We've come a long way in this industry since I was a grade school child back in the 50's. I used to think my grandparent's generation probably experienced more change in their lifetime than any generation in recorded history. After all, they were born in the late 1800's and saw their world change from horse and buggy transportation to landing a man on the moon. Now, when I reflect on the changes the baby boomer generation has experienced, I have to admit that if we keep up our current rate of change and innovation, we may arguably surpass our elders.
yes, size matters
Bench cards, banners and posters are ideal places for QR codes as the larger code has several advantages:
- The tags are larger so they’re easier to scan
- You have room to add additional text such as ‘Check out our video on using coneflowers to attract butterflies’ or ‘Learn how to use ground cover as an erosion control solution.’
- The codes won’t be as likely to be covered up by foliage or soil so consumers will be more likely to use them.
In the 1950's, I was growing up in the middle of my parent's nursery operation, as it had started and evolved from their back yard, as so many nurseries do. No one was using containers back then as all nursery stock was grown in the ground and dug and delivered "ball and burlap". In those early years, my parents were rooting cuttings in wooden sand flats, growing plants in the field, wholesaling and retailing. It was a common occurrence to have my lunch interrupted by a little old lady knocking on the back door who wanted to load a couple of B & B compacta hollies in the trunk of her car. My reward for this was to receive an ample dose of good old red Georgia clay deposited on me by the time I returned to eat the remainder of my now cold lunch.
My first memory of any container of any sort in the nursery business was the 1 Gallon metal bulk food containers that my father would salvage from the school lunch room. Of course you still had to get a can opener and punch holes around the base for drainage; all of which was not very conducive to mass production or efficiency of any sort. And then, Praise the Lord, the green industry discovered plastics and a new era was born.
Fast forward to 2010, and my, how things have changed. Our business has been wholesale only for fifty years and have been specializing in groundcovers and perennials since the late 70's. We market our plants primarily to retailers, landscape contractors, and other growers. It used to be a growers job to produce and deliver quality plants at competitive prices, but in this current environment, even that has become passe'. More and more, growers are expected to help market our goods to the end user. It is no longer solely the retailer's responsibility.
Towards that end, I have been putting together a marketing package that would support and enhance our garden center customers' sales, called "Groundcover Solutions". After all, a large majority of the time, customers come to a garden center seeking a solution to a particular problem in their landscape. In the process of discussing this idea with a couple of marketing people, I was introduced to the concept of "QR Codes".
As I understand it, QR stands for quick reference. In practice, a QR code is an icon similar to a bar code, on a plant tag, sign, banner, or any other marketing piece that can be scanned with a smart phone and immediately pull up a web page or website that will contain more information about a given product. In our case, the QR would deliver cultural information about a plant with a focus on what problems in the landscape this plant would solve. This would eliminate POP materials which are costly and are often a source of litter to be dealt with later.
In speaking with as many garden center customers as I could corner at four winter trade shows this year, I was amazed at how few of them had no idea what a QR Code is. The question at this point is: will it be just another gadget that will gather dust in the annals of the tech revolution, or will it become the next YouTube or Facebook. The jury may be out now in its early launch, but we would all be well advised to pay attention before the train pull out of the station.
My resident advisor and consultant on this subject is Timothy Howard, of Clarity Connect, and as I am writing this in early February, 2011, I am working with Timothy to lead me to the promised land. And since Timothy is so much more qualified than me to expound further on this subject, I now yield the remainder of this article to him.
QR Codes – what’s the big deal?
Thanks Bo. We’ll start with a quick introduction. In short, a QR Code is a ‘barcode on steroids’. The traditional barcode can hold a maximum of 20 digits, whereas the QR-Code can hold more than 350 times that amount of information. The original QR codes were used by automotive part companies to help track inventory so they have been around for some time. They are ‘the latest rage’ now, not because they’re new, but due to a combination of three things. First, the wide spread adoption of smart phones. Two, high-speed Internet availability for those phones is now common place. And three, the new phone cameras are much more reliable when it comes to reading the codes.
There are three primary types of codes, but only the code that opens a website page is being widely used. The other two are dialer tags which will dial a phone number and contact tags which store contact information for an individual or company. We’ll focus on the codes that open a website page.
What not to do
Don’t simply take the easy way to ‘get in the QR Code game’ and add a code to a stick tag that simply restates or slightly expands the tag information. This doesn’t add value and could slow down the sale as getting a good scan from a tag that is connected to the side of a pot can be a challenge. Additionally, you don’t want the consumer pulling the tag off to scan it and then tossing it to the side after they realize there is neither significant additional information nor a compelling reason to purchase the plant or scan another code.
Bigger is better
Bench cards, banners and posters are ideal places for QR codes as the larger code has several advantages:
Video trumps reading
You don’t want a customer to have to stand around reading, scrolling and reading some more on their smart phone in the middle of the garden center to figure out the solution you are trying to sell. Give them all the inspiration and information they need to purchase more plants and products in a 15 – 30 second video that’s formatted for a smart phone.
Hollywood not required
The video can be created with any number of movie maker software applications that are inexpensive or free. Your ‘video’ can also be a series of photos in a slide show with a voice over. Adding in related products such as a hummingbird feeder with hummingbird attracting plants or straw blankets and fiber mulch with ground cover to help control erosion will help create a happier customer and greater sales.
Creating a code is easy and free
Use your favorite search engine to search for ‘QR Code Generator’ and you’ll have lots of options to create your own QR codes. The basic process is to copy the website address of the page you want to create a code for and paste it into an input box and then select the type of code you want (URL, Text, SMS or Phone Number) and the size graphic you need and then have the application create your code.
Trust, but verify
I was traveling recently and flipped through the in-flight magazine page by page and found three ads with 2D barcodes. I tried them out once we landed. One of the three didn’t work at all. I had to make several attempts at scanning the second before it worked, but the third worked like a charm. Similarly, I scanned a tag in a big box retailer last month and it went to a dead link on their supplier’s website. To avoid this embarrassing and potentially expensive mistake, make sure you scan the code after it has been added to your marketing piece to ensure it works on several different smart phones.
To QR Code or Not to QR Code?
Used properly QR codes can help you with solution selling and adding value to your customer’s shopping experience. However, don’t rely on the QR Code for selling individual plants. Plant bench cards are a more effective way to quickly communicate a few key points that will help make that sale. If you do use QR codes be sure the web page they link to has been created to be phone friendly while also looking great on a full-size monitor.
About Bo Tidwell
Bo Tidwell grew up in the nursery business and has been president of Tidwell Nurseries since 1979. He was instrumental in converting the operation from field-grown to container production in the early 1980s and has been a pioneer in developing a growing, packaging, and shipping format for small containers that opened up an entirely new market niche for groundcover and perennial production. Today, the business is built on this platform, which promotes sales with a minimum order of only one tray and serves large and small clients all over the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. He is proud to be a part of the green industry, knowing that every day he is contributing a small part toward making the earth a better place for future generations.
About Timothy Howard
Timothy is the Founder and President of Clarity Connect, Inc. His company focuses on delivering creative, practical marketing solutions for the horticulture industry. Their solutions include easy-to-update custom websites, e-newsletters, garden center signage, plant catalogs from databases and graphic design. Learn more at www.clarity-connect.com and www.POPsignage.com.
