The Only Guide You Need to Start Selling Plants Online

If you have a green thumb and a go-getter mindset, launching a plant business could be your next big project this year. As eCommerce is becoming more widespread than ever, this is your chance to hop on the bandwagon and start selling plants online.

With more and more people using plants to bring life to their living spaces, now is the perfect time to embark on an exciting business venture, using this very guide from GemPages. Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about selling plants online.

Selling Plants Online in 2024: Yes or No?

Starting any type of business from scratch is proven to be no less than daunting. That said, many fruitful businesses have emerged in recent years. From the all-inclusive skincare brand Topicals to insect-based cat food brand Lovebug Pet Food, these greenhorn companies have made a name for themselves in such saturated industries.

This is solid proof that there is always an open highway to success in every market, including the plant and flower niche. People no longer treat plants as mere decorations but as a source of fulfillment and affection. As suggested by Plantly, a vast majority of millennials use houseplants as a precursor to pets and kids, since the required attention and care are significantly lower. The drive to create an aesthetic and sustainable living space also plays into this spreading penchant.

If building a digital storefront still leaves you feeling hesitant, the good news is it’s easier than ever to become an online merchant. With a plethora of host platforms, namely Shopify by your side, this task is streamlined to a T.

All in all, starting an online plant business is a big yes in our book. Let’s see exactly how you can jumpstart your own with our 7-step guide below.

How to Start Selling Plants Online in 7 Steps

Jumpstart your plant and flower business by following our quick guide.

1. Find Your Niche

The world of plants is far-flung, and each niche has a particular customer base. While apartment-dwelling young adults tend to be keen on easy-care houseplants, homeowners with gardens are the main audience of large, high-maintenance outdoor plants. Below are some key points to consider:

• Type of plants: houseplants, succulents, rare plants, herbs, flowering plants, etc.
• Target audience: office goers, young millennials, landscaping professionals, plant collectors, etc.
• Competition: research online plant stores with the same niche as yours to learn how to one-up them.
• Additional products: consider plant care accessories and tools to sell alongside your plants.

2. Source Your Plants

For plants and flowers, product sourcing is the determining factor in your brand’s success. Nobody fancies withered flowers or plants with discolored leaves in their orders, so it is your job to decide which method of plant sourcing to go with.

Here are some recommendations:

• Local nurseries and greenhouses: ideal to inspect products in person
• Wholesale plant suppliers: lower prices => better profit margins
• Home-grown: complete product control

3. Develop a Business Plan

Now that you have gotten a hang of what to expect, a business plan is in order. Unlike other foolproof business methods like dropshipping or print-on-demand, operating an online plant store calls for precise planning from A to Z.

Consider these crucial aspects to create a thorough business plan for your plant empire:

• Business model: subscription service, workshop, direct sales, wholesales, etc.
• Pricing: estimate your profit margins and determine your prices.
• Legal aspects: prepare required certifications for selling plants online business.
• Marketing and branding: for pre-, post-, and on-launch day.
• Seasonality: map out different catalogs based on the seasonal availability of each plant.

4. Establish Your Online Presence

For eCommerce businesses, the online presence is the utmost priority. Your digital storefront will decide the first impression on your visitors, while your social media accounts are a hotbed to showcase the brand’s personality and top-notch customer support. In that sense, picking a reliable eCommerce platform like Shopify is an excellent call since there are a plethora of tools to custom-make your own domain name, company name, logo, and the like. A mobile-optimized and responsive layout is also a must in web design.

Once your online store has materialized, it’s time to promote your business via household social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and other plant-centric forums. In this digital era, this step is not to be missed if you want your business to take off.

5. Take Care of Shipping and Delivery

Plants and flowers are fragile goods, which means finding a trustworthy shipping carrier should be on top of your mind. One successfully delivered package is one less dissatisfied customer and lost profit.

Here are three measures to take for a surefire shipping system:

• Specialized carriers: choose shipping services that specialize in handling plants, including an option for express shipping to optimize plants’ conditions when they arrive.
• Plant-safe packaging: use sturdy and plant-friendly boxes with ambiguous caution labels.
• Shipping cost: for an intricate, living item like plants, the shipping fee could be quite high, consider other aspects to work out a reasonable shipping cost for your customers without losing profit.
• Return policy: enforce a uniform return policy to omit unnecessary back-and-forth shipping for a delicate item like plants.

