Ball Serves Independents Through e-Marketing

By Greenhouse Grower staff|July 2, 2008

Ball Horticultural Company will provide photos and information on a wide range of gardening and plant topics to dataKart, a subscription-based software provider for independent garden centers. Independents can then, in turn, create and send store-branded e-newsletters to enhance their relationships with customers.

“We’re completely dedicated to helping IGCs be successful,” says Bill Calkins, independent garden center manager for Ball. “By partnering with an innovative service like dataKart, we can help everybody win.”

A customer service management product, dataKart is online software that integrates directly with a store’s point of sale software. Independents can send e-newsletters from ready-made templates to create a more valuable customer experience. Plant information, gardening tips and photos are provided by Ball and other providers.

“Beyond customer communications, dataKart offers business intelligence tools to help retailers run their business more profitably, giving IGCs the capability to use marketing tools that, in the past, have been reserved for Fortune 100 companies,” says Dave Coursen, president of dataKart. “The partnership with Ball makes access to the highest quality images and garden content a reality for every garden center in the United States.”

For more information on dataKart, click here.