Bryony Taylor-Edwards, professional garden centre buyer, writes about how garden centres can maximise sales during the festive season with creative merchandising of poinsettias. Images by Stars for Europe UK. Visit the website for free-to-use poinsettia marketing materials and social media assets.
The arrival of the poinsettia in store is the signal to customers that the Christmas season has begun. Poinsettias are a brilliant way to create eye catching displays and Christmas theatre in store. Helping you to upsell and drive gift sales. Here is how to make the most of it.
For many shoppers, the poinsettia is a habit purchase: a red Christmas plant, picked up near the till, taken home because it is December. But many retailers are missing an opportunity – especially this year as deep red berry shades are on trend.
Using the poinsettia as a hero product merchandisers can build around this Christmas staple by adding other colour varieties and mixing in berry toned interior pieces such as cosy throws and candles. Deep raspberry, cranberry, plum and soft blush pinks feel current, sit beautifully alongside on-trend interiors and give the display team a richer palette to work with than a single wall of scarlet. They also open a conversation with customers who think they already know what a poinsettia looks like.
The opportunity is not to replace classic red, which customers still expect and which anchors any range, but to build around it.
Merchandising: six ideas to try
Build a berry colour block. Group plants in a graded run from blush pink through raspberry and cranberry to deep plum. A single, confident colour gradient stops shoppers in a way a mixed bench rarely does, and it photographs well for your own social channels.
Play with height and scale. Mix mini plants, standard pots and larger specimens, and lift some onto crates, tiered stands or upturned pots. Varying height turns a flat bench into a feature and lets you show the full range at a glance.
Dress the table, not just the bench. Set up a festive dining table with berry poinsettias as the centrepiece, alongside napkins, candles, glassware and crackers from elsewhere in the store. Customers see the plant in context and you create natural links to other departments.
Pair with seasonal companions. Berry tones sit well with silver and grey foliage, frosted eucalyptus, ivy, skimmia and white cyclamen. Mixed planters and bowls give customers a ready-made arrangement and lift the average spend.
Coordinate the pot. Berry shades look striking in brushed gold, copper, matt cream and deep green containers. Show a few pre-potted combinations so customers can picture the finished look, and keep matching covers within arm’s reach.
Confident Merchandising. Give poinsettias a clearly signed home, ideally away from doors and draughts, rather than scattering them near the tills. A dedicated area tells customers this is a plant worth choosing carefully, and it protects plant quality too.
Care advice as a sales tool
When a poinsettia wilts, the cause is often what happens shortly after purchase. Good care advice protects the plant, builds trust in your plant offer and brings customers back next year. It is also one of the simplest ways for a garden centre to show expertise that a supermarket cannot match.
The key messages for customers are straightforward:
Wrap it for the journey. Poinsettias dislike cold, so a sleeve or paper wrap on the way home matters, even for a short trip. Offer it at the till as standard.
• Wrap it for the journey. Poinsettias dislike cold, so a sleeve or paper wrap on the way home matters, even for a short trip. Offer it at the till as standard.
• Choose a warm, bright spot. A light room away from cold draughts, radiators and open fires suits them best.
• Water little and often. Water when the top of the compost feels dry, and never leave the pot standing in water.
• Keep it away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit can shorten the life of the display.
Ways to bring that advice to the shop floor:
• Simple, attractive care cards tucked into every pot or sleeve
• Bench signage with three or four headline tips, written in a friendly tone
• A short briefing for weekend and seasonal staff so every team member can answer the questions customers ask most
• A care tip printed on gift tags, so the advice travels with the plant to the person receiving it
• A scannable code on signage linking to a short care video or web page
Gifting potential
Poinsettias are among the most giftable plants of the year: affordable, instantly festive and suitable for almost anyone. Berry shades add a sense of something a little more special than the expected red.
• Gift-ready presentation. Offer a selection already wrapped in coordinated paper, ribbon and a tag, so customers can pick up and go.
• Bundles at clear price points. Pair a poinsettia with a pot cover, a candle or a box of chocolates from your food hall at set prices. Bundles make decisions easy for time-pressed shoppers.
• The hostess gift. Position minis and small pots as the ideal thank you for a festive lunch or party, merchandised near cards and wrap.
• Corporate and bulk orders. Local offices, care homes, hotels, restaurants and churches all decorate for Christmas. A simple order form and a delivery offer can open a valuable stream of trade.
• Buy one to keep, one to give. A multibuy on smaller sizes encourages customers to treat themselves as well as someone else.
Beyond the shop floor
Poinsettias work hardest when they are treated as part of the whole festive experience, not just a line on a bench.
Workshops and events. A festive planter or table centrepiece workshop built around berry poinsettias is easy to run, sells tickets and sends every guest home as an advocate.
The café. A poinsettia on every table, with a small sign pointing to the display, turns the café into a showroom.
Social media. Berry colour blocks, styled tables and staff sharing their favourite care tip all make strong, shareable content. A short video series on styling one plant three ways works well across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Customer clubs and newsletters. Share a care tip and a styling idea with loyalty members, with an incentive to visit.
Charity tie-ins. A donation from each sale of a featured colour gives customers an extra reason to choose your plants and creates a local story.
