Regional Structural Change in Production and Marketing Practices for the Nursery and Greenhouse Industry: 1988–2003

Abstract

Abstract The U.S. nursery and greenhouse industry has undergone major changes to production and marketing practices from 1988 to 2003. Using data from national surveys that have been partially funded by HRI, we examine the regional structural changes that have occurred during this period with emphasis on sales, advertising expenditures, and computer usage. Results indicate that a structural shift has occurred for several management decisions, with other decisions experiencing only regional shifts. Key results are that marketing and advertising expenses comprise an increasing percent of total sales, with advertising mediums experiencing varying levels of change. Transaction methods have experienced various types of changes with more in-person sales in the Northern region, less in-person sales in the Southern region, and no changes for the Western region. In contrast, telephone orders have decreased in the Northern region and increased in the Southern region, while all regions experienced lower trade show sales. There has also been a move away from wholesale toward retail sales, with repeat customers continuing to represent a large share of sales. Computer usage, as expected, has experienced a considerable increase due to every-day task usage.