Are You Ready for Halloween! 10 Ideas for Garden Centers to Get Creative

Pumpkin display.

In the UK where I am from, Halloween, a relatively new holiday, is already the third biggest retail event, right behind Christmas and Easter. It surpassed Valentines Day in 2014. In North America, Halloween has a long standing tradition of consumer spending with approximately two thirds of Americans spending around $7 billion annually. Garden centers and nurseries should take every opportunity this season to market for Halloween. It’s such a great event with so many possibilities that all adults and children can enjoy!

1. Create Pumpkin Displays

They don’t just come in the standard orange! Create a pumpkin display with lots of different colors, shapes and variations. Draw customers in with your unique display.

2. Halloween Themed Floral Displays

Make a floral display your statement display! There are so many different ways you can get creative with this and show your florals to their best. Check out some of the photos below for ideas!

Halloween floral displays.

3. Dress Your Garden Center Up with Halloween Decorations

Show off your garden center to its best. The great thing about Halloween is that it is fun and friendly, make sure your customers know this. Using Halloween accessories to dress up you garden center can drastically change the atmosphere, in a positive way!

Venus Fly Trap children's Halloween costume.

4. Create a Special Halloween Event

Leading up to the Halloween weekend promote a special event, like a screening of Little Shop of Horrors, with conveniently placed POS Venus fly traps for sale (and maybe costumes too). Promote this in-store and through social media to attract customers.

5. Hold a Halloween Competitiont

Get customers to send in their Halloween floral displays for a chance to win a prize. Use a hashtag on social media to track and pick the best display to win. Or get your customers into your garden center with a Halloween costume party and contest.

6. Stock Up on Halloween Merchandise

It’s amazing the amount of detail people go into decorating their homes inside and out for Halloween. Entice those customers by stocking up on Halloween pots, garden decorations and accessories and outdoor lawn decorations.

Halloween garden merchandise.

7. Trick-or-Treat Bags for Children

Put a smile on kid’s faces with a trick-or-treat bag when they visit your garden center with their parents. Go a step further and invest in some branded Halloween bags with your logo on them.

Branded Halloween bags.

8. Update Your Social Media with Halloween Themes

Get in the spirit of Halloween by updating cover your cover photos to be spookier! It’s another great way to show of your floral displays. Encourage customers to share theirs too!

9. Pumpkin Carving Workshop

If you have the space why not have a pumpkin-carving workshop. It’s a great idea for children whilst their parents shop but adults can even join in the fun too! Don’t forget to show off your customer’s pumpkin carving skills on social media! If you’re not a fan of the pumpkin carving idea why not try “chalkboard” pumpkins, they’re safe, fun and reusable. Create as many designs as you want!

Pumpkin carving and chalkboard pumpkin designs.

10. Alternative Halloween

As much as we love Halloween at GGS it’s important to remember not everyone is such a fan of ghosts and ghouls. Make the most of the beautiful fall foliage and florals by creating some not so spooky displays that will appeal to everyone.

Tell us your Halloween marketing ideas in the comments below!