How to Sell Plants Online: A Beginner’s Guide

Wondering how to sell plants online? Read the article to know everything about this business and more.

Plants have become a popular addition to home decor in recent years, and the demand for houseplants has skyrocketed. This growing trend has created a great opportunity for plant enthusiasts to turn their passion into a profitable business.

Selling plants online has become an effective way to reach a wider audience and build a successful business. In this article, we will discuss the steps to sell plants online, the reasons to start this business, and answer some frequently asked questions.

Reasons to Sell Plants Online

Here are the reasons why you should start a business to sell plants online in India.

1. Growing demand: The demand for houseplants is growing, and online shopping has become the preferred method for many consumers. This presents a great opportunity for plant sellers.
2. Low startup costs: Starting an online plant business requires relatively low startup costs compared to a brick-and-mortar store. You can start small and grow your business as you gain more customers.
3. Flexibility: If you sell plants online, it allows you to work from home and set your own schedule. You can also reach a global audience, expanding your customer base and revenue potential.

Steps to Sell Plants Online In India

Here are the steps you must follow to sell plants online in India.

Research Your Market

Before you start to sell plants online, research the current market trends, demand for different types of plants, and competition in the industry. This will help you identify your target audience, pricing strategy, and marketing plan.

When embarking on the journey of starting a plant business, the next crucial step is conducting thorough research. It’s important to note that not all plants are suitable for indoor use, so it’s essential to understand your potential customers’ preferences.

For instance, if your target audience comprises individuals living in flats, apartments, or homes, indoor plants would be in high demand. Take time to research the types of plants that people prefer to keep in their homes or offices.

In today’s market, people are also interested in plants that have Vastu or health benefits. To find out which plants are most in demand, engage with people, or simply observe the plants that are most popular.

Choose What To Sell

When it comes to selling plants online, it’s important to understand that there are a variety of plants available, and it may not be practical to include every type of plant in your inventory. Therefore, it’s essential to identify a niche or specific range of plants that you want to sell through your online store. This can include bamboo, medicinal plants, succulents, ornamental flower plants, orchids, landscape plants, and more.

It’s important to note that each type of plant will have different packaging and shipping requirements, which can be challenging to handle initially. Additionally, caring for the plants in your inventory will also require significant effort and resources.

To address these challenges, it’s wise to focus on a particular range of plants and develop a unique selling proposition (USP) around them. As your sales grow, you can expand your product range and include other indoor and outdoor plants.

You may also consider selling gardening equipment, fertilizers, seeds, pots, and herbicides on your online store to offer a comprehensive shopping experience for your customers. By starting with a specific range of plants and gradually expanding your offerings, you can build a successful online plant business in India.

List of plants to sell online

• Succulents – best option if you are new. Requires less maintenance. Will survive shipping.
• Bamboo – low maintenance
• Herbs (medicinal, aromatic)
• Ornamental grasses
• Landscape plants
• Aquatic plants
• Seeds (vegetables, flowers, etc)- biggest profit margin, easy shipping
• Orchids 
• Aloe Vera

Set Up and Manage Inventory

To sell plants online, managing your inventory is critical. Consider these points below:

• Will you sell seasonal plants, various plants, or both? 
• Where will you stock your plants?
• Should you build in a buffer in case some of your inventory is damaged or dies? 
• If you go away for a few days, how do you plan on doing plant care?

When selling plants online, setting up and managing your plant inventory is a critical aspect of the business. It’s important to account for extra saplings and plants to ensure you have sufficient quantities in your inventory.

In addition to this, you’ll need to establish a greenhouse with proper watering and high-quality soil to store your plants until they’re sold. This will help ensure that you don’t lose any plants during storage.

You’ll also need to manage the inventory of any additional equipment that you may sell as part of your product list. By effectively managing your inventory, you can avoid shortages and ensure that you always have the plants and equipment you need to meet your customers’ demands.

Source Your Plants

You can grow your plants, source them from local nurseries, or work with wholesale suppliers. Ensure that your plants are of high quality and healthy. When it comes to selling plants online, sourcing good quality plants is essential to the success of your business. Whether you decide to grow the plants yourself or purchase them from a nursery, it’s crucial that the plants are healthy and in good condition before they are sent to customers.

