Sales of lawn and garden equipment have been sluggish in recent years. Sales peaked in 2005 and have been declining and struggling to pick up ever since.

Despite these continued challenges, consumer research firm Packaged Facts projects retail sales will increase by a CAGR of 3 percent in the U.S. to reach $11.8 billion by 2019. Read on to learn more.

There are a number of trends causing shake-ups in the personal care appliance market, leading to some interesting questions.

• Why is a vacuum company making hair dryers?
• How do the increasingly active lifestyles of elderly Americans present an opportunity for appliance companies?
• And what on Earth is “peak beard”?

If you want the answers to all these questions (and more), read on.

This past month, MarketResearch.com’s publishing divisions were cited in a wide variety of publications including the New York Times, Slate Magazine, and numerous trade journals. Take a look at a selection of press highlights below. To access more information about a particular topic, click the link to the report page.

While we know it’s important to not judge a book by its cover, this idea disappears when it comes to everyday shopping and buying decisions. With the average supermarket in the US carrying more than 40,000 items, brand owners face a daunting task in attracting attention to their products. In addition, the majority of buying decisions are made in stores. These factors make attractive and distinctive packaging a key component in the marketing of retail products.

As the economy improves, do-it-yourself consumers will flock to Home Depot and Lowe’s to renovate their homes and get started on projects that have been put on hold since the collapse of the housing market.

TechNavio, a leading research and advisory company, expects the global DIY market to rise at a CAGR of 3 percent from 2016 to 2020.

How can you get the answers you need to solve business challenges more quickly? Syndicated market research reports are the go-to solution for many professionals. Market research reports not only save you hours of time, they also add credibility to the work you do, whether you are refining your business plan, preparing a presentation for an important client, or making recommendations to an executive.

To illustrate the benefits of market research reports, we talked to a variety of professionals who use these reports in their day-to-day work. Read on to learn how these individuals use market research reports to their advantage.

While food is historically known as one of the major uses for salt, the advent of chlorine and synthetic soda ash manufacture in the late nineteenth century and the use of salt for road deicing in the mid-twentieth century changed the importance of the food processing market.

Chemical manufacturing now is by far the largest outlet for salt, accounting for three-fifths of 2015 global consumption. Road deicing is the second largest share of world salt demand, followed by the food processing and livestock segments. Among other applications, water treatment and pharmaceutical manufacturing account for significant shares of salt consumption. 

Has the robot invasion begun? According to Tractica, a market intelligence firm that focuses on human interaction with technology, the consumer robotics revolution is “well and truly underway.”

Learn about the growing demand for domestic robots and what hurdles the market faces in the next few years.

Corporate professionals and entrepreneurs aren’t immune to unconscious biases and cognitive distortions. After all, the same thinking patterns that drive our everyday behaviors also carry over into our work and influence our decision-making. 

As Andrew Campbell, co-author of Strategy at the Corporate Level, wrote in the Harvard Business Review, “The daunting reality is that enormously important decisions made by intelligent, responsible people with the best information and intentions are sometimes hopelessly flawed.”

Fortunately, there are systematic ways you can reduce the risk of mistakes. The first step is learning to recognize thinking errors in the first place. Here, we highlight three cognitive distortions that can damage your business strategy and explain how to circumvent them.

MarketResearch.com has released a new e-book that highlights the top trends in the house and home industry. Drawing on insights from a number of premier market research firms, this e-book gives you expert forecasts on a wide variety of consumer goods from furniture to smart appliances to landscaping products.

This e-book will help you get up to speed quickly on innovative technologies that are transforming the industry and influential factors that are changing the demand for household products in key regions around the world.