Spring is synonymous with home improvement for The Home Depot, and the world's largest home improvement retailer is kicking off the season with its Spring Black Friday sales event. Starting today, customers have access to 11 days of in-store and online savings on seasonal essentials, including mulch and mowers, as well as patio, grills and smart garden devices.

In 2016, The Home Depot is further enhancing its interconnected retail offering, including a more robust fulfillment repertoire while bringing scale and efficiency to an unprecedented in-store mobile experience.

"Our shoppers are demanding more of retailers, and we're answering that call with an increasingly intuitive shopping experience that more efficiently merges the digital marketplace with our stores," says Kevin Hofmann, senior vice president and president of online for The Home Depot. "We've made tremendous strides, building out features and functionality that eliminate pain points in our customers' preferred path to purchase."

Customers are quickly adopting The Home Depot's interconnected programs and fulfillment options, such as Buy Online, Pickup In Store. As reported in Q4 2015, more than 40 percent of the retailer's digital transactions are picked up inside a store.

While making it easier for consumers to find and buy, The Home Depot is simultaneously challenging vendor partners to bring new innovation into stores and onto homedepot.com.

"Another piece of the puzzle is providing customers with the brands and products they know at a great value while bringing the latest advancements and technology that make their homes work smarter for them," says Jeanine Huebner, senior vice president of hardlines for The Home Depot. "We are constantly looking for the best and most inventive new products to help us lead this next generation of home improvement."

Spring 2016 at The Home Depot comes with a trend-driven lineup of game changing products, industry leading brands and exclusive programs.

• Smart home technology: This category includes functional products that make the entire home smarter, safer or more efficient – starting with wireless video doorbells and continuing with thermostats, cameras, lighting, smoke alarms, garage door openers and even smart irrigation devices.

• Outdoor power: The latest advancements in outdoor power tools are designed to more efficiently keep yards maintained. Cub Cadet has integrated Bluetooth technology into a zero-turn riding mower, while ECHO and EGO lead the way in cordless outdoor power that rivals the power and runtime of gas. Lithium ion batteries are increasingly popular, especially as brands like RYOBI and DeWalt add to their growing platforms of indoor and outdoor tools controlled by the same battery.

• Simplified gardening: In addition to the rise of organics and edibles, simplified gardening is trending with low-maintenance flowers that produce vibrant colors, plants selected to thrive in local conditions and "patio-ready" container gardens or raised garden beds. The Home Depot's live good merchants partner with 150 growers to stay up on trends and assort nursery selections regionally.

• Connected garden: Technology is also playing a role in gardening. With water conservation top of mind, smart devices are making it easier to water more efficiently without sacrificing a healthy lawn and garden. From Wi-Fi irrigation controllers that manage your entire yard to garden sensors that help you maintain smaller areas, smart home technology now has a green thumb.

• Outdoor living: Bringing interior design trends outdoors continues trending as customers look to transform their outdoor space. It often starts with selecting patio furniture, and The Home Depot's Choose Your Own Color program offers 16 different frames and 15 fabric options. From there, it's all about personalization with The Home Depot's expanded assortment of patio accessories – from pillows and poufs to string lights, lanterns and umbrellas with solar-powered LED lights.

• Grilling: The Home Depot is empowering customers with advancements in technology and design from some of the most respected brands in the industry. The 2016 selection of Weber grills includes portability in the Weber Q, the Original Kettle series and the Gourmet Barbecue System. In addition to Weber, The Home Depot is expanding its overall assortment with infrared technology from Nexgrill, pellet grills from Traeger and a ceramic charcoal grill from Vision Grills.