Five ways to increase your St. Patrick's Day sales

Rio Roses suggests good preparation and some timely marketing tips for florists and the upcoming holidays, specifically St. Patrick’s Day. Here are a few of their tried-and-true favorites:

1. Prepare St. Patrick’s Day inventory

Yes, this holiday is all about green, but also have some complementary colors on hand for your St. Patrick’s Day creations. Make sure you have a good inventory of green flowers like bells of Ireland, green trix, green roses (like our Green Tea or Jade roses) and tinted green carnations. Then add white, cream and yellow flowers to the mix for some variety.

2. Go all-out with the imagery

This time of year,  go wild with shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns and pots of gold. Decorate shop windows and interior with lots of imagery and plenty of green. And make sure to add the imagery to website, social media pages, and any emails sent out. These visuals will grab attention and get customers into the spirit.

3. Team up with other brands for a holiday event

People love a good party on St. Patrick’s Day, and this can be tapped into by holding an event — either in store or virtually. One way to do this is to have a DIY workshop to create a St. Paddy’s arrangement. Or team up with other businesses and throw a larger party. Centerpieces can be provided and the floral backdrop for photos, as people will want to take their picture and post it on social media. Make sure to display hashtags at the photo booth so they tag the business in their posts.

4. Offer sales and shipping promotions

Have a St. Patrick’s Day sale and offer discounts on the unique green arrangements created. Since this year’s holiday falls on a Friday, any deals should be extended throughout the weekend to give people plenty of time to shop. Free shipping, particularly for online orders, as this is one of the main reasons people abandon online shopping carts is also advised. So, make it as easy as possible for them to hit the “buy now” button!

5. Post a daily St. Paddy’s fun fact

St. Patrick’s Day is all about fun — but it’s also about the history and culture of Ireland. A great way to get more  social media engagement during this holiday is to post a fun fact each day leading up to the holiday. Here are a few to get started:

• St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. Banks, stores, and businesses close for the day.
• The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in America, but not in New York — it was held in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1601.
• Shamrocks are the national flower and emblem of Ireland. The shamrock has been associated with Ireland for centuries and was considered a sacred plant.
• The color of St. Patrick’s Day was originally blue but changed to green after the Irish rebellion of 1798.
• Beer is the most widely consumed beverage on St. Patrick’s Day, and Guinness is one of the most popular.
• In 1962, Chicago dyed their river green for St. Patrick’s Day for the first time. Now, it’s a tradition.
• One in four American adults has Irish ancestors or relatives. That’s over 52 million people — or ten times the population of Ireland!
• St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish. He was born in Britain, kidnapped at 16, and taken to Ireland as a slave. Then he escaped after six years and became a priest.
• The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are around one in 10,000.

Rio Roses hopes these St. Patrick’s Day marketing tips give some ideas to increase sales for this fun and festive holiday.