Marketing
ABC’s of Sign Making… the Digital Way
Most everyone would agree that an excellent way to increase your retail sales is by creating customer awareness through promotions and marketing. While many store owners have already developed extensive advertising programs, they often overlook... more »Exploit Your Differences
Home stores and mass merchants provide stiff competition for independent retailers in virtually all categories. The "boxes" have become experts at transaction selling, providing low-cost and convenient product solution, and processing hordes of customers. Now,... more »Adding a New Station
Back in high school, I worked at a neighborhood pharmacy afternoons and weekends. One of my responsibilities was keeping the vast display of greeting cards clean, neat and stocked. Thinking back on that experience, even... more »Building Birding Success
Niche, niche, niche are you sick of hearing that word yet? It seems like all we have been hearing lately is that you need a niche to stay in "competition" with the big boxes.... more »Who Are Your Einsteins?
I was recently working with a garden center owner on a strategic repositioning. Since it was his fiscal year end, he was in the process of giving annual performance reviews to employees, and he asked... more »Adding the Feminine Touch
Within the past several years, green industry experts have been drilling it into your heads that your main customers are women, and you need to cater to them specifically because they are the main purchasers... more »Hands-on For Happier Customers
A few months ago a couple of my friends and I went to a cooking class at a local gourmet retail shop. We decided to pick a night when the retailer was presenting a type... more »Budding Markets
The amount of leisure time people spend gardening has been steadily declining since 1999, but household participation in the lawn and garden market is at an all-time high. "How can this be?" you might be... more »Looking for Linens
The linen market is like no other we have covered thus far in "Developing Markets." For this one, there should be a sign that reads "Caution: Use baby steps." The reason I say baby steps... more »Set the Table
Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Williams-So-noma you'd have to have been living under a rock the last five years or so not to know who these companies are. Stores like these have really made... more »Trade Shows of the Gift Market
To provide the most beneficial information to help develop or keep your gift section fresh and specialty oriented, we asked the sponsors/managers of the gift shows here in the states to provide the five Ws... more »Going for the Gusto
Remember that person on your block who always had an extravagant garden full of big blooming flowers; garden flags hanging from the porch; fancy trellises and containers placed here and there; garden ornaments all over... more »
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May 6, 2026
UF/IFAS online substrate course begins June 1
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