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side of the base,” explains Cash. No stranger to winning Cool Prod- uct awards at TPIE, Cash indicates her nursery has a great team that consistently creates combinations of small plants and containers to be retail winners.
TAKE-AWAYS: Similar to this nursery striving to grow and create “retail winners,” retailers can endeavor to seek products that are winners with consumers. Adding magic — the illuminated factor – enhances this fairy garden and makes it the ideal gift for a broad range of plant-enthralled consumers. Retailers can promote it for princess parties, birthday celebrations or table décor for Quincean- eras. ese will be popular in dorms and can easily be promoted in back-to-school displays in regions with colleges and universities. For retailers with in-house catering departments, include photos of the Light Up Terrarium so customers know they can custom-order the gardens for their special occasions including weddings.
IT’S IN THE BAG
If Millennials were wild about decorating fresh pineapples in place of Christmas trees for their small dwellings, they are going to ip for the Lemon Cypress Easter Kit from Coastal Nursery of Watsonville, CA. e grab-and-go Easter Kits in clear, handled bags, feature bright green, 6.5-inch Lemon Cypress trees complete with springtime ornaments for decorating. Carmen Garcia is vice president of sales for the 73-year-old nursery specializing in growing Rosemary, European Cypress, Lemon Cypress and multiple colors of Heathers in various o erings. She is thrilled with the feedback from TPIE buyers and show attendees. “Our Christmas tree kit was recognized and awarded, and we also experi- enced enthusiasm for our Easter Kits,” explains Garcia. Direct Store Delivery is an option with this product as the nursery has established distribution programs with Federal Express and other packaging companies. Garcia notes the Lemon Cypress Easter kits are also ne for being shipped with produce to
distribution centers.
TAKE-AWAYS: Savvy retailers know many families celebrate Easter and often look for convenience items and shortcuts from stores’ perishable departments. Pre-cooked ham and pre-dyed eggs come to mind without mentioning bakery items. is u y Lemon Cypress is an engager, and the ready-to-go bag featuring adorable ornaments and an optional tiny string of lights for additional cost, makes it convenient for parents to buy for home decorating and
gift giving. Great for grandparents living in elder communities or small dwellings, the kits also could be promoted as prizes for egg hunts sponsored by churches and local organizations. Busy families want to celebrate special holidays, and they want retailers to make it easier for them to do so.
TROPICAL AND TRENDY
Merchandising at varying heights is a clever way to gain atten- tion in the oral department. e Sun Bulb Company Inc. of Arca- dia, FL, knows how to help retailers capture oral customers with the Kokodama Collection
and displays. In its colorful,
plant- lled booth, the nurs-
ery garnered grand attention
with its Better-Gro brand of
coconut planters featuring a
variety of plants including
ferns, bromeliads, cacti and
succulents. Emma Marshall,
marketing coordinator, says
“We carry four di erent
sizes — 7cm, 12cm, 15cm
and 17cm. e 7cm Koko-
dama planters come with a
mixture of cactus and succu-
lents. ese pair perfectly
with the small Kokodama display
tree that is sold separately.” e
12cm Kokodama with a foliage
plant can be cross-merchandised
with the 15cm Kokodama on the
large display tree. When going all
out to merchandise the tropical
look for indoors or patio living,
retailers can o er the 17cm plant-
ers that hold both showy brome-
liads and Phalaenopsis orchids.
Show attendees asked a lot of
questions about the tropically fash-
ionable planters. Marshall adds,
“ e 7cm Kokodama comes in a
case pack of 12, while the 12, 15 and 17cm all come in case packs of six. We ship one case per box.”
TAKE-AWAYS: Coconut products are very familiar to today’s health-minded consumers. is Southwest Florida grower is wisely handing a signi cant story to retailers looking to attract traditional oral customers and new plant lovers. Marshall says, “Our Koko- dama was borne out of the primal power hidden in this so-called Tree of Life. Nature is lled with botanical treasures, and the coco- nut palm is one of them. It’s 99 percent natural and 100 percent biodegradable.” Retailers can promote these coconut planters, made in Sri Lanka, as a natural alternative to standard plastic pots. e Kokodama Collection is fun, fab and well-tagged. Each has a custom tag, giving easy-to-follow care information consumers will use and appreciate. pb
Editor’s Note: If you wish to comment on these items or have photos or information to submit, please send an e-mail to salderman@phoenixmedianet.com, or call Shaunn Alderman at (561) 703-4010.
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