Consumer and shopper behviouralist Ken Hughes warned the garden industry yesterday not to ignore the digital revolution.

He urged retailers to embrace the ‘blue spot consumer’ – the modern shoppers who increasingly demand that goods comes to them.

The ‘blue spot’ alluded to the GPS location point on Google Maps.

Digital ‘natives’ – the under 35s – were seeking experiences, not products, he said, and this would increasingly become the role of bricks and mortar retail outlets. “Physical retailers are still going to be important in the digital world but how you use the space to make money from it will change.”

Modern consumer looked for solutions and inspiration.

“You guys should own summer,” he said. “And your plant areas have to deliver an experience.”