Growers, retailers should price mixed containers as premium products

Growers and retailers can and should raise the prices on mixed containers, especially if they’re accompanied by extensive care information, said Terri Starman, Texas AgriLife Research horticulturist.

“Consumers will pay a premium price for container gardens, so growers and retailers need to price them as such,” Starman said. “Charge for the expertise, the time it took to grow them and design them and for the looks.”

Starman polled consumers about price, harmony of color and information provided with container gardens. Her study appeared in the April 2008 issue of HortScience.

More than three-fourths of the respondents in Starman’s study said they would be more likely to purchase a container garden if extensive information was provided, and 85 percent said they would be willing to visit a Web site to obtain that information.

Growers could supply this information and charge more because of it, she said.

Starman’s survey also found consumers are willing to go back for filler material to replace dead plants. This points to another interesting marketing tool for growers and retailers, she said.

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For more: Terri Starman, (979) 862-2910; tstarman@tamu.edu; http://hortsci.ashspublications.org.

July 2008