Grow Together plant tags are a Blooming Success

In a first for the US horticultural market, “Grow Together” codes have been added to plant tags used by Lowe’s, a major Home Improvement retailer in the USA.

The Grow Together program works in two ways; initially, plant tags help customers identify and select the most suitable plants in the Lowe’s store.

Then, by texting the plant code to a phone number printed on each tag, customers are sent a link that takes them to a webpage outlining all they need to know about the plant, from planting and watering, to feeding and pruning.

With the Spring selling season now in full bloom, Lowe’s chose to lead their Lawn and Garden TV commercials with this innovative program that provides clear differentiation in the market and helps customers easily select plants, which in turn drives sales.

In addition to the commercials, the program is being promoted with banner ads on Lowes.com, on POP signs in-store, while a simple pocket guide produced by Orora Visual helps Lowe’s educate their employees.   

Jack Davis, VP Sales & Marketing, Orora Visual Horticultural, said the Grow Together codes are another example of how innovative packaging is enhancing the customer experience.

“In the US, over 60% of customers keep plant tags for future reference, as they are not just a product label, but serve as a user guide. However, the tags are not big enough to provide the level of detail that customers need to enjoy a successful and satisfying gardening experience after their purchase,” explained Jack.

“Orora Visual developed the patent pending Grow Together code program and was the first to utilize text messaging to enable customers to quickly access additional information about plants not contained on the plant tag. Both technologies support the retailer by promoting consumer success and satisfaction which builds brands and leads to increased sales.  

“Our collaboration with Lowe’s has helped support their business, leading their competition through innovation, and building further trust in their long-term partnership with Orora Visual,” Jack added.

To support the plant tag program, Orora Visual maintains a comprehensive database, containing valuable intelligence on over 15,000 plants compiled by Orora Visual’s own horticulturists, who update it daily. The database not only populates the plant tags, but also updates the Lowe’s Plant Guide mobile website.

Any changes made to the database are instantly added to the next print run of plant tags. This real-time process ensures that Lowe’s customers have a consistent experience of their live products, be it in store, at home or online.

For the past 15 years, IntegraColor has partnered with Lowe’s, producing over 200 million plant tags each year that are distributed to Lowe’s suppliers throughout North America. IntegraColor now forms part of Orora Visual, a national North American Point of Purchase business that has consolidated four leading visual communication companies under the one brand.