Growing More Than Plants: How Hodgehill Uses Wi-Fi to Stay Connected

Hodgehill Garden Centre is a popular local destination whether customers are stopping by for plants, homeware, or a coffee, they expect fast, reliable Wi-Fi while they browse and relax. What they didn’t have was a simple way to turn that everyday Wi-Fi usage into an ongoing relationship with their customers.

That’s where we came in.

The Challenge

Hodgehill wanted to:
• Offer customers easy access to free guest Wi-Fi
• Capture email signups in a GDPR-friendly way
• Connect those signups directly into Mailchimp for marketing campaigns
• Avoid disruption or costly changes to their existing network

Like many retail and hospitality businesses, they were keen to improve engagement but not at the expense of ripping out hardware or dealing with complex installations.

The Solution

We deployed a UniFi captive portal that seamlessly sits on top of Hodgehill’s existing UniFi Wi-Fi network.

When customers connect to the free guest Wi-Fi, they’re presented with a clean, branded signup page asking for their email address. Once submitted, those details are automatically synced to Mailchimp, ready for newsletters, seasonal promotions, and event announcements.

Crucially:
• No existing wireless access points were replaced
• No downtime for staff or customers
• No complicated staff training required

The entire deployment was completed quickly and remotely, with minimal impact on day-to-day operations.

The Result

Hodgehill Garden Centre now:
• Builds a growing email list effortlessly, every day
• Has a direct marketing channel to customers who have already visited the site
• Can promote offers, events, and seasonal stock with confidence
• Provides a smooth, professional Wi-Fi experience for visitors

Instead of Wi-Fi being just a convenience, it’s now a valuable marketing tool that works quietly in the background.

A Smarter Way to Use Guest Wi-Fi

This project is a great example of how existing infrastructure can be enhanced rather than replaced. By combining UniFi’s powerful networking with Mailchimp’s marketing platform, Hodgehill Garden Centre gained measurable value from something they were already providing for free.

If you’re offering guest Wi-Fi and not capturing insights or customer details, you may be missing a simple opportunity to grow your business—just like Hodgehill was before this deployment.