Colorful Hearts
To explain what the concept Colourful Hearts means, I (Sander Smeding - Managing Director China) want to start by setting the scene of the current market in China. In the Chinese market, the colour red has a lot of meaning; it symbolises luck and fortune. So, naturally, red Anthuriums are a very popular crop in China. They are widely used in plant decorations (indoor landscaping), not only because of their red-coloured flowers, but also because of their excellent vase life.
Indoor landscaping is very popular in China. There are specialised companies that organise this for indoor (public) spaces through a subscription system, where plants aren’t bought but rented. Think about places like shopping malls, train stations, airports, hotels, and offices with large entrance halls.
This supply chain for indoor landscaping involves growers, wholesalers dedicated to selling only Anthurium pot plants, and the actual companies that offer the subscription system and arrange the landscaping services. The demand for potted Anthuriums is clear: pot size 14 cm or above, and of course, the colour red. This leads to an astonishing 90% of all produced potted Anthuriums finding their way into the indoor landscaping scene, resulting in growers producing red varieties in large majority.
But during the rise of online sales for flowers and plants, it became clear that various crops were successfully sold and distributed online, while potted Anthuriums were not. During events where the end consumer was present—whether during a visit to our show area in Kunming or at exhibitions we participated in—it became clear that the consumer’s personal interest in Anthuriums focused on smaller pot sizes and all colours except red.
When a consumer purchases a plant as a gift, the red colour and large pot size are still preferred. But when a consumer wants to buy a plant for their own use, red is not in demand at all, and smaller pot sizes are what they are looking for. Red is omnipresent and considered an important colour, but for personal use, consumers specifically prefer something that deviates in colour. Therefore, when searching online, consumers will not look for red. So, as the market for private consumption is increasing, and the market for indoor landscaping is stable or even declining due to economic downturn, we need to find new ways to promote ready-to-use plants, especially for the private consumer.
To better understand the needs and the steps to be taken, we conducted market research in 2024. The outcome evolved into our concept “Colourful Hearts”. With this, we emphasise the heart shape of our Anthurium varieties and their appearance in many different colours.
Additionally, we hope to endow the Anthurium with more emotional attributes, enhance the purchasing experience for consumers, and provide them with more emotional value. The “heart (心)” in “Colourful Hearts” emphasises the sincerity and care put into every aspect, from selecting the variety to decorating the pot, with the hope of infusing the purest emotions into it. The “language（语）” is conveyed through the flowers themselves, expressing the sender's heartfelt messages to the recipient. Additionally, as its English name “Colourful Hearts” suggests, they have a colourful appearance, symbolising the rich and diverse emotions in life, with each colour corresponding to a unique emotion, waiting to be interpreted and felt.
At the IPM show in Shanghai, we introduced this concept, which attracted the interest of some of the large retailers, both online and offline. With this concept, we will be able to support our customers in their sales to supply chains focusing on end consumption. Looking at the USP of potted Anthuriums, wrapped in the Colourful Hearts concept, we are confident that more and more end consumers will select an Anthurium plant to decorate their living areas.
