A technology for horticultural containers

When consumers pick up a horticultural container at their local garden center or big box store, few are aware of a growing technology often staring them right in the face. They’re called Tag Slots, and we’re here to answer some commonly asked questions about this popular tool.

So, what are tag slots?
They’re thin, flat sleeves at the top of a horticultural container (round or square) which allows a printed, branded “tag” to be easily and securely inserted into the pot.

Why are they so important?

For retailers, they’re looking for the best solution to carry three vital pieces of information on a horticultural selling unit: plant specifications (species, planting instructions), retail price and a UPC code. Tag Slots allow them to house all that information on one tag.

Why are they growing in popularity across the industry?

Big box stores are now demanding this feature be designed into all the horticultural containers growers are using in the market. Typically, when big box stores embrace an initiative, it often trickles down to the rest of the industry.  Additionally, the tags lock into place preventing them from falling off in transit or at the store, which is a huge issue in retail selling environments. They also provide consistency across all merchandising.

What are the advantages for growers?

From a grower’s perspective, the tag approach has added flexibility in sourcing generic containers with no pre-applied consumer information, which in the past they had to organize and separate in their supply houses.  With generic inventory, the pre-labeling of product is eliminated along with all the challenges of trying to physically organize varying pots all with different bar codes. It’s an inventory nightmare, especially in light of industry labor shortages. Now the tags can be applied on demand during plant production or shipping as opposed to when the container is first produced.