Perfecting the tag

The demand for well-designed tags and labels isn’t going away. Customers want to know what they’re buying and how to succeed with it. But providing that information isn’t always easy, and different regions require different information. We spoke with experts from around the industry on tag strategy and best practices.

Photos courtesy of Peace Tree Farm

Greenhouse Management: What should growers consider when designing their tags?

Bridget Behe, professor of horticultural marketing at Michigan State University: Most consumers will benefit from some information on the tag on how to make them successful. The challenge is the space.

I would suggest sharing a captivating image of a mature plant (many consumers still can’t imagine what a plant looks like in a more mature stage) along with sun, water and height/spacing estimates. I believe the most critical section is a way to get more information if a consumer needs it.

If the plant in question is an herb or vegetable, possible uses or recipes or harvest information may be helpful. For ornamental plants, additional information could include whether the plant has a pleasant fragrance or companion planting. Not everyone will want supplemental information but some will. Some consumers keep tags and they become a reference for future use. Connecting them with additional resources could lead to greater success, which may lead to subsequent purchases.

GM: What information do you put on your tags and labels?

Ann Buckwalter, sales and marketing coordinator, Peace Tree Farms (Pennsylvania): In addition to the plant photo, each tag has a program specific logo to identify plants as part of our Garden Geek or One Earth Edibles brands. The tags are designed to correspond with the brand’s identity. The text “Inspiration from” above the Peace Tree Farm logo is included on the bottom front of the Garden Geek tags to remind the customer where their favorite new plant came from originally. This way the following season they can request these plants again.

On the back of the tag, a short catchy plant description talks up the plants best attributes and adds a little about how the plant may be used. We illustrate the cultural information for the plant with both icons and text to keep it straight forward and easy for the garden center customer. Our USDA Organic One Earth Edibles have the USDA logo and certifying agent’s name to identify them as certified organic. This is becoming more important to the average garden center customer.

We are phasing out the QR code space on the back of the tag in favor of a bar code SKU number. Our Garden Centers have been requesting SKU’s in our pots to make it easier at their point of sale. Studies from MasterTag and other companies are revealing that the QR codes are going out of favor with customers and are not helping sales. Peace Tree Farm will be replacing the QR codes with UPC bar codes so our garden center partners can keep track of our plants in their POS systems.

Photos courtesy of Peace Tree Farm

GM: Does it depend on the plant?

AB: Yes. Each plant gets its own tag specific to the variety. The design of the tag depends on the program that the plant is in. The consumer demands a picture tag; our duty as a grower is to provide that as part of our product.

We try to keep the way that the cultural information is presented consistent for all of our tags.

Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens

GM: How do you design your tags?

Karin Walters, marketing manager at Walters Gardens (Michigan): Having the plant photo on the top of the label is extremely important. At one point, we had the photo at the top of the tag and customers requested that we change this feature.

Larger tags versus smaller stake tags. We have had opinions on two ends of the spectrum. We believe that having large (5”x5”) tags for such items as the Hardy Hibiscus is important since the small tag gets lost, but it’s hard to try to convince growers if it doesn’t fit their model. This creates a situation where we typically have to order both kinds of tags to offer to our customers (applies to Proven Winners hibiscus only). Hibiscus are such big plants that having a small tag in a 3-gallon pot will often get lost. Plus, Hibiscus are typically in bloom in August or September for the retail center, so having a big tag with the flower will help sell it.