Aalsmeer Flower Market and the Holland Flower Council’s joint initiative Retail Inspirations received the overall best innovative product award at the Horti Fair Innovation Awards 2008, at the RAI in Amsterdam.
The ‘Be Aware Get Better’ campaign, which won the Trade/Services category, was chosen over the other three category winners: Vitro-Plug 126 of Vitro Plus, which won the supplies category, Knook Energy Solutions International’s Knook Ecoo Box, which won the technology category, and the production category winner Combinations BV for its Adom Red Picotee Lisianthus.
Retail Inspiration, which comprises six marketing strategies to help retailers lure consumers into the horticultural category, was commended by the judges because it aimed to get more out of the market, with a shift from cost price-oriented thinking to a marketing-based approach designed to maximise income.
The concept’s six strategies - Be Green, Be Good, Be positive, Be Digi, Be Fair and Be Pure - were all displayed at the Flower Council of Holland stand at Horti Fair. Project manager of Retail Inspiration, Brigitte Hagen, told FPJ that the concept aimed to inspire the many retailers from the UK and across Europe who were visiting the event.
Be Green is a campaign which sees recycled packaging being used for cut flowers and pot plants. No plastic buckets are used and instead the plants are planted in wooden pots. And rice paper embedded with wildflower seeds takes the place of a plastic film around flower bouquets. “This is more expensive than plastic film,” said Hagen of the rice paper design. “But you have added value with this, as once the packaging has been used the consumer can plant the rice paper in the garden and grow wild flowers.”
Be Good was arranged in conjunction with charity the Pink Ribbon Foundation. The packaging on the product is mostly pink, with the Pink Ribbon sign incorporated into the design. The theory is that for every bunch sold, a euro goes to Pink Ribbon, which works out as an equal contribution from grower, retailer and consumer.
Be Positive is a selection of packaging aimed at children and young people, and Be Pure is about sustainability and shows that it is possible to offer a complete solution to retailers who wish to add organic, ecological and seasonal material and added value to their product range.
Be Fair takes on a form of branding which has been successful in the fruit and vegetable sectors, by working together with individual growers and putting their details on potted plants produced by them.
And Be Digi is a big plant order point computer system that could be the answer to many retailers’ space issues when it comes to stocking large plants in store. The programme would be available to use in store and would take the consumer through the different decisions that have to be made when buying a large plant, like size, price, pot colour and the amount of care it would have to receive, and then the plant would be delivered to the consumer.
“If retailers are interested we can get together with them and produce everything they would need for the brand,” explained Hagen. “We will go to suppliers and every retailer can have their own bespoke line.”
The winner of the overall best innovative product award receives €10,000 (£7,773), and this year the judging jury consisted of 10 industry experts.
“The future of horticulture in the world is undisputed,” said Horti Fair chairman Marcus Varekamp at the award presentation. “We should have confidence in our sector. The innovation and knowledge in the industry are a cast-iron formula for success.”
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