Columns

20 Reasons Why I Love You

Ellen C. Wells

I could never write about tires.

Columns

A Blast from the Past

Jennifer Polanz

You can count on us as much today as you could 20 years ago. Some things never change.

Columns

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Google It

Amanda Thomsen

How can we pull failed gardeners back into the fold?

Consumer Buzz

AI Coming Soon

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Nearly half (45%) of retailers are planning to use artificial intelligence to enhance customer experiences sometime in the next three years.

Consumer Buzz

Cashless Consumers?

Ann-Marie Vazzano

According to a recent ING survey, 34% of American consumers never or don’t often carry cash.

Consumer Buzz

Do Customers Want A Digital Experience?

Ann-Marie Vazzano

More companies are using digital technology to improve the customer experience, but not all consumers are on board.

Consumer Buzz

Gen Z Has Expectations

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Although many of them are still in high school and college, Gen Z definitely has purchasing power.

Consumer Buzz

Household Debt Peaks

Ann-Marie Vazzano

America’s combined household debt grew to $12.73 trillion in the first quarter of this year.

Consumer Buzz

Lost Loyalty Points

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Some $100 billion in loyalty points are currently unredeemed.

Consumer Buzz

Loyalty Gripes

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Carrying cards is consumers’ biggest frustration when it comes to loyalty programs

Consumer Buzz

Online Shopping, Offline Conversations

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Consumers talk about retailers and brands more face-to-face than they do online.

Consumer Buzz

Organic Food Sales Reach New High

Ann-Marie Vazzano

More than 5% of all food sales are now organic.

Consumer Buzz

Personalization Pays Off

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Brands that use digital technology to provide personalized experiences are seeing revenue growth of 6% to 10%.

Consumer Buzz

Star Power

Ann-Marie Vazzano

User reviews aren’t necessarily a good indicator of quality.

Consumer Buzz

The Struggle Is Real

Ann-Marie Vazzano

A third of Millennials and a third of Baby Boomers struggle to pay for groceries.

Consumer Buzz

Walmart Reveals Next-Gen Stores

Ann-Marie Vazzano

New Walmart test stores in Texas and Florida are using technology and new layouts to enhance the shopping experience.

Cover Story

Are Online Sales Worth the Investment?

Jennifer Polanz

Only you can truly answer that question, but here are a plethora of aspects to think about when considering your online options.

Features

Container Series: Don’t Pitch It, Eat It!

Amanda Thomsen

Reduce, reuse, recycle—put some new life and taste into your mixed containers.

Features

Spring Trials An Eye Toward Retail

Ellen C. wells, Chris Beytes & Jennifer Zurko

We spotted fun edibles, cool components and innovative marketing ideas at this year’s California Spring Trials.

Features

Using Your Data

Mason Day

Here’s how to get a better handle on what consumers are looking for, both before they get into your store and once they’re there.

Features

What Does Generation Z Want?

Bisser Georgiev

Why should we pay attention to Gen Z? In the second of a multi-part series, we’ll take a deep dive into the next wave of consumers.

Front Lines

Another No-Brainer

Ellen C. Wells

In a recent buZZ! newsletter, we shared with you Valerie Nalls’ “no-brainer moneymaker” idea for bundling products.

Front Lines

Hot Perennials for 2018

Jennifer Polanz

Eason Horticultural Resources’ recently released the 2018 Hot New Perennials booklet.

Front Lines

Hummert’s Grand Expo

Jennifer Polanz

Hummert International will host its Hummert Grand Expo on August 24 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, Missouri.

Front Lines

IGC Show Offers Education Sampler

Jennifer Polanz

Attendees to this year’s IGC Show in Chicago (August 15-17) can partake in an educational workshop on the house through the IGC Conference Sampler.

Front Lines

MGIX Expands

Jennifer Polanz

Not sure what MGIX is? It stands for Midwest Green Industry Experience and it started this January as a “refreshed and redefined” version of CENTS,

Front Lines

Rockledge Gardens’ New Space

Jennifer Polanz

“Garden nurseries aren’t just for plants anymore.”

Front Lines

WaterPulse Reaches 10 Million S.F. Mark

Jennifer Polanz

WaterPulse recently announced it has reached a major milestone.

Profit Planet

Stay a Step Ahead of the Bad Guys

Bill McCurry

“Empathy” for a petty thief does them and their victims a disservice.

The Friel World

Spare Change and Sea Change

John Friel

Sears’ dominance was fueled by sales to that agrarian population, to an America that no longer exists.

The Goods

Adriana Heikkila

Allsop Home & Garden; Ball FloraPlant; Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm; Devron Sales Ltd.; Dramm Corporation; Entryways USA; Ernst Benary of America Inc.; Featherock Inc.; Georgetown Home and Garden; Lambert Peat Moss Inc.; Lechuza USA; LiveTrends Design Group LLC; Primera Technology Inc.; Selecta One; Spring Meadow Nursery Inc.; Sproutbrite; Sunny Bunny Gardens; Suntory Flowers Ltd.; Syngenta Flowers LLC; Terra Nova Nurseries Inc.; The Hiawatha Corporation; Veradek Inc.; WaterPulse Inc.