CEO of the gardening app SmartPlant, George Williams, talks to Garden Trade Specialist magazine about how the platform is the modern gardener’s must-have tool – offering tools from pest identification to monthly task reminders...

"Some 27million people in the UK partake in gardening of some description, this includes a whole new wave of young homeowners and renters who wouldn’t consider themselves 'planty' people. Just search Instagram for #peoplewithplants for a taste of this new type of plant owner, environmentally aware with a focus on wellness who value the greening of their homes, no matter how big (or small) they are. 

"SmartPlant is the app that is bringing the world of plant retail into the digital age, catering for both new plant owners and the more seasoned horticulturalist. The app was launched in early 2017 and has hundreds of thousands of users. The app now has nine retail partners, ranging from Orchard Supply Hardware, with over 100 retail locations in the USA, to Longacres to the renowned Dianthus breeder Whetman Pinks. 

"The app allows plant and pest identifications, live expert chat and bespoke monthly reminders on what to do with your plants. All of this is facilitated by a network of over 100 horticultural experts eager to lend their knowledge to those in need of assistance. Moreover the app gives people the ability to keep a clear and concise library of their plants and easily discover and learn about over 20,000 plants. 

"So how is SmartPlant helping its partners? Once integrated, SmartPlant technology gives its partners a digital offering; reducing horticultural customer service, increasing customer loyalty and exposing them to the app’s large user base. 

"With the scan of a plants barcode using the app, all of this is unlocked. Customers receive general information on their new plant and monthly advice on what they need to be doing with it and any other plants they own. 

"After a scan all products recommended in the app send the customer back to the original retailer they purchased from, giving retailers exposure to their customers every month of the year. Customers also receive free premium membership, giving them unlimited identifications and chats with the SmartPlant experts. SmartPlant will soon be live on Amazon Alexa, so its monthly plant care can be delivered by asking a simple question, like, 'Alexa, ask SmartPlant what I need to do with my roses this month?' 

"SmartPlant is giving consumers the confidence that the plants they buy can be cared for with ease, through a clean and simple interface. Any problems, an expert is a click away. 

"There are already thousands of 'Smart' plants on the shelves of retailers and well over 10,000 SmartPlant’s have already been scanned. Integration is quick and easy and the the app can be downloaded and used by anyone and is already helping thousands of people green up their lives." 

Get in touch by emailing team@smartplantapp.com to learn more. 

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