Defining Where Technology Meets Opportunity: Aspire’s 2025 Landscape Industry Report

As the landscaping industry faces rapid change and digital disruption, landscape professionals are looking to use innovative technology not only to remain competitive but to thrive. 

In a recent Aspire webinar, Jon Gohl, Director of Customer Experience at Aspire, was joined by a panel of leading landscaping professionals to discuss insights from Aspire’s 2025 Landscape Industry Report and explore ways technology can unlock new opportunities. 

The panelists included:

• Britt Wood, CEO of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP)

• Tom Heaviland, CEO of Verde Property Services

• Pam Dooley, Owner of Plants Creative Landscape and Board Chair for NALP 

• Andrew Craft, CFO of Site Landscape Design

The webinar covers top takeaways, trends, risks, and actionable strategies to help your business gain an edge in an increasingly tech-driven industry.

2025 outlook: A mix of optimism and caution

Gohl kicked off the discussion by highlighting the overall industry outlook for 2025. Despite economic uncertainties, Aspire’s report shows a mix of optimism and caution. 

The survey was conducted on behalf of Aspire by Thrive Analytics, an independent third-party research provider and a leading digital marketing research firm.

While over half of respondents report feeling neutral about the industry, almost one-third (32%) have a positive outlook for 2025, while 12% have a negative outlook.

Heaviland says Verde Property Services is part of that 32%, and he feels “bullish” on the industry for 2025. 

“I think a lot of companies are poised to make some bold moves, whether that's adding a new service line, entering a new market, or acquiring another company,” Heaviland says. “And it's not just the big companies making moves; it's some of the smaller, middle-market companies who also have the resources to grow their businesses through new revenue streams.

“We have a very robust pipeline and are excited about adding to our portfolio of companies in 2025,” he adds. “If you read the weekly trade publications, you're seeing a lot of activity going on in the industry.”

Expectations for 2025

The Aspire report found almost half of respondents expect to earn higher revenue and profits in 2025, with 32% anticipating better business performance. 

Given the mixed outlook, Gohl asked how landscapers can find a balance between optimism and caution.

“We've got to take the blinders off to see the obstacles that can disrupt or derail our strategic initiatives,” Heaviland says. “Growing your business, of course, is great; we all want to do that, but we've got to ask ourselves the important questions like, ‘How am I going to produce this new work? Do I have the capital required to support this growth? Where will the labor come from? How long is it going to take to train these folks up? Does my pricing strategy reflect increases in materials, labor rates, fuel, and equipment costs?’

“We've got to be ready to take advantage of any new opportunities and plan for risks. Nobody expected COVID back in 2020; it just came out of nowhere. And I think today, what if you're a residential landscape contractor in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles?” he adds.

Gohl says landscapers, by nature, are well-positioned to thrive during unpredictable times. 

“I can't think of an industry full of individuals who know how to pivot more than the landscaping industry, whether it's the holidays, the weather, a labor shortage, material issues—we definitely know how to get it done,” Gohl says.

Key goals for 2025

Not surprisingly, the Aspire industry report shows increasing revenue is the No. 1 goal for landscapers in 2025, followed by new customer acquisition, business optimization, customer retention, and improved cash flow. 

Heaviland says the challenge of increasing revenue in 2025 requires protecting margins despite rising material costs and labor shortages. 

So, how does Heaviland protect his margins? He says he actively reviews his recurring maintenance agreements in Aspire and ensures his annual renewal increases are appropriately priced to keep up with expenses and rising costs.

“That helps us when we come to renewals to say, ‘Alright, here's where it's producing. What do we need as far as an increase to get it to where we want it to be?’ Heaviland says. “Aspire allows us to look at our material, equipment costs, and labor costs and helps us understand if we have the appropriate markups and cost structure in place. 

“Knowing the cost structure is really important,” he adds. “It's going to give you the confidence you need when you're bidding and pricing your work, and it's also going to give you that acceptable gross profit margin. For us, that's No. 1.”

Greatest risks for landscapers

Despite the positive outlook for 2025, landscapers face several challenges, including rising material costs, recruiting and retention, and winning new bids and contracts in a highly competitive industry. 

Wood says one of NALP’s focus areas in combating the labor shortage is the H-2B visa program. The H-2B visa allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary, non-agricultural jobs when they struggle to find enough domestic workers. Landscaping companies can benefit by filling seasonal labor shortages, meeting customer demand, maintaining service quality, and growing their business without being limited by domestic workforce constraints.

“I’m pleased to report that we got our full allotment of visas from the government this year,” Wood says. “But H-2B is something we're going to continue to work on because it's going to continue to be a challenge.”

