A Valentine’s Day Rose by Any Other Name
There’s no more definitive Valentine’s Day gift than roses. But for those wanting to show real commitment, a dozen cut stems from the corner store can’t hold a candle to a rare and beautiful bush that can be nurtured over years.
But shopping for living plants online—particularly for something so specialized as a rose—can be an overwhelming experience for the user.
Fryer’s Roses Nursery is trying to demystify the experience of bringing eCommerce into the garden. The online eCommerce website sells more than 200 varieties of rose, all of them subtly different in how they bloom, how they smell, and how they grow.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s what Fryer’s has learned from taking their century of experience “growing England’s finest roses” online with Wix.
01. Use your catalog as an opportunity to educate, not overwhelm
When done right, a comprehensive catalog of products is an opportunity to educate customers. When done wrong, sales are lost because a customer lacks support in making decisions.
The catalog should replicate the enthusiastic support and expertise that can be offered in the physical garden centre, and in turn help people to find what’s right for them, even if they don’t know how to name it at first. Fryer’s Roses display a clearly navigable path through its many varieties, with just enough information to understand what’s special about each one.
Technical information is kept to a minimum, with categorization based more on easily understandable criteria. Price filters and one other basic filter for bare root vs potted products are presented to make things easy.
02. Keep the descriptions simple
Descriptions should be short and sweet, even if there’s a temptation to go with more flowery prose. Fryer’s save the poetry for their About page and get to the point with the roses themselves. The copy lets potential buyers know what they’re going to get: “Deep dark crimson colour blooms. Highly fragrant. Dark green glossy foliage. Excellent vase life. Height 90 cm approx. when fully grown.”
All the information you need to make a decision is right there.
03. Bring the products to life with strong imagery
What’s a rose without its color? From the vibrant red Valentine’s choices to the glowing yellows of a Phab Gold to the creamy-white petals of a Rambling Rector, good photography lets roses do what they do best. Drab photography would sell any rose short.
04. Build trust with clear communication of expertise
Growing roses is something you could write an entire book about. But an online customer needs you to quickly prove to them that you know what you’re talking about, and that you welcome them whatever their level of expertise.
With relatively short but comprehensive Planting Info and FAQ sections, Fryer’s presents planting information that gets straight to common real world concerns and practicalities, as well as relaying advice that appears to come from years of learning the hard way.
05. Use customer reviews to address concerns
Buying plants online is a risky business for customers new to it. The small selection of real world customer reviews presented by Fryer’s Roses relate not just success stories, but how well the nursery has supported customers through anticipated issues.
Offer a return policy that acknowledges the practical reality of your product: “Unfortunately some did not take, I sent an email with a photo of the Roses. The response was very quick, which resulted in all the Roses being replaced with new ones. They were waiting for us when we collected them."
Assuage concerns about shipping fragile, living product: “The roses arrived quickly and although it has been a sizzling heatwave, they were in brilliant condition with an abundance of blooms, leaving us very happy and excited."
Emphasize that your staff are real, caring people: “I was looking for advice about roses and was directed to speak to Sarah. My goodness, does she know her stuff!”
06. Cut straight to it with your best recommendations
Having displayed expertise and earned trust, give customers an easy choice for them to make the right purchase.
As well as their list of Roses of the Year dating back over the last decade, they also curate a list of “Occasion Roses” perfect for customers seeking just the right tone of red for the occasion, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not.
Ready to get your eCommerce business started? Create an online store and start selling today.
Brielle Gordon
Marketing Writer, Wix eCommerce
Brielle is a Colorado native with a passion for innovation and helping to mobilize entrepreneurs. Brielle is a marketing writer for Wix eCommerce, which powers over 700k online stores worldwide.
