Weekend Reading 12/6/24

Welcome to Garden Center magazine's Weekend Reading, a weekly round-up of consumer garden media stories meant to help IGCs focus marketing efforts, spark inspiration and start conversations with consumers.

This week: A report on this year's Black Friday online shopping, the value of gamifying holiday gift-giving, checking in with big box stores on discretionary spending and an explainer on underground greenhouses.

Black Friday numbers show rise in online sales, Retail Brew

Black Friday shoppers relied on online shopping in a big way this year, with online sales on Black Friday rising 7% YoY to hit $17.5 billion in the US, Salesforce data showed, Retail Brew reports. How are you utilizing your website for online shopping this holiday season?

Why Google Shopping turned holiday gift-giving into a game show, Retail Dive

Retail Dive quotes Stephanie Horton, senior director of global commerce marketing for Google., as saying, "We discovered around 60% of people like to treat the holiday gifting period as a little bit of friendly competition, like, ‘Who’s going to give the best gift?’ So we centered an entire campaign all around this [idea]." How are you applying this concept with your customers?

Walmart boosts discretionary spending as Target sees ‘more of the same’, Retail Brew

Something to be aware of from the big box stores from Retail Brew: In the third quarter, Walmart reported that general merchandise showed “positive unit growth,” while Target said there was “continued softness” in discretionary categories. 

An Underground Greenhouse Is the Secret to Year-Round Gardening—Here's What to Know, MarthaStewart.com

An underground greenhouse is the perfect place to overwinter your spring and summer plants, MarthaStewart.com says. Find out more to share with your customers.

Enjoy your reading, have a great weekend and we'll see you next week!