Wood says another recruitment strategy involves tapping into the youth of America to get them excited about the industry and show how landscaping provides a fulfilling career. 

Each year, NALP hosts the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, where 700+ college students from across the nation showcase their skills and compete in over 30 challenges, including 3D exterior landscape design, irrigation troubleshooting, and turf and weed identification.

NALP also launched the Landscape Design Empire on the Roblox online gaming platform, where 60% of users are currently under the age of 12. 

According to NALP, “The immersive experience allows players to design, install, and maintain landscapes for a fictional neighborhood. Users can purchase new tools, develop new skills, and open new areas as they progress through Landscape Design Empire.”

“The idea is that kids get exposed to designing different elements, whether that be on a property or a home,” Wood says. “We're trying to get people interested and see how cool it is to be a landscaper as young as possible, in hopes that we're going to continue to widen this envelope and bring more people into this industry.”

The Aspire in the Classroom program provides an opportunity for college and high school students to gain hands-on experience with Aspire software and learn from seasoned landscaping professionals. 

“We just released a learning management system that will include a student certification,” Gohl says. “So, once they complete our courses, they'll actually have a unique URL that will be a link on their resume. They can post it on places like LinkedIn and show they've achieved the student certification.”

Embracing digital transformation

Aspire’s report shows that most landscaping companies (93%) use some type of software to run their businesses, a stat Gohl says would sound crazy just 10 years ago, when “there was really no technology in the industry whatsoever.”

Despite a majority of landscapers using technology, over three-quarters don’t currently use AI, and only 24% believe AI will make a strong impact, according to the 2025 Landscape Industry Report. 

“A majority of contractors aren't really using AI yet,” Gohl says. “We'd like to think that's going to have a substantial impact on field operations.”

Craft, who jokingly refers to his job title as Chief Nerd Officer, says Site Landscape Design fully embraces technology and considers it a “big differentiator” for the business. He says AI has been a game-changer for customer communications.

“Some of the emails that come out of our company aren’t consistent between all the different account managers,” Craft says. “By working on some prompts and having the managers run emails and communications through AI, it provides a much more consistent message, so our clients have a more consistent experience with us.”

Craft says improving customer loyalty is another top goal for 2025, and he’s using AI to enhance service delivery.

“One of the things we're looking at is more services we can provide to our customers,” he says. “So, I just put into AI, ‘What else can we do for our customers?’ and it just spits out magic. It's honestly amazing.” 

Promoting sustainability

While landscapers excel in creating and maintaining healthy outdoor spaces, they face growing challenges in their pursuit of sustainability. Climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and pollution threaten the long-term health of landscapes and the industry.

Landscapers must also navigate technological advancements, from the increasing impact of AI and predictive analytics (PA) to the emergence of electric tools. 

“We see the transition coming from gas-powered equipment to electric equipment, and in many instances, the electric equipment isn't quite there yet to replace the gas, but it's moving along,” Wood says. “We strongly suggest having a strategy for how you're going to deal with water. Have a strategy for how you're going to convert from gas to electric eventually. You need to think about these points of sustainability and develop your own personal strategy.”

Gohl says the strategy should involve educating clients, from homeowners to property managers and state legislators, on the importance of conservation.

“I'm in California, I sit on a local board for Groundwork San Diego,” he says. “We might be short on water, but educating folks how important it is to capture the stormwater we do have, whether that's through permeable concrete versus concrete boulevards or more plants, is going to greatly help us out there.”

Tech trends for the future

To stay competitive in 2025 and beyond, the panelists discussed how landscapers must embrace new technology. Technology is transforming how landscapers work, from robotic mowers and GPS-guided equipment to smart irrigation systems and drones for site analysis. 

So, how do businesses adapt and actually embrace these trends?

“I think it’s so critical that whatever you embrace fits your culture, it fits your brand, and aligns with who you are,” Dooley says. “You're not just grasping at the latest greatest trend and trying to force them into a culture that you haven't nurtured, that you haven't developed some sort of infrastructure for.” 

When introducing new tech, she says landscapers also need to understand the market demands and consider customer preferences.

“Many companies can lose sight of why we exist,” Dooley says. “‘Why do we exist?’ We're in business to serve our customers. If we don't understand their needs deeply by asking them, engaging with them, and then developing products and services and adapting to what they're asking us to be, then we're not going to do very well. 

“But if you align yourself with your core customers, you understand what they want you to do for them, and build systems and processes and services, you’re going to deliver,” she adds.

When it comes to embracing AI, Craft encourages landscapers to dive in as soon as possible. 

“It doesn't matter what it is, but the more experience you get with it now, the better you’ll be when it shows up everywhere,” he says.

To discover additional insights on leveraging new technology to optimize your business, view the entire webinar on demand.