Frequently Asked Questions
about the STEPABLES® program

Q. Why should I carry STEPABLES®?

A. STEPABLES® is a nationally recognizable brand. Our unique foot-shaped tag is the most easily identifiable tag on the market. Our selection of 131 varieties of unique and durable plants, combined with fun and creative Point-of Purchase (POP) material, make STEPABLES® one of the fastest sell-through areas in the garden center. The STEPABLES® Product Line has the tools, helpful hints, ideas and solutions to help the homeowner become a successful gardener. STEPABLES® are currently available in over 3,000 garden centers (and growing) from over 20 Authorized Distributors in the United States and Canada.

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Q. Will my customers ask for STEPABLES® by name?

A. Yes! We have built a brand that is easy for the consumer to recognize and simple to remember…LOOK FOR THE FOOT® says it all. Every year our brand grows stronger and stronger with the consumer. They love our product and trust the STEPABLES® name. Garden writers love our product too and promote it heavily in the consumer magazines. In 2005, STEPABLES will be featured in Aqua Scapes, Horticulture Magazine, This Old House, Garden Railways and Southern Living…just to name a few.

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Q. Why will our customers choose STEPABLES® over other plants?

A. First…our STEPABLES® tag grabs the consumer right from the start. People cannot help but stop and shop when they see all of these tags lined up in a row. It is quite an eye catcher! These plants can be sold all year and they don’t need to be in color to sell. The tag does all the work. The front of every tag has been designed to be a color blast to the eye, while the back of the tag is jam-packed full of helpful care instructions and maintenance.

Second…the STEPABLES® program was shaped around the consumer’s needs.
It was developed to engage the consumer’s senses, solve their landscape problems and create a sense of Ahhhhh on their garden floor. Color, texture, line and form are the framework for the diversity of this plant line.

Finally…as the originator of STEPABLES®, Under a Foot Plant Company created the first model to gauge foot traffic, started a national testing program to correctly re-zone many of the plants in the program and continues to strengthen the brand with unique ideas and POP that helps the consumer succeed. UAFPC will continue to be the leading authority in this “new” category of plant material and will always strive to create fun and unusual ways to promote the STEPABLES® Product Line.

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Q. What are the advantages of placing STEPABLE® POP signage over my end cap and plant displays?

A. STEPABLES® is an entire program geared towards fun, creativity and success. When your tables are striped with the colors, textures and, of course, the foot-shaped tags…something remarkable happens. Add to it the signage and you’ve just created the most shopped area in your store. The POP brings them over with a smile. “What’s that?” and they immediately walk over to check out the Happy Guy? and pick up a brochure. People have never heard of such a thing! Plants you can walk on?? Really? People get down right giddy over these plants. They will shop and shop, all the while rubbing and feeling every one of those little plants…. and smiling as they do it! Without that POP…they may never see the display from across the aisle and you may lose a sale. POP is designed to get the consumer’s attention - use the POP and you will definitely see an increase in the amount of STEPABLES® products you sell.

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Q. What if I run out of STEPABLES® Plants for my end cap display? Can I fill it in with other plants?

A. Sorry, you can’t! STEPABLES® Plants are branded for a reason, to ensure that the consumer is purchasing the highest quality and most durable creeping perennial plants available! You see, STEPABLE® Plants are grown by our well-respected Authorized Distributors according to our high standards. To fill in a display of STEPABLES® plants with other vendors’ plants would be just like filling in a Coca-Cola® end cap with Pepsi® products. You can’t blur the consumer’s vision of what they are buying, whether unintentional or not. So, just as you can’t sell Pepsi® as Coke®, you can’t sell just any plant as a STEPABLES® Plant unless they are true, authorized STEPABLES® plants from an Authorized STEPABLES® Distributor. (Coke® and Coca-Cola® are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. Pepsi® is a registered trademark of Pepsico, Inc.)

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Q. Can’t I just use any plants and call them STEPABLES®?

A. Sorry! No, you can’t! STEPABLE® and the STEPABLES® Product Line trademarks and copyrighted materials are protected by state, U.S., Canadian and international laws. In addition to certain obligations required under federal law to provide consumers with correct product information, it is illegal to mislead consumers into purchasing non-authorized products which are labeled and/or sold under the STEPABLES® trademark.

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Q. How long has STEPABLES® been in the market place?

A. 2005 will be our fifth year on the national/international scene.

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Q. Will my garden center see a sales increase if we carry STEPABLES®?

A. Absolutely!! With our helpful Point-of-Purchase tools, customers learn to “Plant The Right Plant In the Right Spot”? and how to maintain them once they have the plants in the ground; thus increasing their success in the garden. This will have them coming back to your store over and over again for more STEPABLE® projects! Your STEPABLES® section will have the most foot traffic over any other area in your store!

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Q. How do I get STEPABLES® POP and what will it cost?

A. You should order your POP from an Authorized STEPABLES® Distributor when you place your first order of STEPABLE® plants. For approximately $100.00, you can order an entire POP set which would include: one Happy Guy?, one STEPABLES® sign, 100 color brochures and a weatherproof brochure holder. You may also purchase additional POP items through our on-line POP store or your Authorized STEPABLES® Distributor after you have become an Authorized STEPABLES® Dealer.

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Q. Do I have to be certified to carry STEPABLES®?

A. No. The only requirement is that you purchase your STEPABLES® Plants and Products from one of our Authorized STEPABLES® Distributors. If you wish to become an Authorized STEPABLES® Dealer, there is a link on this page to assist you. We simply ask that you uphold and support the STEPABLES® Product Line by using our trademarks and copyrights in a correct and professional manner and that you make the pledge to the STEPABLES® consumer.

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Q. What kind of on-line support do you have for the program?

A. First and foremost is our consumer support. UAFPC has built an amazing bond with the consumer. At WWW.STEPABLES.com, we receive anywhere from 100 to 1000 (or more!) e-mails daily (depending on the circulation of publications or the airing of television shows featuring our product). This amount of consumer contact enables us to understand and establish special relationships with many of our STEPABLES® customers. We hear personally what works and what doesn’t directly from them. You cannot get better product research than the feedback we get from our homeowners. We are consistently told what an awesome website we have and how “thankful” they are for finding such a great product. They also tell us what we can do better to help them, which inspires us to find more solutions for their many landscape and gardening dilemmas. We will continue to expand our website with more ideas, creative projects and helpful hints to keep the homeowner project-oriented and coming to your garden center for product.

Secondly, we have added this new section to our website to assist garden centers who wish to become our marketing partners. We appreciate those people dedicated to promoting a quality brand and have recently added many new tools to help garden centers sell STEPABLES® Products. By becoming an Authorized STEPABLES® Dealer, we will load your store name and website link into our database. By adding your garden center’s information, we can then put your store(s) on our Store Locator Map. So when the consumer searches the WWW.STEPABLES.com website and comes up with the perfect match, they can easily find out which dealer is closest to them and call for availability. This saves the consumer from driving all over town to find their desired STEPABLES® Plant. (It is also a perfect opportunity to encourage the consumer to visit your garden center!)

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Q. What is the process if I forget my password?

A. Just email us and we will send it to you again.