Let your customers find “Houseplants for Every Room”

Linda Parker, Houseplant Assistant at Everton Nurseries, with the Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosk

Press Release

Jan 08, 2020

A NEW section dedicated to houseplants — and the rooms to put them in — has been launched on Joy of Plants’ Plant Finder software this month, to help meet the recent resurgence in houseplants sales from garden centres.

Following figures from the Garden Centre Association (GCA) revealing sales were up 15.38% in November, Joy of Plants has upgraded its software to include a new ‘houseplants for every room’ section.

Terri Jones, Managing Director of Joy of Plants in Twyford, Berks, says: “Compared to the same month in 2018, November 2019 saw a huge leap in sales of houseplants at GCA member garden centres. It’s a noticeable on-going trend. Sales were up 13.47% on last year in October too.

“We’ve seen a huge demand for information on houseplants as well, so we’ve also updated our ‘houseplants by type’ group to meet this increase in interest. Houseplants were becoming steadily unpopular since the 1980s, but for the past 18 months they have been back in fashion and sales have blossomed.

“Lifestyle magazines and online influencers have ensured that modern indoor plants are home accessories, bought to emphasise a look or to make a statement as they can complement the colour themes of your home.

“People are also keen to bring the outside in. They want to connect more to nature, so garden centres should encourage and show customers that there are houseplants for every room. Currently most people restrict their houseplants to one or two rooms, but garden centres could increase their sales if they persuaded customers that a room isn’t furnished if it doesn’t have a plant. This can be shown through displays and visual merchandising.”

Joy of Plants, a plant information company, created the Plant Finder for garden centres’ websites and for Touchscreen Kiosks on plant areas, to ensure customers have a smoother virtual and real garden centre experience.

The company’s Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosks in plant areas help customers find the plants they require, and also assist staff with providing the right horticultural information.

The Kiosk guides customers to the plants a garden centre sells – it’s like having a new team assistant in the plant area, ready to help answer plant-related questions and ensure an appropriate plant is found.

Linda Parker, Houseplant Assistant at Everton Nurseries in Hampshire, which has a Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosk in its garden centre, said: “Most people when buying houseplants, especially as gifts, tend to think of just the living room, so to now have the ability to show our customers they can buy for many other rooms, not just the living room, is very useful. Especially on a busy day at the garden centre.”

Joy of Plants also provides its Plant Finder software in garden centres’ websites, so consumers can also find out about plants from the comfort of their armchairs (or potting sheds!) via their personal devices.

Terri added: “The general public also needs expert assistance, as although all houseplants come with care instructions, it is important to pick plants that suit the conditions in your home and in specific rooms. This is where our Plant Finder, web or Kiosk, can help.

*“Garden centres don’t always have the space or the time to keep re-organising their houseplant displays to suit the many ways that people may wish to shop, by type or by room. The Plant Finder helps garden centres to show their stock in these different configurations.

“But houseplants aren’t just interior accessories, they are also good for your health too. They can help people de-stress and can filter out chemicals from the atmosphere in homes and offices. They also improve air quality, and relax and revive you mentally and physically.

“The right indoor plants could even reduce people’s susceptibility to allergies, asthma, fatigue, headaches and respiratory congestion.”

Weeping fig, spider plant, peace lily, chrysanthemum, gerbera and parlour palm are just a handful of the varieties that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tests revealed as the best for removing chemical toxins like formaldehyde, which can be emitted from sources such as household adhesives, fabrics, tissues and upholstery.

Terri continued: “New research from the company Spare Room has recently revealed that 76% of those sharing flats now own at least one houseplant each. There are also millions of posts tagged #houseplant featured on Instagram feeds.

“Their new trending status is in part down to millennials, who said in the poll that they have houseplants as they enjoy nurturing, loving and caring for living things.”

The Joy of Plants’ team has created a library of more than 14,300 house and garden plants and trees, and offers a platform of tools to help garden centres, retailers and growers maximise their plant sales.

The company has spent the past 30 years photographing and documenting the UK’s plants to provide information in many forms, including Bed Cards, Apps and Plant Finder technology for websites and Touchscreen Kiosks.

Terri said: “To add to the new and updated sections for houseplants on the Plant Finder, we also have bed cards for houseplants with templates for A6 size that suits smaller displays, so garden centres can easily print off the cards they need to help keep their customers informed.”

Garden centres can also use the Touchscreen Kiosk as a digital advertising tool while the Plant Finder is not in use. Customers can be made aware of seasonal offers, promotions and daily specials. Content can be scheduled any time of the day and kiosks can run targeted campaigns to a single screen or to a network of units across multiple sites.

Joy of Plants works with Review Systems Digital Signage Ltd in Preston on the hardware for its Plant Finder Touchscreen Kiosks. The company offers bespoke and off the shelf digital signage solutions to the horticulture industry.

For further details about Joy of Plants, please call 07717 532323, visit www.joyofplants.com, follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JoyofPlants or on LinkedIn via www.linkedin.com/company/joy-of-plants.

ENDS