As the festive season approaches, Amazon is preparing a surprise for you. The e-commerce giant says that it will be selling and delivering real Christmas trees. So, when a giant 7-foot box hits your doorway, don’t be surprised, it’s probably the tree you ordered online. Amazon says that shipping for the trees will be done within 10 days. The company says that there won’t be any need to add water as usual to keep the trees fresh. The ten days for shipping are not that long to have any effect on the tree’s quality.
The company will also be selling garlands and wreaths for Christmas. They will go on sale starting November. Customers will have the option of pre-ordering so that they choose a preferred delivery date. Some Prime customers may also be eligible for free shipping for some of the trees. This is not the first time that Amazon is selling Christmas trees online. Last year the company sold 3-feet trees to customers. It also allowed other merchants on the platform to do the same. However, the e-commerce platform has never sold large regular sized trees. The decision to offer the 7-feet option was caused by increasing customer demand according to Amazon.
The cost of the trees has also been revealed. Customers who want to purchase a 7-feet Fraser Fir from North Carolina will have to pay $115. Wreaths will be going for $50 while red leafed plants will cost $25 with some decorative candy to match. It’s not clear yet how Amazon will try to generate demand and sales for the trees. Many experts on Christmas trees think that the idea of buying the trees online won’t be welcomed by many buyers.
After all, they say that choosing a Christmas tree and taking it back home is part and parcel of the Christmas atmosphere that the trees are supposed to create. Having it delivered at home by a stranger may take the fun out of it. In fact, the US National Christmas Tree Association estimates that out of the 27 million Christmas trees sold in the US last year, only 2% were purchased online. It’s a very small number but this is Amazon we are talking about. There’s no doubt that the company will face an uphill challenge trying to convince people to buy a Christmas tree online. But the company has done similar things before by completely changing users’ shopping behaviors.
Besides, Amazon is already selling real plants online and sales have been very steady. Just last year the company said that it was expanding the variety of live plants available on its platform. However, Christmas trees are a whole different thing because there’s some emotional attachment that comes with them. But Amazon does have the track record and the capability to at least make sure that the percentage of people buying the trees online is much higher this year.
