Glow in the dark petunias put spark in Berks shop’s marketing

Small retailers are always hoping for glowing reviews to boost their business, but a Berks County garden center has found a way to create its own glow.

Riverview Gardens & Gifts is using a unique new plant they managed to get in stock to boost customer interaction and grow awareness.

Riverview’s marketing director, Alaina Salks, said the shop was able to obtain a small supply of a cutting-edge new plant that is sparking interest across the industry.

A company known as Light Bio has developed a plant known as a “Firefly Petunia.” It takes a traditional petunia and combines it with genes from bioluminescent fungi, algae and lighting bugs to create the first-ever bioluminescent petunia. That means it glows in the dark.

The flowers are new to the market and very hard to come by, but Salks, said her shop was able to get in on a waiting list very early and was able to buy a small supply of the plants.

There was a slight problem though. They were only able to get a handful and they had to pay retail for the flowers.

Still, she said, her family couldn’t resist.

“We just think they’re really cool,” she said.

The garden center wasn’t going to make a huge profit on selling the six petunias they had for retail sale, and since they already paid around $30 per plant for the Firefly Petunias, they would have to mark them up above what Bio Light was selling them for not that there was much of a chance a consumer could get their hands on one.

Being the only retailer in the region with any of the bioluminescent plants in stock, Salks said they had a better idea than just selling the plants, instead using them to build their brand.

“We’ve always had very personalized marketing. We’re not just selling plants but building a community of plant lovers together,” Salks said.

So instead of selling them, Riverview is giving them away through in-store and online promotions.

“It’s a wonderful way to connect with our customers and to increase visits and visibility,” she said.

Riverview will be giving away five of the plants through an in-store drawing. Customers can come in and submit an entry each day through June 6 to boost their chances of winning one of the plants.

Entries can be made at the shop at 3049 Pricetown Rd, Temple.

“So, if someone really wanted to increase their chances they can come in every day,” Salks said.

Customers can also enter for a chance to win one of the six plants by entering on the garden center’s social media. So, the shop is hoping the contest will build excitement and get their brand out deeper into the community.

Salks, who did keep a Firefly Petunia for herself, called the plant a groundbreaking development in the field of plant science that has people talking and interested in seeing for themselves.

As the only retailer in the region to her knowledge that has any of the plans available, she hopes the contest and marketing will help put her family's business on the map for plant lovers in the greater Berks area.

Copyright © 2024 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved.