Page 50 - January_2019

percent this season, retailers should de nitely promote U.S-grown organic apples during winter. Organic apples have extended into mainstream grocery and all demographics, and they are available longer than ever. If they are not emphasized, sales opportunities are lost.”
Bristol Farms’ Savidan agrees. “ is time of year, folks are dieting, so organics play a big role.”
In addition to weight loss, a second potent marketing theme for apples in January is healthy snacks and lunchbox xings for Back- To-School 2.0, according to Stemilt’s Pepperl. e company ships its Lil Snapper packaged, bulk apple and bulk organic apple programs in easy half-pallet display bins. e Lil Snapper bin is for kids, and the organic and conven- tional bulk apple bins focus on apples as healthy snacks for adults.
“We also sell a lot of Lil Snapper programs, both organic and conventional, to retailers which focus on ‘intent marketing’ toward families. e big win is selling 3-pound organic programs on Lil Snappers. e organic crowd loves produce, so up-sell them 3 pounds and don’t reduce your sale to a 2-pound bag, which kills sales opportunities,” recommends Pepperl.
4. CREATIVELY MERCHANDISE
An e ective way to promote apples during the winter months, or any time of year, is to build large, eye-catching displays that high- light the numerous di erent varieties avail- able, recommends Sage Fruit’s Sinks. “Each apple variety has a unique avor pro le, which means there’s something for everyone.”
Bristol Farms’ Savidan agrees. “To be successful, you really need to focus on points of di erence. is includes varieties, avor pro les and recipes or pairings. Suggestive sampling and demos are also key to capturing the experience.”
Merchandising around newer managed apple varieties is an exciting process, says Fowler. “We use a traditional mix of merchan- dising support for retailers like high-graphic display bins, in-store signage and sampling programs. In addition, we have found utilizing Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to be exciting and dynamic tools to engage consumers to purchase more apples.”
5. PROMOTE BY PRICE AND BEYOND
Price is an e ective promotional theme to boost the wintertime apple ring.
Years ago, there was a premium attached to CA apples. Today, according to New York Apple Sales’ Allen, “prices are not e ected by
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CA, but by supply and demand.” at said, “encouraging store promotions, displaying apples front and center and keeping high- quality fruit in the marketplace” are among the best ways to promote.
At Bristol Farms, “We would do more of a spotlight campaign where we would run apples on featured ads and tie in a front door lobby presence. In e ect, try to capture customers as soon as they walk in the doors. Two- and three-day hot weekend buys are also a way to promote with less markdown and e ect to the bottom line,” says Savidan.
Back-to-School Lil Snapper ads, whole health ads, big variety ads, organic ads for whole health, and Earth Day ads for organic are all ideas Stemilt
pushes for retail in
the winter and early spring, says Pepperl. e company also sells a 5-pound stand up pouch bag program called Apple Lovers that is a fun way to sell larger volumes of apples to folks who love apples or for romance-oriented holi- days such as Valentine’s Day in February.
Apple promotions, however, can slow down in the winter as prime citrus products start to peak with programming and promo- tions. Apples still command a high majority of space in the retail department, and there are usually special promotions with the newer
ABOVE:PHOTO COURTESY OF RAINIER FRUIT; BELOW: PHOTO COURTESY OF STEMILT GROWERS
stronger storage varieties that tend to take the limelight during the latter winter/early spring months. One example of this is Honeybear Marketing’s Pazazz apple campaign that starts this month ( January).
“ e campaign is themed around cele- brating special moments when we eat Pazazz. e Life gets More Flavorful with Pazazz theme encourages consumers to nd and share their own Pazazz ( guratively and literally). We will lean on targeted social media platforms including, but not limited to Facebook and Instagram, and utilize playful, punchy graphics and messaging to reach our audience. is campaign is launching across the entire Eastern Seaboard, from
Canada down through Florida with our key retail part- ners. We look forward by supporting them with sales contests, geo-targeted promotions and in-store demos just to name a few,”
says Roper.
A second example is Fowler
Farms running three online sweepstakes for RubyFrost apples. “ ese include a sweet- heart promotion for February, an in-school marketing program and a Baker’s Little Helper online sweepstakes. Plus, we’ll o er digital coupons,” says Fowler, whose company, like most in the industry, now continues an apple category promotional push well into the year. pb