Tammy Sons is the CEO of TN Nursery and an expert plant advisor who studied horticulture. She enjoys her family, the outdoors and nature.
The return of cooler weather signals the start of the holiday season. Thanksgiving and Christmas are on their way, and it’s a great time for business leaders at plant nurseries to start thinking about seasonal sales promotions. This means refocusing advertising away from summer plants like hibiscus and concentrating on fall and winter foliage.
Seasonal Sales Promotions For Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to gather around the table. Along with laying out a spread large enough to feed everyone in their family and a few friends, consumers may also want to decorate their homes and gardens with some fall plants. Nurseries looking for seasonal promotion ideas may want to start advertising some of their fall plants.
Which plants your nursery decides to promote will depend on your area and growing zone. For example, nurseries in colder regions will have different plants to promote than ones with warmer fall and winter weather. However, some plants thrive in almost any area, and a few have colored blooms and foliage that make you think of fall and the Thanksgiving holiday.
1. Ornamental Peppers
With small, glossy green leaves and peppers in shades of orange, yellow, red and even purple, ornamental pepper plants are a great addition to fall gardens. Let your customers know that these plants are easy to grow and keep alive throughout Thanksgiving.
Nurseries can give a discount to consumers purchasing more than one of these colorful fall plants. For example, customers can buy one plant at a regular price and get the second one discounted 10% off. Another excellent discount idea often used during the holiday season is to offer free shipping once a customer meets a specific amount.
2. Pansies
Pansies are another fall favorite, and the excellent weather-loving plant will bloom through Thanksgiving with some care. Nurseries looking for seasonal sales promotional ideas may want to consider offering discounts on flats of pansies to encourage customers to take home a few of the pretty blooming plants.
3. Crotons
Nothing says fall quite like Crotons. The colorful foliage ranges from green and yellow to orange and red.
Besides offering discounts on bulk purchases, I suggest nurseries consider including a buy-one-get-one sales promotion on Crotons. These plants are temperature-sensitive and may not thrive past Thanksgiving in regions with colder fall temperatures.
4. Pumpkins and Gourds
Seasonal sales promotions for nurseries almost always include pumpkins and gourds. Most nurseries start receiving their shipments before Halloween. The stock of pumpkins and gourds often lasts through Thanksgiving. While the ornamentals make incredible table decorations during the Thanksgiving holidays, very few consumers want them decorating their Christmas table.
Pumpkins and gourds also have a shelf life, and you don’t want your nursery sitting on boxes of them after late November.
Markdowns and discounts on purchases of multiple items are great ways to move excess inventory. You may even want to include inexpensive jack-o’-lantern carving kits with a purchase. Even though it’s Thanksgiving, many customers still crave a pumpkin or gourd. You can even advertise the ability of larger gourds to be turned into cornucopias.
Seasonal Sales Promotions For Christmas
Christmas is a busy time of the year for nurseries. Customers are searching for the perfect tree or some bright red and green color to add to their indoor and outdoor decorations. This is also the time of year to have some incredible sales to prepare for next year’s inventory.
1. Christmas Trees
Seasonal promotions for nurseries almost always include Christmas trees. Competition is fierce, and every nursery wants to advertise the best prices.
Along with promoting your wide range of trees in all shapes and sizes, you may also want to start advertising sale prices a week or so before Christmas. A sale can help you eliminate leftover trees before the end of the holiday season.
Another promotional idea is to include care packages with the trees. Adding a small packet of fertilizer not only helps the cut trees stay fresh and green longer, but it can also help bring customers to your nursery. After all, no one wants a tree that loses all of its needles before Christmas Day.
2. Cyclamen
Ranging in color from white, pink, red and even a mix of colors, Cyclamens are a popular plant during the Christmas season. They add a festive touch when placed on fireplaces or tables—this is a great feature to highlight in your promotions and advertising.
3. Amaryllis
Long green leaves and bright red flowers on a long stem are characteristics of this popular Christmas plant. Consumers often give Amaryllis plants as gifts, and this presents a great marketing opportunity for nurseries.
Nurseries can sell the plant already in bloom or as a bulb in a starter kit. Consider including care tips with each purchase. Make sure to have instructions on how to store the bulb so it will regrow and bloom the following Christmas. Your nursery may even want to hold an after-Christmas sale on any remaining plants.
4. Poinsettias
Bright red, green or yellow foliage makes poinsettias the ideal Christmas decoration. We often see these colorful seasonal plants everywhere, from shopping centers to restaurants, churches and homes.
Even though your nursery may not have a problem selling out of poinsettias, you probably still want to include them in your holiday seasonal sales promotions. One idea is to offer a discounted price to consumers purchasing several plants.
Promote Your Nursery With Seasonal Sales
Advertising on social media is a great way to pitch prospected holiday sales, and it’s a no-cost option most businesses can embark on effectively. Other outlets of advertising include radio, local TV or paper flyers.
Consumers are searching for the best deals around the holidays, including plants. Use your seasonal plants to promote your nursery and keep your customers returning all year.
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