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E-Commerce Connect members are bringing the voice of independent garden centers to the TPIE stage — and to future industry conferences focused on e-commerce and growth. The Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida — one of the horticulture industry’s premier gatherings — brought together growers, retailers, suppliers, and innovators from across North America. This year, E-Commerce Connect was proud to have our members featured as speakers in a key

What’s unfolding in plant retail isn’t a battle between online and in-store. It’s a realignment of who is best positioned to serve the modern customer. Spend any time in garden retail and you quickly notice something that doesn’t quite add up. Consumers are perfectly comfortable buying nearly everything online — clothing, groceries, furniture, even cars — yet plants still make people pause. They browse, they research, they save items to carts… and then they hesitate. This isn

Sales tax responsibilities in dropshipping can be complex. Learn the basics of nexus, common pitfalls, and why awareness matters as e-commerce activity increases. Sales Tax & Dropshipping: What E-Commerce Connect Members Should Be Aware Of (This is not tax advice — it’s a heads-up) Dropshipping continues to grow rapidly, with the model generating hundreds of billions of dollars in ecommerce sales annually. As more garden centers expand online through the E-Commerce Connect pr

When suppliers start telling their customers about a program, it’s usually a sign the network effect has begun... A New Chapter for the Green Industry The green industry has always been built on relationships. Growers, suppliers, and independent garden centers have relied on trusted partnerships to move products, share knowledge, and serve customers in their communities. What we are seeing now with the E-Commerce Connect Program is the digital evolution of those same relatio

If your customers can’t tap and buy directly from your posts, you’re creating friction—and losing sales. When you leverage our Canva templates from "The Post Office", that call to action button on our flyers are place holders for your product tags. On our templates, you may see “Shop Now”, "Get Yours Today", or “Learn More”, those buttons are just part of the image design. It looks clickable, but it isn’t until YOU tag your products. You can choose to delete this button in ou

Walk into a shop like Botanigal in Sykesville, MD or a concept like The Greenhouse Bar in Jacksonville and you’ll feel it right away—this isn’t traditional garden retail. The space is smaller. The selection is tighter. Everything feels intentional. These places are part plant shop, part lifestyle brand, and part experience. You’re not just buying a plant—you’re stepping into a point of view. And lately, I’ve been noticing something else. More of these shops are starting to mo

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) has become an important topic as consumer behavior shifts from typing short, fragmented searches to asking full questions inside AI tools. These systems don’t return a simple list of links—they generate answers based on content that clearly explains topics and provides real guidance. Generative search engines prioritize clear, helpful, and trustworthy information. Instead of rewarding businesses that simply spend the most on ads or create