When Sunderland based business ‘Adonis Plants’ wanted to set up their own business: an e-commerce website selling a variety of self-grown plants, they turned to Pulse Creative Marketing for advice and support.
Husband and wife team – Margaret and Neil Clark, hold a fascination for plant life and horticulture that spans more than 30 years. Like many others, their passion first started as a hobby; maintaining their garden and trading at small markets whilst their children were young. Now with a collection that continues to grow, and an increase of free time on their hands, the couple have decided to turn their long-term devotion into an exciting new business venture.
Together, they created Adonis Plants – an online garden nursery that offers customers the opportunity to browse and buy from a wide variety of both popular and niche plants; many of which are not usually found in garden centres.
Margaret said: “The idea for Adonis Plants started years ago. The name was chosen based on Adonis, the extremely handsome Greek youth that Aphrodite fell in love with. She changed him into a flower on his death – I like the idea of becoming a flower. Plants grow well for us and we are constantly running out of space – it was getting to the point where they needed Velcro on the roots they moved so often; which is when we decided to start to sell plants grown by us that we knew, understood and could provide cultural information on.”
The green fingered couple possess a broad knowledge and understanding on the products that occupy their extensive plot and want all customers to buy in confidence, guaranteeing that all plants are nurtured and handled with care up until their time of trade; making the new business a diverse and tailored alternative that differs to buying from an ordinary garden centre.
Margaret, an avid member of the Hardy Plant Society, believes that a patient temperament and interest in the unusual has made her a true gardener, capable of producing and offering advice to any questions customers may require. Margaret explains, “Some years ago we joined the Hardy Plant Society, something I would recommend to any keen gardener. It increased my knowledge of seed storage and growing immensely; patience is usually rewarded where seeds are concerned but it took the Hardy Plant Society to convince me.”
Margaret and Neil Clark knew that starting an online business would be a challenge, therefore turned to local marketing company, Pulse Creative Marketing, for advice and subsequent support. Pulse Creative Marketing helped develop the branding for Adonis Plants, making sure it represented the style and feel of the business. They also ensured that an easily accessible e-commerce site incorporating responsive design was built; allowing Adonis customers to browse and buy their plants with ease. Newsletters and regular email shots were also created to help promote the business.
Along with the online presence, Pulse made sure that Margaret had the necessary training to manage her website. Having once defined herself as a ‘technophobe’, Margaret was taught how to manage the administration of the Adonis website, meaning she would be able to independently look after the site after its initial launch. Margaret commented, “Being true technophobes, an on-line nursery was impossible for us until we were introduced to the Pulse Creative Marketing team. Paul Finch’s patience on the training side was immense and their ability to create so much more than we had envisaged from our very sketchy ideas was truly wonderful.”
Regarding the service Pulse provided to Adonis Plants, Paul Finch at Pulse, said:
“We pride ourselves on providing support that is tailored to the requirements of our client’s. It is fantastic to see how far Margaret has come to be able to manage her own e-commerce website. Working with both Margaret and Neil has been a real pleasure. I wish them every success for the future and just like their plants I am sure the business will blossom.”
More information about Adonis Plants can be viewed on their newly launched website: http://www.adonisplants.co.uk/
Pulse Creative Marketing offer a range of marketing support, including a ‘Marketing On Demand’ service, providing flexible support when you need it. For more information, get in touch with Pulse Creative Marketing.
Call: 0191 516 6016
Website: www.pulsecreativemarketing.co.uk
Email: info@pulsecreativemarketing.co.uk