Case Study: Plants are like stars, but pot design can influence a sale

Bailey Nurseries is a veteran player in the plant branding game. It scored big with Endless Summer, a collection of hydrangeas that promotes reblooming varieties. Next it extended its lead with Easy Elegance roses. Its most recent brand is First Editions, a large collection of colorful and interesting plants that are easy to grow.

As with any branding project, it hasn’t always been an easy win.

“We have experienced the ups and downs of brand development along the way,” said Jonathan Pedersen, brand and business development manager at Bailey Nurseries.

Bailey has used extensive consumer research for brand development, including consumer focus groups to help attain an effective message. Bailey tests tags, point-of-purchase material, container colors, advertising and verbiage to make sure its consumer message and touch points are correct, Pedersen said.

“We have gotten smarter at making the right brand decisions, but ‘branding 101’ has really never changed: Start with a great product and point to the unique characteristics of the plant; make sure this is a desirable characteristic that the consumer cares about; and use consumer touch points like the tag, pot, POP and advertising to help set the message,” he said.
 

Bailey brands
Endless Summer features a collection of reblooming hydrangeas. The program is complete with blue pots, large blue tags and coordinating POP.

Easy Elegance roses are accompanied by a burgundy pot and complementary tags and POP. The collection includes hardy and easy-to-grow roses. The Easy Elegance program also comes with a two-year guarantee for homeowners.

First Editions new plants is an umbrella brand representing improved new plants ranging from flowering shrubs to perennial phlox. The common denominator in the First Editions program is the word “new.” It’s a word the consumer needs little training on, Pedersen said.

The purple pots have a simple design and logo, allowing the plants to make the biggest impression.

“With First Editions, we wanted an upscale look, but one that would not take away from the plants, as they are the stars, not the pot,” he said.
 

Lessons learned
Based on years of research, Bailey Nurseries has learned that 20 percent of consumers will pay 18 percent more for a plant that’s well branded vs. one in a black pot, even if the plants are of identical quality, he said.

And the nursery has also found good POP at point of sale can help sway the consumer to buy a plant by 44 percent, he added.

For growers considering designing their own branded container, remember that the average consumer’s eye will scan and move on in 1/6 of a second, he said. “That’s fast, so I stick with ‘simple is better,’” he added.

Also consider if the plant going to be sold on a table or on the ground, which affects the line of sight, he said. Take into account the color of the container and messaging, how it will look with many different plants, and if it can be read from a distance, he added.