Finding a consistent source of various types of plants can be challenging, unlike other businesses. Therefore, it’s important to partner with reputable nurseries that can provide plants on a regular basis to your intermediate warehouse. It’s also essential to regularly monitor the quality of the plants to ensure that your customers receive what they are promised.

As your business to sell plants online grows, you may consider setting up your own nursery and hiring experienced professionals to grow plants in-house according to the season. This can add more value to your profits and help you maintain the quality of your plants. By prioritizing the sourcing of high-quality plants, you can build a strong reputation for your online plant store and establish a loyal customer base.

Finalize Pricing, Packaging, and Shipping

When selling plants online, it’s important to carefully set your profit margins when determining to price for your products. If you’re selling rare or niche plants that aren’t easily available elsewhere, you may be able to charge premium prices for them.

In addition to pricing, proper packaging, and shipping are essential to sell plants online. When packaging and shipping your plants, it’s important to take precautions to ensure that they don’t get damaged during transit and remain healthy upon arrival.

Since plants are delicate and require special handling, you’ll need to work with a logistics provider who can deliver your plants to customers safely and on time. Delays in delivery can damage your plants, so it’s crucial to choose a reliable partner.

Moreover, your logistics partner should also be proficient in reverse logistics, as some plants may inevitably be damaged during transit and need to be returned by the customer. By paying attention to pricing, packaging, and shipping, you can ensure a positive customer experience and build a strong reputation for your online plant store.

Decide on Pricing

Plant pricing mainly depends on seasonality and the overall market price. So when you price your plants, consider these points:

• What do other businesses in the market sell the same (or similar) plants for?
• What are people willing to pay for the plants you sell?
• How much do the plants cost you to buy or grow?
• How much does your business cost to run (website, marketing, etc.)?
• How much time do you invest in your business?

Method to calculate plant pricing: cost of expense + variable cost (cost of seeds, fertilizers, etc) + profit margin

Set up your online store to start selling plants

To begin selling plants online, you will need to create your online store. The process can be made easier by using platforms such as WooCommerce or Shopify, which require minimal coding and provide helpful templates to guide you through the setup process. Alternatively, you can seek the help of a professional to set up your online store.

Building an online store from scratch should only be considered if you require customized features that are not available on pre-built platforms. It is important to invest more in your website once you have established your brand, as it will be a crucial element of your business.

Select the Payment Gateway

This is a crucial aspect of the checkout process as it can affect customer experience. The payment gateway you select should have:

• popular payment methods
• secure transaction processing
• easy refunds
• easy integration
• high payment security
• and timely settlements. 

Ensure a seamless checkout process and avoid losing customers due to payment glitches by choosing the right payment option.

Fulfill orders and provide excellent customer service

Package and ship your plants carefully to ensure they arrive in good condition. Respond to customer queries promptly and provide excellent customer service to build a loyal customer base.

How Lio can Help You With Your Plant Business

To make your dreams come true of having a business of your own and managing it nicely, Lio App can help you big time. The app lets you keep all sorts of data together in a more organized manner. You can keep records, and create tables and lists while working solo or with a team. 

The many features of Lio would help you with your retail business as you would be able to maintain all data on a track that you can use at any time. If you want to upload a document, then you can do that. Know the money transactions, cash inflow, profit and loss you are making, Udhaar, list of products, services, and even the teammates and clients that you have all in one place. 

Your retail business ideas will certainly become successful businesses if you go on this journey of managing your business with Lio.

Step 1: Select the Language you want to work on. Lio on Android

Step 2: Create your account using your Phone Number or Email Id.

Verify the OTP and you are good to go.

Step 3: Select a template in which you want to add your data.

Add your Data with our Free Cloud Storage.

Step 4: All Done? Share and Collaborate with your contacts.

Conclusion

Selling plants online is an excellent business opportunity for plant enthusiasts looking to turn their passion into a profitable venture. With the right tools and strategies, you can reach a wider audience, build a loyal customer base, and grow your business. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can start your online plant business and succeed in the ever-growing houseplant industry.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)