Pro tip: start small and try shipping locally first to test out a fitting shipping system for your business before attempting to ship cross-state or cross-country.

Learn more: Shopify Shipping 101 and 10+ Best Shopify Shipping Apps

6. Manage Inventory and Quality

Keeping a large inventory of different-need plants and flowers is out of the question. Thus, it’s essential to have a system that helps you manage seasonal products. A climate-controlled environment is the crème de la crème, as it safeguards the best shapes of your plants. This step is especially vital for homegrown plant business.

Quality control should also be taken seriously, which begins from the sourcing process, all the way to storage and care (temperature, water, and pest control) and customer feedback. For safety measures, carry out test orders.

7. Promote Your Plant Business

All this planning will go to waste if your plant brand is not on people’s lips. To promote your plant business, you have to put yourself out there. Below are some useful tactics to implement:

• Social media marketing: stay active and engage with your audience to instill your brand in their minds.
• Paid advertising: tailored Google Ads and social media ads.
• Email marketing: curate newsletters and exclusive incentives for your customers.
• Collaborations and reward programs: make yourself familiar with internet micro-celebrities to create early-on connections.

And voilà! Your future plant business seems much more legitimate now, doesn’t it? By following our simple guide, you will be able to get the ball rolling in no time.

3 Brilliant Shopify Plant Stores for You to Emulate Success

The Sill

Shop a wide assortment of plants from The Sill - a reliable New York native plant retailer.

You will not run out of plant options when shopping on The Sill - a New York-born plant retailer that operates both online and in person. Whether you are fond of outdoor shrubs or pet-friendly indoor plants, The Sill will have you covered. The website’s simple navigation flows well with its rustic vibe, in which both studio and lifestyle pictures of plants are showcased. Apart from plants and flowers, shoppers are free to browse other plant care products like planters, potting mixes, and watering cans. Want to have greenery in your home year-round? Simply sign up for a subscription service of easy-care plants and get a pleasant surprise every month.

The Sill is a prime example of a small business that mushroomed into a rewarding eCommerce store. If you are in the same boat, this is the motivation you need to hit the ground running on your upcoming plant business.

Rooted

Breathe life into your living space with premium plants from Rooted.

Another holy grail among plant lovers is Rooted. This company’s ultimate mission is to make plant care accessible and enjoyable. This vision is evident in its diverse catalog, user-friendly website, and A1 customer support. On Rooted’s digital storefront, buyers are free to explore a vast number of outdoor plants, houseplants, bonsai, and even edibles and herbs. All these goods are neatly sorted with a smart filtering system where customers can shop by size, care level, and space. The shop is not short of planters and other handy accessories to give you a helping hand in starting your plant journey as well.

Rooted’s web Shopify-based site is meticulously designed to grant you a seamless shopping experience. Everything from the vibrant color scheme to the charming product photography adds to the brand’s professionalism. If you jibe with Rooted’s branding, head over to our blog post to learn how to implement the best features that make your online brand business shine.

Plant Pet Club

Never leave your home plantless with this handy subscription service from Plant Pet Club.

Is owning a first-class plant subscription a perpetual idea on your mind? If so, we’ve got the perfect store to motivate you to turn it into a reality.

Plant Pet Club’s branding is all about plant subscription - a clever business model for plants and flower online selling services. With this approach, customers save time on making repeated purchases, and brands receive a steady customer base with high customer retention. A handful of online plant businesses have taken up this model but Plant Pet Club managed to set itself apart with elaborate and flexible subscriptions for all kinds of clients. Whether you are a pro in plant care or a newbie who craves some nature indoors, simply sign up for the subscription service that brings a new plant to your doorstep at one-, two-, or three-month intervals. Single purchases are also popular with an abundance of options to choose from, including nifty Jungle Bundles for convenience.

Plant Pet Club’s website is simple and straightforward, much like its branding. This goes to show how a humble storefront can bring prosperity to a thriving online plant business without intricate features.

Time to Make Your Business Grow

Every blooming business stems from an idea, no matter how farfetched it may seem. Selling plants is a brilliant venture where you get to gain specialized knowledge in a growing market, experience a more hands-on business model, and create a rewarding business. With this guide, the path to your dream plant store will be shortened. So, we have one last question for you: are you ready to rake in the green by selling the green?

FAQ about Selling Plants Online