February 2012 Management

Are You Keeping Up with Consumers? By Tim Hodson

Do you have your finger on the pulse of today's gardening consumer?

As the economy continues its s-l-o-w and methodical recovery, and as the gardening demographic continues to evolve and consumer tastes and buying habits shift and morph, it is imperative that you stay ahead of the trends so you can take advantage of them and grow your business accordingly.

In January, the editors of Better Homes and Gardens released their predictions for the gardening trends of 2012. You can find them at www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-trends/top-garden-trends.

According to the BHG editorial staff, this spring consumers will head to the garden center to find varieties and related products for small space gardening, creative and nutritious vegetable gardens, comfortable, colorful and relaxing outdoor living areas and up in the sky in their rooftop gardens.

While none of these trends are "new," it is interesting to see how they have changed over the years and how BHG's editors predict they will impact the market this year.

Are you producing the products that fit in these categories? Are you staying ahead of the curve so you can produce the products that consumers will want next year?

Even though Spring 2012 isn't even here yet, it is never to soon to start planning for 2013.

Be Sure to Check OutÉ.

Have you been to our website (www.gpnmag.com) recently? If you haven't, then you should.

In January we premiered the redesign of www.gpnmag.com with you in mind.

We wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to access the editorial content that you rely on to help you do your job — all in an attractive and easy-to-use format.

A special thanks goes out to Kate Bauer and Kevin Herda for their hard work and creativity in designing and programming the new www.gpnmag.com.