers collaborate openly, the entire industry gets stronger. In addition to ongoing peer support and benchmarking, The Garden Center Group offers HR resources, education, and an annual conference that brings owners and leaders together to exchange real-world insights and forward-looking strategies. For garden centers committed to long-term success—online and offline—this is a relationship worth investing in.