It’s almost time to deck the halls — and your website.

Web orders have become a major driver of sales for retail florists, especially during holidays. Nearly 40 percent of orders for Mother’s Day came from florists’ websites, according to respondents of the Society of American Florists’ Mother’s Day survey.

With expectations of strong demand for flowers this holiday season and staffing shortages putting pressure on many shops, it’s more important than ever to make your website shine.

An efficient website can save your team time, help your business accommodate a high volume of sales with higher values, and even ease supply issues.

Two digital marketing experts weigh in on the most important things you can do to prime your website for success.

Adjust Prices

If you haven’t already adjusted prices to account for the increased cost of products and freight, now is the time to do it, says Dan McManus, founder of the marketing company TeamFloral.

“Florists are missing out on margin because they are nervous about raising prices,” McManus says.

Consumers have seen prices rise on almost everything, and it’s likely returning customers don’t remember what they paid last time they purchased from you, says Vonda LaFever, AIFD, PFCI, and CEO of the marketing company Flower Clique.

“People only really are ordering from you two to three times a year. They aren’t going to remember what those prices were,” she says.

Florists also shouldn’t worry about customers shopping around for the lowest price. “It’s very difficult for a consumer to look at an arrangement and determine how much it should cost,” McManus says.

In fact, McManus encourages florists whose web hosts provide pricing to add $20 to the cost. Consumers who go to a local florist aren’t likely to shop around with wire services or other national floral companies, he says. “ don’t have to be worried about their prices not matching the .”

Offer a Range of Prices

While considering price adjustments, also consider the range of prices on your website.

“Have an $100 arrangement or higher on every other line, so that when the customer is looking there is always $100 in view,” McManus says. That high-dollar arrangement serves as a price anchor. McManus compares this idea to how auto dealers put the most expensive car in the showroom so when the customer looks at the car they want and it is less expensive, they feel better.

Setting the price anchor “almost automatically increases the average order value,” McManus says.

Another tactic for increasing the order value: Choose a few arrangements that are $80 or more and label them as “best sellers,” McManus says.

Slim Down Offerings

The key to easing supply issues and saving time is to limit the number of designs and products to those that you can easily sell, La Fever says. “If your customer sees something on the website and you can’t get that, you are setting yourself up for failure,” she says. “Put things on your website that you can easily get. Eliminate the extra time and effort of having to track down specific varieties.” Another way to work with what you have is to offer designer’s choice, and make it one of the most prominent items on the website, LaFever says.

The number of designs on your site can change as you get closer to the holidays and time and supply dwindle, McManus says. He advises starting with about nine designs in each category, and then dramatically cutting it down to two to three the week before Christmas. “People are used to seeing shelves less fully stocked, and sometimes it makes them buy more,” he says.

Shop Your Site

It’s important to shop your website on a computer and on a smartphone to evaluate how user-friendly and appealing the website is for customers.

On average, consumers spend 10 seconds deciding whether to stay on a website, La Fever says. To capture a shopper’s attention the website should be easy to use and look appealing. And, it needs to make the shopping experience quick and easy, which is why the homepage should have several items for sale, LaFever says.

The “single worst thing a shop can do” is have a pop-up window, regardless of what the pop-up window is advertising, says McManus. “People will bounce en mass from that pop up,” he says. He puts it this way: If you are shopping for shoes, you want to see the shoes, not an invitation to sign up for a newsletter. He says has seen first-hand that when his clients take down their pop-up windows, their online sales increase.

Ditch Messages About COVID-19 or Supply Issues

Consumers are tired of hearing about COVID-19 and know businesses have undergone changes to operate safely. Likewise, including messaging about flower availability or supply issues sows doubt in a consumer’s mind. McManus advises calling the customer if you receive an order you can’t fill. Offer an add-on or upgrade the arrangement. “The customer will have a better experience,” he says. And if you feel compelled to include a message about flower availability, put the message at checkout. By then the consumer will have invested enough time shopping that they are likely to still purchase, McManus says.

Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF Now.