As a creative business, you must plan ahead for 3rd and 4th quarter sales. I know it’s shocking sometimes to see Fall and Christmas décor already up by July or August. This is where know your audience is so important.
People who love to decorate their homes for each season are not going to buy a Christmas wreath a week before December 25th! They need to time to plan out their theme, order the decorations, and get it all set up. This all happens well before the holiday itself.
So that means, we’ve got to get our stores stocked with items they’ll be looking for.
Here at How to Make Wreaths, we have everything you need to get started. Our step-by-step tutorials will guide you through the process, from supply lists to design recipes. You’ll be make beautiful front door décor to list in your online stores like wreaths, garlands, swags, and more.
4th Quarter Sales: What to Start Designing in the Summer
Planning far in advance is the key to being successful when making wreaths. This way, you have plenty of time to test and refine your designs without having to rush them before a holiday or special occasion.
If you give yourself enough time, you can even start creating wreaths for upcoming seasons so that you’re always one step ahead of the game. This gives your customers time to consider their options and make orders for upcoming holidays or special occasions.
Seasons and Holidays to Design and List in Your Shop
- Halloween
- Fall
- Thanksgiving
- Winter
- Christmas
The beauty of having an online business is that you’ll show up when they search, so you don’t have to worry about shoppers wondering why in the world are they setting up for the holidays already.
Creating seasonal designs early allows plenty of time to test out new ideas and techniques without feeling rushed. You can experiment with different materials to create unique wreath designs that can be used again in future years. Plus, if you’re offering custom orders then customers will have more than enough time to place their requests before the big day arrives!
How to Prepare
Start by choosing your product types and designs. Are you going to do a mix of wreaths, garlands, swags, etc? Or are you going to focus on just one product type?
Once you’ve determined this, move on to picking your designs. You can use any of tutorials to inspire you.
Fall and Thanksgiving Designs
- DIY Velvet Pumpkin Door Hanger: The Ultimate Fall Decor
- DIY Autumn Pumpkin Wreath
- How to Decorate a Thanksgiving Table
- Fall Pancake Wreath for Fall
- Drab to Fab Pumpkin Stacker Makeover
- Create Your Own Simple Fall Table Décor
Halloween Designs
- Decorating for Halloween: Jack-O-Lantern Makeover
- Thin Pumpkin Halloween Wreath
- Quick Halloween Grapevine Wreath
- Embrace Chic Trends with Pink Halloween Décor
- Dollar Tree Halloween Wreath Tutorial
- Quick And Easy Halloween Wreath Rails
Winter and Christmas Designs
- DIY Merry and Bright Christmas Wreath – Pancake Wreath
- DIY Welcome Christmas Wreath Tutorial
- Simple Decorative Gift Box Makeover
- Pink Candy Cane Door Hanger
- How To Decorate Front Porch For Winter Charm
- How to Make a Classic Christmas Wreath
Order and Prep Supplies
Plan out the supplies you’ll need such as ribbons, picks, stems and attachments for your production plan. Having a clear list gives you a chance to order exactly what you need without blowing your business budget.
It may take some extra effort up front but planning ahead of schedule is worth it when it comes to crafting beautiful wreaths for upcoming seasons. By giving yourself plenty of lead-time you can avoid last minute stressors while still providing customers with high quality handmade creations they won’t find anywhere else!
Batch Prep Elements
If you know you’re going to need to cut mesh or ribbon tails you can batch that process so their ready for you when you start creating. Actually, think of all the repetitive steps that you can start batching ahead of time. When you’re running your business solo, we have to try and make things as efficient as possible.
Get Ready for 3rd and 4th Quarter Sales!
Searches for Fall front door decor start ramping up in June through July and really take off in August. So you definitely want to have your products ready during this time.
Front door decor for Christmas starts it’s upward trend in July and shoots up from September, peaking in November.
4th quarter (October-December) has the potential to help small businesses meet their annual revenue goal. So we need to do what we can to prepare for it.
How to Promote Your Products in a Non-Salesy Way?
Start showing your audience how to decorate for the holidays, whether it’s your front entryway or the dining room table. Show them how to mix and match your products to create a whole look.
Share advice on how to arrange garlands, wreaths, and other items so they have an example to follow when they purchase your products.
Shoppers want to see what’s possible, especially when they don’t know how to do it themselves. It’s one thing to hang a wreath, but a whole other concept to decorate the entire entryway.
Like this post about front door decor ideas, for example. Now your customer is going to want the entire set.
So get ready for 3rd and 4th quarter with your new designs! Give your email list a heads up that your Fall or Winter Collection is going to be released soon so they’re ready to shop.