If the sight of Christmas decorations next to Halloween candy on store shelves makes you raise an eyebrow, you may want to get used to it – because a trend has arrived that garden retailers can’t afford to ignore.

In recent years, 43% of holiday shoppers planned to start shopping in November. But signs are indicating a major shift this year, and retailers need brace themselves: holiday shoppers are shopping EARLY in 2020, and their preferences have changed.

Read more to learn 3 must-have tips for positioning your brands this holiday season.

With Black Friday behind us, who do you think will be the big spenders this holiday?

According to a recent survey by The National Retail Federation (NRF), young adults ages 18-24 plan on spending more this holiday season compared to last year.

54 percent of consumers overall, plan to spend about the same as last year, while 24 percent plan to spend more. Among those aged 18-24 — which includes the oldest members of Generation Z — 46 percent say they will spend more than last year.

“As Gen Z and Millennials get older, their purchasing power increases, and the rise in disposable income is sure to be seen by retailers,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “This group of consumers has spent time carefully researching gifts for friends, family and themselves, and are ready to begin knocking out their shopping lists.”

What do these holiday spending trends mean for garden businesses?

Read more to find out how to ensure these big spenders are shopping your products or store.

The holiday season is here – which means goal setting and planning for 2017, lots of holiday parties and, for many, giving back to others.

In fact, the holidays are the most popular time for companies to harness the spirit of giving. Nearly 34 percent of all charitable giving is done in the last three months of the year, 18 percent in December alone.

It's for this reason that #GivingTuesday was created, a global day dedicated to giving back. This year it fell on Nov. 29. Next year it falls on Nov. 28. 

Here at Garden Media, we celebrate the holiday spirit by giving back at our annual Christmas Wrap. This year we had the pleasure of working with Oxford Church of the Nazarene and the Lighthouse Youth Center, a para-church organization that gives back to youth ages 9-18.

We gather as a team to sing Christmas songs, eat cookies and wrap our gifts. It’s a time of year when thinking about others is easy, fun and makes us feel good.

But enough about us. Let's take a look at what some of our favorite companies do for others:

It’s that wonderful time of year when we come together to celebrate the all extraordinary things - and people - in our lives that we give thanks to all-year-round. 

This year has been an exciting one for Garden Media, as we worked with new clients, promoted campaigns that we truly believed in and surrounded ourselves with the best people around. 

Our team is overflowing with thanks and gratitude. To you, our reader, thanks for always checking in and commenting. To our top-of-the-line clients, thank you for striving to be the best in class. And to our families, near and far - thank you – we'd be lost without you!

Continue reading to see who our team is thankful for this year.

The holiday season is right around the corner, which means you’ve probably been pitching gift guides for quite some time now. 

Holiday gift guides are a fantastic way to reach consumers and promote your product to a wide variety of audiences. Consumers flock to gift guides for the easy-to-read format and for their accessibility.

Some gift guides have even become a national holiday staple. I mean, who doesn’t love Oprah’s favorite things? Brands that want to see success in placing their product in a gift guide need to be strategic in their messaging.

Continue reading to learn how to pitch for a holiday gift guides.

Time is quickly running out in 2015, which means it’s time to make decisions and set your New Year’s resolutions for 2016!

Coming up with a personal resolution is easy — you know what your bad habits are and what you need to do to change them. There are support groups, clubs and apps to help you change your ways. Professional resolutions are trickier to identify because the list could honestly be endless.

Keep reading below to learn about the 5 pr resolutions will change your life and your business in 2016.

The holiday season is officially here, which means it’s time to give.

If you work in an office setting, chances are you’ll participate in an office grab bag or White Elephant sometime this month.

Similar to shopping for a friend or loved one, employees should devote time into thinking of a creative gift to give their coworkers.

Channel your creative energy into picking out the perfect holiday gift for your office mates.

Continue reading for tips on how to shop for the office secret Santa.