Without question, 2015 was the year of the millennials. Prognosticators held countless conferences, engaged in many conversations and focused most trend presentations on predicting what the soon-to-be largest purchasing power group on the planet will want to buy. Turns out they were right. As forecasted, retailers did see a rise in products that fit the desired part-of-something-bigger lifestyle sought after by our millennials. Self-expression via color did take place and products espousing some sort of organic feel were the best sellers.

However, a funny thing happened along the way in 2015 — it seems the lines between generations have become blurred. Are the baby boomers living their lives through their kids, again?

Some of the 2016 floral container trend predictions include Bring the Outdoors In, Buy Local and ‘Sustainable.As our industry has always believed, floral containers follow trends in home décor and apparel. The forecasters from these industries aren’t really predicting anything much different than what they believed would happen in 2015. There is, however, one major difference — millennials are never mentioned. Did the buying power of this group drive manufacturers, distributors and retailers to a chips-all-in approach?

The 2016 predictions for floral containers, regardless of generation biases, are as follows:

• Bringing the Outdoors In. This trend has been on our radar for over three years now. It bodes well for anything floral and plant oriented because consumers want flowers and greens inside their homes.

• Buy Local. Buy local is another movement brought forward from a few years ago and this consumer desire is gaining momentum. Made in the USA, and locally grown goods are expected to influence purchasing decisions heavily.

• Geometric. This is an easy target because geometric patterns and shapes are everywhere. This isn’t always about the ultra-modern look; mosaics are also considered part of the geometric family. Stock up, it’s already hot.

• Mixed Metals and Metallics.Apparently, gracing environments with gold, rose gold or copper is the new vintage. The anticipated alternative in this arena is mixing metallics with other materials.

• Sustainable. Well, this word may be the most overused and perhaps misinterpreted trend out there. Go ahead and confuse it with natural materials, recycled and re-purposed — they all fit sustainable. Concrete and wood get the award for most mentioned in this group.

What we do not know today is what’s really driving these predictions? Is it that producers can’t manufacture, store and market traditional styles along with all these new trends? Could traditional looks and colors become a thing of the past? I doubt it. Tradition will always have its place. However, it is clear that the baby boomers have given in again and they want what their kids want. Our millennials appear to have imposed their will.

Kelvin Frye is director of sales and marketing at Syndicate Sales in Kokomo, IN. He can be contacted at [email protected].