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buying an onion, the onion is an ingredient. You sell a consumer an onion, you can sell them anything in your store but maybe ice cream.”
Retailers do well merchandising sweet onions in a variety of packaging. “Bulk, bags and bins offer a range of merchandising options from end cap to first eye areas of stores,” says G&R’s Werner.
Kevin Hendrix, vice president of Hendrix Produce, Inc., Metter, GA, recommends retailersmerchandiseavarietyofpackaging. “A great way to merchandise would be to run bag ads along in rotation with bulk,” he says. “Rotate the bag promotions and bulk promo- tions. We have seen a lot of success with those.” Hendrix says interest is growing in the 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-pound bags.
Creating meat bunkers, which include all
ingredients for a recipe, represents an effec- tive way to help shoppers live healthy and choose nourishing meals while simultaneously increasing in-store sales, says NOA’s Hardwick. “This concept eliminates common consumer barriers to eating more frequent family meals – lack of new meal ideas and limited time – and cross promotes products from various depart- ments of the store,” she says.
Attention should be paid to the younger demographics.“AlthoughMillennialspurchase sweet onions less frequently than older gener- ations, providing recipes is a great way to encourage them to buy,” says Keystone’s Blume.
POSITION THROUGHOUT STORE
Cross merchandising through secondary displays helps maximize sales opportunities
and assists consumers with meal planning. Retailers can use secondary displays and other promotional materials throughout the store to drive incremental sales, says Shuman.
“Based on our consumer research, we know merchandising Vidalia onions throughout the produce department is important to maximize sales,” he says. “Shuman Farms offers full-color, high-graphic secondary display bins that can be easily placednotonlyintheproducedepartment, but also in the meat department, which offers customers the perfect add-on item to what they are already putting in their baskets.”
It’s not difficult to cross-merchandise sweet onions. “Sweet onions can easily have a home all over the store, helping consumers with easy meal ideas,” says Generation Farms’
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