Latest / Marketing Automation with Fexingo: HubSpot, Marketo, and Automated Customer Journeys / Marketing Automation Ignores Customer Gardening Season Changes
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's a question — when was the last time your marketing automation knew that you had started gardening for the season? Luna: I actually don't think it ever has. And I garden. My CRM has no idea that every April I swap my indoor hobby budget for soil and seeds. Lucas: Exactly. And according to the National Gardening Association, fifty-five percent of U.S. households did some kind of gardening in 2025. That's over seventy million households shifting their attention, their time, and their spending patterns for half the year. Luna: And that's just gardening. But it's a stand-in for all these seasonal lifestyle shifts that automation completely misses. Lucas: Right. And it's not just about selling more garden products. Think about what happens when someone becomes a gardener. They're outside more, so they're watching less streaming TV. They're at the hardware store, not the mall. Their sunscreen purchases go up. Their meal delivery habits might change because they're eating fresh produce. Luna: But the automation platforms are still treating them like the same indoor person they were in January. Lucas: Exactly. I came across a case from a mid-size gardening tool brand — they sell trowels, pruners, gloves. They noticed that customers who bought soil in early spring were twenty-three percent more likely to buy a garden hose within the next two weeks. So they set up a simple trigger: purchase of soil triggers an email sequence for watering tools. Luna: That's smart. But that's still within the gardening category. What about the cross-category stuff? Lucas: That's where it gets interesting. That same brand could partner with a sunscreen company or an outdoor furniture brand. But they don't, because their automation doesn't have a 'gardening season' flag. It's just transactional purchase data. Luna: And the bigger problem is the reverse — when gardening season ends. Someone who was a heavy gardener in June might stop in September. If you keep sending them gardening emails, you look out of touch. Lucas: Exactly. And that's where persona decay sets in. The automation holds onto the last known identity of the customer, even though that identity has expired. Luna: So what's the fix? How do you build a system that knows when someone's season has started or stopped? Lucas: You need a 'seasonal status' field in your CRM. It's not complicated. You can infer it from purchase data — if someone buys soil or seeds, flag them as 'gardening active' for the next ninety days. Or you can ask directly: a single question in a preference center or post-purchase survey, 'Are you gardening this season?' Luna: And then you build lifecycle stages around that status. An active gardener gets different content than a dormant one. Lucas: Right. And when the status expires — say, no gardening purchases for six months — you can either ask again or move them to a re-engagement flow. The point is, it's not about predicting the future. It's about paying attention to a signal that's already there. Luna: You know, this reminds me of a broader issue. We've talked on this show about how automation misses job changes, home renovations, fertility journeys. Gardening is just another one of those life events that doesn't fit neatly into a B2C persona. Lucas: And it's a perfect example because it's so regular. It happens the same time every year for millions of people. If we can't get that right, what hope do we have for unpredictable events? Luna: I think part of the problem is that marketing automation platforms are built for e-commerce transactions, not for life transitions. They track what you buy, not why you buy it. Lucas: And the 'why' is often seasonal. I'd argue that seasonality is actually one of the most powerful segmentation variables, but it's almost never used outside of retail calendar holidays. Luna: Yeah, you get Christmas and Valentine's Day campaigns. But not 'it's May and you might be gardening now' campaigns. Lucas: Right. And the data is right there. If you look at credit card transaction data, you can see the spike in garden center spending in March and April. But most brands don't connect that to their own CRM. Luna: So what would you say to a marketer listening who wants to start capturing seasonal signals? Lucas: Start with one season and one product category. If you're a home goods brand, look at when people buy air conditioners or fans. That's a summer signal. Trigger a 'summer essentials' flow. Then measure the lift. The proof is in the conversion rate bump. Luna: And don't forget to update the status when the season ends. Otherwise you'll be sending winter coat recommendations to someone in July. Lucas: Exactly. That's the kind of thing that destroys trust. It's the automation equivalent of showing up to a party that ended an hour ago. Luna: I love that image. So — quick honest thing. A handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many episodes. We don't run ads, and we want to keep it that way. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small group, but it makes a real difference. If these conversations have sparked something you've actually used, it's a simple way to keep them coming. Luna: Alright. Back to gardening. One thing I'm curious about: are there any brands that are actually doing seasonal status well? Lucas: A few. I'd point to a company like Terrain — the garden and home retailer. They send emails that shift with the season, but they also use purchase data to infer when someone has moved from seeds to plants to harvest. It's not perfect, but it's a step. Luna: So they're basically tracking the gardening lifecycle within their own ecosystem. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key — you don't need to know everything about the customer. You just need to know one thing: are they currently in a seasonal mode? Then tailor the next touchpoint accordingly. Luna: It feels like such a low-hanging fruit. I'm surprised more marketers don't do it. Lucas: I think it's because it requires a mindset shift from campaign-based thinking to continuous lifecycle thinking. Most marketing automation is still built around sending a blast, not maintaining a relationship. Luna: And the relationship changes with the seasons — literally. Lucas: Right. So the next time you look at your CRM, ask yourself: do I know what season my customer is in? If the answer is no, you've got an opportunity. Luna: I think I'm going to add a 'season' field to my own contact list today. Lucas: Do it. And then let us know how it goes. Because that's the kind of small change that can make a big difference in how relevant your marketing feels. Luna: Alright, that's our show. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.