Fall decorating habits have shifted. Customers don’t wait for sweater weather anymore — they’re buying autumnal décor in August. If your shop isn’t stocked and ready with permanent botanical designs now, you could be missing out on one of the easiest profit boosters of the season.
Permanent stems, garlands, wreaths, mailbox, swags, door decor, and tabletop designs offer high perceived value, long-lasting beauty, and excellent margins — if they’re merchandised well and priced smart.
Here’s how to make the most of this category.
Just like holiday shopping keeps creeping earlier, fall décor shopping now begins in late summer. Set your shop apart by being ready early:
If you wait until October, you’ll miss the early birds (and your shelves might still be full when customers move on to winter). In October, you should be displaying Christmas.
Fall doesn’t have to scream orange. In fact, richer, moodier palettes often appeal to modern buyers and transition more smoothly into the winter season, and appeal to a more sophisticated color palette.
Consider incorporating colors like eggplant, olive green, rust, burgundy, deep rose, cinnamon, and mocha brown. These hues pair well with golds, creams, and darker foliage — and help your displays feel fresh and elevated.
Customers are more likely to buy multiple designs when they can see how they work together.
Create vignettes using:
Encourage multiple purchases by showing how the same look works across porch steps, dining tables, and mantels.
If you sell individual stems or bushes, organize them by color families, not just by type. This makes it easier for customers to build their own cohesive looks — and tempts them to buy more than one. Color is “King” when it comes to clients making buying decisions.
Pro tip: Include mid-range priced options that look premium. Low-cost stems can look cheap and common, and ultra-luxe ones may scare shoppers off. Aim for quality and realistic texture over sheer volume.
To help customers see the value of permanent pieces, display designs that can be updated throughout the season.
For example:
This encourages customers to think long-term — and allows you to upsell seasonal swaps later on.
Permanent designs are an investment, and customers expect them to cost more than fresh flowers.
Here’s a healthy pricing strategy:
If a customer selects stems that exceed their original budget, walk them through what the final look would include — and give them the option to adjust or upgrade. Don’t scale down the vision automatically. Always match their expectations with realistic price options.
This category is too often treated as filler or an afterthought, but when handled strategically, it’s one of the most reliable sources of revenue in slower months.
Set your shop up with:
With this strategy, you'll have designs that practically sell themselves — from August through Thanksgiving (and beyond).