Columns

Gambling on a Trend

Jennifer Polanz

Mermaids, y’all. Mermaids everywhere.

Columns

Kiss My Aster: Yoda Solves Generational Issues

Amanda Thomsen

It’s time to take a good hard look at yourself.

Columns

The Granny and the GOAT

Ellen C. Wells

Think for a moment of all the hours you’ve amassed doing what you do.

Consumer Buzz

An Ultra-Personalized Customer Experience

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Three-quarters of retailers plan to ID customers in the store by their smartphones via WiFi by the end of 2019.

Consumer Buzz

Charge!

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Americans are now $1 trillion in credit card debt, according to CreditCards.com.

Consumer Buzz

Flying Warehouses

Ann-Marie Vazzano

The future of retail is getting weirder.

Consumer Buzz

Forever Indebted?

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Americans are becoming more optimistic about paying off their debt during their lifetimes, according to a recent CreditCards.com survey.

Consumer Buzz

Game Day Spending Down

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Consumers spent an estimated $14.1 billion on the Super Bowl, according to NRF’s annual Super Bowl Spending Survey.

Consumer Buzz

Indoor Gardening

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Consumer Reports recently reported on the top home improvement trends for 2017. One trend is a focus on healthy living.

Consumer Buzz

Print Isn’t Dead

Ann-Marie Vazzano

According to a Nielsen Scarborough study, 81% of newspaper readers read actual printed papers, with about half reading only print.

Consumer Buzz

Retailers Ready for Robots

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Human-shaped robots that can interpret shoppers’ facial expressions and answer their questions by gathering information from the cloud could eventually make their way into American stores.

Consumer Buzz

Shop Without Shopping

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Here’s a surefire way to avoid impulse buys: a robotic shopping cart that guides shoppers to the specific items on their lists.

Consumer Buzz

The Future of Customer Service

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Calling a customer service line could become less frustrating, thanks to artificial intelligence.

Consumer Buzz

The Rise of Mobile Wallets

Ann-Marie Vazzano

According to a recent survey from mobile engagement platform Urban Airship, more than 50% of consumers would like to use their mobile devices for things like loyalty cards and coupons.

Consumer Buzz

The Wage Age Divide

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Millennials today make less money and have only half the net wealth their parents had at a similar age.

Consumer Buzz

Will Consumers Embrace Misfits?

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Grocery chain Hy-Vee is banking on customers embracing “ugly” produce.

Consumer Buzz

Young Shoppers Prefer Physical Stores

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Despite never knowing a world without the Internet, Generation Z consumers actually prefer shopping in-store versus online.

Cover Story

Filling in the Gaps for Spring

Chris Beytes, Ellen C. Wells & Jennifer Zurko

Check out our finds from the winter trade shows to stay on point for spring (and beyond).

Features

A Recipe for a Better Seasonal Workforce

Katie Elzer-Peters

Use these tips to help propel your seasonal workers to success.

Features

Attracting More Eyes (And More Shoppers)

Joe Dysart

Boost the visibility of your online content through Search Engine Optimization.

Features

Shopper’s Delight

Jennifer Polanz

What’s new in gifts, home décor, garden accessories and holiday for 2017 from AmericasMart in Atlanta.

Features

Tools: Ease of the Squeeze

John Johnston

Help customers garden comfortably with ergonomic tools.

Features

TRICKS: A Place at the Table

Ellen C. Wells

At least four vendors at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, this past January showed off both plants and packaging by creating displays based on the dining experience.

Front Lines

Billy Foard Passes

Jennifer Polanz

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Billy Foard, the founder and owner of Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, Maryland, who passed away Wednesday, January 25, at the age of 78.

Front Lines

Growing Food With Your Flowers

Jennifer Polanz

Now consumers have a guide to go along with their desire to grow food and flowers.

Front Lines

GrowIt! Gets Behind IGCs

Ellen C. Wells

Thanks to a growing amount of user data and listening to the needs of the GrowIt! community—they’ve grown the app to better support that community by linking the community to the local source: independent garden centers.

Front Lines

Looking for a Solution to Boxwood Blight

Jennifer Polanz

With the presence of Boxwood Blight (BB) now in Northeast Illinois, the number of states BB has been detected in comes to at least 22, in both nursery and landscape settings.

Front Lines

Making Bloomin’ Easy Even Easier

Jennifer Polanz

Founded by Van Belle Nursery, Inc., the Bloomin’ Easy brand of young plants now has a new website: bloomineasyplants.com.

Front Lines

Martin Viette Closing (For Now?)

Jennifer Polanz

After 87 years in business, Martin Viette Nurseries in East Norwich, New York, closed its doors in December, according to an article on the Newsday website.

Front Lines

Winter Trade Show Outlook: Positive

Jennifer Polanz

Attendance was up at many of this year’s winter trade shows and orders were being written (which is a better way to get a read on the upcoming spring).

Profit Planet

(Anti) Social Media

Bill McCurry

True “social” media includes back-and-forth dialogue with constant engagement by the customer.

The Friel World

Good Show!

John Friel

Working a good show, even the bad news is a good problem to have …

The Goods

Adriana Heikkila

AmericanHort; Anthony Tesselaar Plants; Bailey Nurseries Inc.; Big Grass Living; Bushel and Berry; Couronne Co.; Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm; Desert Steel; Featherock Inc.; HOMEbox; Kieft Seed; Marketing Garden LLC; Nature’s Source; Oglesby Plants International; Star Roses and Plants; Van Belle Nursery Inc.; WindowAlert Inc.