Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Business & Economy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Business & Economy

Oh Christmas Tree – New Online Options Allow Customers, Suppliers to Branch Out

Wednesday, December 5, 2018, By Daryl Lovell
Share
Whitman School of Management

Article Takeaways:

  • Online Christmas tree sales likely to increase with new options available to consumers
  • Christmas tree prices may fall due to strong economy and abundance of trees
  • Experts are monitoring changes in international trade agreements and how they may impact the industry 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – E-commerce giant Amazon now sells full-sized, live Christmas trees online. The retailer offers a wide range of trees, both in terms in size and price, largely sourced from North Carolina and shipped within 10 days of being cut down. The convenient new way to click and place in your cart rather than chop your tree begs the question: where do Christmas trees come from? And how do they get to millions of living rooms around the world?

The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) reports that 25-30 million live Christmas trees are sold in the U.S each year. In 2017, live Christmas trees were purchased at an average of $75 each, while fake trees were purchased at an average price of $107. One to two percent of live Christmas tree purchases in the U.S. were made online last year. According to Patrick Penfield, assistant professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management, online shopping for live trees may increase with Amazon’s new offerings and encourages consumers in large cities to consider shopping online.

“Online shopping is a great option for consumers especially if you are living in a large city like New York,” explained Penfield. “The only issue a consumer might encounter is that all trees are different from a size and shape standpoint and it may not be the tree you envision.”

While some consumers might have an easier time shopping for trees this holiday season, supplying the yearly demand for live Christmas trees is more complicated than it appears, even for online retailers.

Many Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. According to NCTA, there are about 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the U.S. with more than 100, 000 employees, both part-time and full-time, in the industry. Around the world, seeds are typically planted in the spring or early fall depending on the area. Christmas trees can have an average growing time of seven years, but growing time may varying depending on the type of fir seed planted and desired height of the tree.

Prof. Penfield says retailers have to carefully project their needs as many factors can affect their supply chains. Experts say international trade agreements could impact the supply chain as well.

“Due to the long production cycle of Christmas trees, the economy has a significant impact on future production and potentially drives up prices,” explained Penfield. He goes on to say – “The price of Christmas trees could potentially fall as long as there are no natural disasters or growing issues (droughts, fires and insects).”

 

Media Note: The author of the full article is Daniel Strauss, a student in the Whitman School of Management. The full version of this story can be found at this link.

 

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

T 315.443.1184   M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell

820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu

Syracuse University

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Daryl Lovell

  • Patrick Penfield

  • Recent
  • Former Orange Point Guard and Maxwell Alumna ‘Roxi’ Nurse McNabb Still Driving for an Assist
    Tuesday, July 8, 2025, By Jessica Smith
  • Empowering Learners With Personalized Microcredentials, Stackable Badges
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Hope Alvarez
  • Rose Tardiff ’15: Sparking Innovation With Data, Mapping and More
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By News Staff
  • Paulo De Miranda G’00 Received ‘Much More Than a Formal Education’ From Maxwell
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Jessica Youngman
  • Law Professor Receives 2025 Onondaga County NAACP Freedom Fund Award
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Robert Conrad

More In Business & Economy

WISE Women’s Business Center Awarded Grant From Empire State Development, Celebrates Entrepreneur of the Year Award

The WISE Women’s Business Center, in collaboration with the Whitman School of Management, announced the renewal of WISE as an Entrepreneurial Assistance Center (EAC) through the Empire State Development EAC  program. This award ensures WISE’s continued designation as one of…

Calling All Alumni Entrepreneurs: Apply for ’CUSE50 Awards

Did you cultivate your entrepreneurial skills as a student at Syracuse University and either founded or currently own your own business as an Orange alumnus? If so, you’re encouraged to apply for the University’s third annual ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Award,…

Whitman Honors Outstanding Alumni and Friends at 2025 Awards and Appreciation Event

Vice Chancellor and Whitman School of Management Executive Dean Mike Haynie and Interim Dean Alex McKelvie, along with other staff and faculty members of the Whitman School, gathered in New York City on May 15 to recognize a select group…

Libraries Innovation Scholar Launches Utopia, a Transparent Beauty Brand

Trey Augliano ’27, a rising junior in the Whitman School of Management majoring in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and marketing management, recently launched Utopia Beauty, a science-driven beauty retailer that promises to bring transparency and trust to the personal care…

Registration Open for Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference July 8-10 in Las Vegas  

The second annual Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon)—named by Zoomph as one of the best sports business conferences of 2025—will be held from July 8-10 at MGM’s iconic Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. SEICon is a partnership between UNLV…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.