HORTI
Brand Strategy
Planting a relationship that blooms a lifetime.
This project was my independent study, a semester-long capstone project for a live client. Each student was responsible for securing their own client and for working with them to solve a business problem. I partnered with Horti, a young NYC-based houseplant subscription brand.
In a nutshell:Ask: How can Horti increase customer retention to reduce canceled subscriptions?
Problem: Horti does not offer a unique value proposition to build lasting relationships with customers.
Solution: A lifetime service for customers that blooms as their plants do.
Background
Founded in 2017, Horti emerged at the rise of the houseplant craze. City dwellers were filling their homes with plants and became attached to their leafy dependents. This phenomenon coined the terms “plant parent” and “plant baby”.
But as a parent, customers struggled with taking care of their plants. So Horti stepped in with a subscription service designed to build their confidence in plant care. Once a month, Horti delivers a plant and care instructions for it. To give parents continual practice, each plant requires higher maintenance than the one from last month.
Situation
Horti customers cancel their subscription after 4.5 months due to having enough plants. They were seeing Horti as a plant brand rather than as a plant care brand.
Challenge
Other brands in the plant category are offering the same services as Horti: plant deliveries, care instructions and subscription services. In order to establish differentiation, Horti needs to offer a unique value proposition.
KEY LEARNINGS
O1. Everyone makes plant care seem easy.
“I got a plant labeled as ‘hard to kill’. But over time, it gets harder to keep it alive.”
Takeaway:
Horti’s competitors don’t address that like all living things, plants will complicate with age and develop changing needs.
O2.Customers go through parent guilt.
“I literally do everything I can and my plant still dies. I get really sad because I can never figure out what I did wrong.”
Takeaway:
Parent guilt doesn’t come from what they did wrong, but from what they don’t know.
O3.It takes a village to raise a [plant] child.
"Asking Google why my plant is sick is like using WebMD. I actually trust my friends more. They understand me and my plants.”
Takeaway:
Plant parents feel empowered from having support, not from having the right answers.
O4.Horti sticks around for customers.
“Horti delivers each plant with new care tips. So every month, I feel like I’m becoming a better plant parent.”
Takeaway:
Horti is uniquely positioned to give ongoing support for consumers’ parenting journeys.
OPPORTUNITY
Take Horti from being a midwife who is present at delivery, to being a lifetime partner who is present throughout all stages of a plant baby’s life.
POSITIONING:
We are your co-parent in plant care.
STRATEGY
Cultivate plant parenthood through lasting support.
RECOMMENDATIONS
O1. Set the right expectations
Not just at the beginning, but through every stage of a plant’s life.
Matchmaker Quiz
Set parents up for success by matching them with plants that best fit their lifestyle and environment.
Parental Voice on Messaging
Update social content to reflect an encouraging tone and whimsical appearance.
O2. Be there for every milestone
Good parenting means being present for big moments in a plant baby’s life.
Plant Profiles
Develop a profile feature on Horti’s mobile app. By collecting information on the plant and its home, Horti can assist the customer with giving specific care.
Birthday Mail
Offer to ship products that customers need for nurturing their plant’s growth, such as repotting soil every six months.
Plant Postmortem
When a plant reaches the end of its life, help customers to learn possible causes. For next month’s delivery, use their answers to recommend other species that may be a better fit for them.
O3. Reward the parent’s achievements
Give plant parents the credit they don’t often give themselves.
Feel-good Gamification
Remind parents that they’re raising their baby well by giving badges and monetary rewards.
Gift-a-Friend Coupon
Let our customers advocate for plant care by giving them discounts to propagate new plant parents.
From → ToTemporary relationship → Ongoing partnership
Functional benefit → Emotional benefit
Blind parenting → Mindful parenting