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STRONG MARKETING MEANS BIG DISPLAYS, CONSIDERING MILLENIALS
Sales increase with larger displays and in cross promotions, says Mike Blume, director of sales and marketing for Keystone Fruit Marketing, Greencastle, PA. He recommends promoting sweet onions as “great on a burger,” or “great on the grill” or “great in a salad.” “Ideally, display them with all onions, but secondary displays near tomatoes, bagged salads and even in the meat department typi- cally work well,” he recommends. “
Blume suggests heavy promotion during holidays, beginning with Memo- rial Day. “Sweet onions are now avail- able year-round, but displays should be expanded during the Vidalia and Walla Walla seasons,” he says. “Consumers will be looking for these onions.”
To successfully market to the younger generations of shoppers, retailers must cater to their needs. “The connected generation, the Millennials, are also the most information-hungry generation,” notes Teri Gibson, director of marketing and customer relations for Peri & Sons Farms, Yerington, NV. “Consumers are looking for a connection, so we try to provide that with engaging information on all of our packages, along with links to
more information about the farm’s culture, philosophy and products.”
Address Millennials’ interest in social cause, says John Shuman, president of Shuman Produce, Reidsville, GA. “As Millen- nials are very socially conscious, they want to know the stores in which they shop are purchasing from farmers who are socially
responsible,” he says. “Promote the fresh- ness, health benefits and give them ideas for usage. Make the information easy to access and beneficial.”
An interesting switch has been with ethnic groups, which are leading a lot of movement toward sweet onions. “It seems like the ethnic groups, especially Hispanics, are trending more toward sweet onions,” says Delbert Bland, pres- ident of Bland Farms, Glennville, GA. “Years ago, they didn’t even want to consider a sweet onion.”
Strategically positioning sweet onions could induce more purchases by ethnic groups and younger shoppers. “Key factors for Millennials when purchasing produce are attractive displays and signage, inno- vative packaging as well as useful tips and recipes, says Lauren Dees, marketing manager for Generation Farms, Lake Park, GA. “The location in the store is also a great opportunity to merchandise to a certain demographic such as ethnic popu- lations. Generally, sweet onions have not been the category leader for certain ethnic dishes, but modifying recipes to comple- ment sweet onions will generate interest and sales.” pb
strengthening the sweet onion category. Retailers really need to wow the customer to draw them in, and done correctly, it will increase sales and keep customers happy.”
PROMOTE SEASONALITY
A difference in merchandising sweet onions versus regular onions is their seasonality. Promotions touting regions and the timeli- ness of production are important, says Kelso. Retailers should announce “seasons” in their sweet onion promotions, he says. “Time of the year is key,” says Kelso. “Promotions aligned with proper intel of where and when the onions were harvested are important. Promote them with big displays and point-of-purchase cards.”
The production timing and different growing regions are among the catego- ry’s benefits, says Teri Gibson, director of marketing and customer relations for Peri & Sons Farms, based in Yerington, NV. “With all the seasonal and regional sweet onion variations available to retailers throughout the year, such as Vidalias in the spring and Sweetie Sweeties in the fall, there’s a wonderful opportunity for retailers to high- light each region and each onion’s attributes
with clear, distinguishing signage,” she says. Growers continue to maintain their onion’s reputation through improvements. “Every year, we put a lot of money into research to produce a sweeter onion that capitalizes on the taste and shelf life, the big things,” says Bob Stafford, manager of the Vidalia Onion Committee, in Vidalia, GA. “When the product goes on the shelf and consumers buy and take it home, all you have is the product, your final and most important test because if that onion is good, they will want to buy more. We are very inter-
ested in satisfying the consumer.”
Effective signage helps sales. Promoting
the onions’ origin can help spark shopper interest. “Rather than a static display of sweet onions in general, highlighting the farm and growing location of sweet onions will help them stand out,” says Gibson. “In-store branding standards can impede the produce team’s ability to share the grower information that makes each variety so interesting.”
Stores should consider their signage requirements, as some chains maintain many restrictions that prevent signage from effec- tively communicating with shoppers, says Bland. “Oftentimes, retailers throw onions on
the shelf but then don’t go into any detail in merchandising, which is a big downfall,” he says. “The biggest challenge is identifying the product,” says Bland. “Signage is the biggest thing. Unless you’re an onion expert, there’s no way a consumer can tell the difference between a regular everyday hot onion from the West or a sweet onion from the South.”
DISPLAYING FOR SUCCESS
To attract attention to sweet onions, J&D’s Bassetti recommends positioning displays in end caps or in different locations away from other yellow Spanish onions. “Merchandising correctly is extremely important,” he says. “Done correctly, it will increase sales and consumption.”
Merchandising ties into ad promotions, says Shuman. He recommends retailers display sweet onions in bins, host display contests and and use point-of-sale material. “You can get better results for promotions when you increase the size of the display to drive sales during ads,” he says. “Seasonal items promote excitement. Vidalia onions are anticipated all year.”
Sweet onions should be prominently displayed, says Brent Bryson, salesman with
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