A container is to a floral arrangement what a great shade of red lipstick is to a little black dress. It might not be the main event but it can turn something simple into wow! We’ve traditionally viewed containers as disposable but in this era of sustainability consumers are looking for special pieces that can have a life beyond that first arrangement. Container trends certainly do follow home décor trends and lifestyle trends, so we thought it would be helpful to speak with some industry experts to bring you a few of the key influences currently guiding the category.
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Offering your customers unique containers that will last allows them to create a custom look in their home.
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Creating value
Whether the containers are inexpensive or expensive – they must add value in some way. “Reuse” is one of the three “R’s” in the recycling proposition (along with reduce and recycle) and containers that can be used for other purposes or over again for floral arrangements are very much in vogue. Florists can take advantage of this mentality by developing incentives to refill the container once the flowers have wilted by offering a free floral refill on the purchase of a vase.
“The flowers eventually die but the container remains,” points out Karen Tuck of Westbrook Floral Ltd. Clear containers can be reused for floating candles or to display coffee beans on the kitchen counter. Include some of these ideas in your store displays or website so customers can see the value the arrangement offers even after it’s faded.
Barefoot luxury
Clean cut, clear cylinders are very popular in the home décor segment. A tall, clear vase holding a spray of blossoms brings a touch of Zen to any room. When the container is simple it’s often more impactful if the glass is of a heavier quality and even perhaps an unusual shape such as a triangle or square. Think Cape Cod, boutique hotels and spa chic and you’ve got the idea. Neutral shades, pottery and a monochromatic arrangement will nod to the trend perfectly.
A customized look
Whether it’s the music on their iPods or their latte at Starbuck’s, consumers are keen to “have it their way.” The customization trend is extending to floral retailing. Some retailers are offering “build your own” programs where groups of flowers that work well in a design are merchandised together, allowing people to DIY (do it yourself) their arrangements. Laurie Blaha of Samaco Trading Limited points out that this trend hits close to home. “It’s about personal luxury instead of something dictated by the media. People want artisan pieces that appeal to their own personal esthetic. Flowers give them a way of making it even more customized.” A beautiful container that complements their décor can be brought into the florist time and time again to be filled with an arrangement they build on their own.
Placement and versatility
Urns are very popular and with good reason – they allow the consumer to shift from season to season by showcasing arrangements or live plants as the season dictates. Westbrook Floral Ltd. has turnkey solutions that allow florists to offer Christmas arrangements easily. “We have a Christmas insert that’s prearranged in a pail and slips easily into the urn,” says Tuck. Florists can offer these inserts as is or use them for seminars where consumers can tap into the customization trend by adding a few of their own touches. Sonya Meyer, with the Meyer Imports division of Westbrook Floral Ltd., points out that urns no longer sit vigil only at the front door – they’ve started to wander into other spaces. “Urns have found their way into gardens, often sitting right in the middle of one as a focal point. They’re also adorning pools and decks. It’s nice to look out of one’s kitchen window and enjoy the urn. When they’re at the front door, we only see them briefly as we hurry into the house.”
Pulling it all together
Many arrangements are built from several smaller arrangements inside of a unifying container. Diane Seymour, senior designer for Botanico Ltd. in Mississauga, describes how layering works. “It often involves several smaller vessels all lined up and then put inside of another tray or rectangular container to line them up and make the arrangement cohesive,” says Seymour. “Many arrangements are showing layers of stone, sand and other materials in glass containers to provide visual interest to the container.”
Colour blocking helps products stand out and our container experts all agree that it is one of the strongest merchandising strategies you can use. “You can have several containers that are all made from different materials but if they’re the same colour, as a group, they look unified. If you display things by colour group in your store, it really helps the consumer locate what they’re looking for and it looks great,” advises Karen Tuck of Westbrook Floral Ltd. It can also entice the customer to buy more than one container and set up a similar eye-catching display in their home.
Back to nature
While brightly coloured plastic containers still have their place, the real excitement is in containers that hark back to nature. Metals, especially silvers, are popular right now. “Greys have been popular in fashion and home décor so the silvers, pewter and metals complement that nicely,” points out Meyer. Westbrook Floral displays the silver containers in their showroom nicely accented with pale driftwood accents. “Our entire line is based on nature and natural materials,” points out Seymour of Botanico Ltd. “When people walk through our showroom they often say “I want to live here” and I take that as a very high compliment.
The next time you revamp your product lines, think about introducing some signature containers. Get inspired by visiting the design showrooms of your target suppliers and start looking at vases and vessels as products that help sell your designs, not simply contain them. Position your containers as home décor accents that are begging to be refilled. It’s an idea that really holds water.
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