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merchandising review melons
of small watermelons, with its PureHeart mini-seedless watermelon. “Dulcinea is the original mini-seedless watermelon and, over the years, we have invested in building up aware- ness for the brand and category as a quality fruit with a consistent eating experience and, of course, recognition at point-of-sale,” says Thor- sten (Thor) Rhode, senior director, marketing.
Small melons take their place along- side, but not instead of, larger melons. Wes Liefer, chief executive of Pura Vida Farms, Brea, CA, notes the trend for cantaloupe is moving bigger, toward 9-count over 12-count or 15-count. He says, “In the Eastern United StatesandCanada,wherevarietymelonstend to be more expensive, smaller melons can carry a more appealing price than larger ones.”
4. DISHING UP MELON YEAR-ROUND
The winter months favor imported melons, while domestic melons dominate from spring through fall. But with 44 percent of consumers purchasing melons year-round, according to Robinson Fresh, imported and domestic melons share space in stores and on the plate.
The Sol Marketing Group, an off-shore melon distributor in North America and large grower and importer of winter melons, recently introduced new varieties that include the Honeydude, an exclusive honeydew melon with small seed cavity, sweeter taste and softer texture than the traditional honeydew, and the SOLito, a seedless mini watermelon with a sweeter taste and crunchy textured flesh.
“During the fall and winter months, water- melon demand is less elastic and consumption of whole watermelon decreases, but consump- tion of cut watermelon and mini watermelon increases,” observes Mike Martori, vice presi- dent, sales, Stella Farms LLC, Scottsdale, AZ.
“Customers buying watermelon in the fall and winter are typically buying watermelon on a regular basis, rather than on impulse so they are less sensitive to price or promotional activity.” He stresses the importance of quality as a driver of sales; customers who buy cut watermelon do so nearly every week.
Extend promotionals beyond the spring- summer peak for melons. “The import season is a great time to expand menu options for the consumer, particularly since watermelons lend themselves to many flavors and cuisines,” says Rosado, of the Watermelon Board. “While stores may not have bins of whole watermelon to showcase, they can market watermelon as a wonderful ingredient for seasonal recipes and a great snack on the go.”
Consumers may not notice the in-season switches from offshore to domestic and
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL WATERMELON PROMOTION BOARD
North American melons. “Quality matters more to the consumer than country of origin,” observes Liefer. “Consumers have changed a lot in the past 10 to 20 years. They used to be well-educated about the seasonality of produce, for example, Cali- fornia cantaloupes in the late spring into the summer, and look forward to the fruits of the seasons. But now that most melons are available year-round, the consumer doesn’t seem to care, even though the industry has tried to promote melons that are grown in the United States. Melon often is an impulse buy, so if it looks good, consumers will buy it. For domestic melons, flavor and quality peak between mid-May (15) and mid-October (15), so that’s when retailers can maximize marketing efforts on calling out quality.”
In contrast to the “off season,” melon specialists say the fruit will sell itself in the summer if priced well and is of high quality. Martori notes sales of whole watermelon peak during Memorial Day and July 4th because they are a central part of consumers’ celebration plans for those holidays. “Demand for whole watermelon in the summer is relatively elastic, so lower retail prices will have a significantly positive impact on sales. Warm tempera- tures will help drive sales. Also, quality is an important factor during summer months for driving repeat purchases.”
“Although we sell melons year-round, we see a huge spike during the local season due to high quality at a good price. That’s when we put a lot of effort into melon signage,” says Blanton. “Here, Hermiston watermelons and other area melons are readily recognized by local customers so we can brand them by name. For those who ask what makes those melons so special, we readily offer a taste sample as the best way to communicate quality and flavor.”
The relationship among ripeness, sugar content and shelf life is readily apparent. “Generally, domestic melons are picked vine- ripe and the shelf life of a honeydew with a lotofsugar,forexample,isaboutthreetofour
weeks,” says Liefer. “Melons from Central America can’t be picked at the same ripeness and sugar content because ripe melons do not hold up as well to a long shipping period. That is why some off-shore melons are less sweet and not as flavorful as their domestic counterparts.”
5. SAMPLE AND SAVOR
In a produce department typically stocked with mainly single-serve fruits, whole melons represent a big commitment for the shopper. Melon size creates an urgency to eat the fruit across several meals and snacks before it spoils. Because quality can be difficult to discern in a wholemelon,consumersfearbeingstuckwith a melon that is underripe or doesn’t taste good. Cutting melons to show ripeness and offering samples can ease consumer concerns.
“More than half the battle with selling whole watermelon is the hesitation if customers don’t know how to select it or what to do with it to avoid waste,” says Rosado. “The customer who buys fresh-cut watermelon may be different from the one who chooses a whole watermelon at the store. So keep bins of whole watermelons near the fresh-cuts so you can target both types of customers.”
Sol’s Bianco says sampling can help consumers with less familiar varieties. “When shoppers are presented with the opportunity to taste new or specialty varieties, they are more likely to purchase them. Sampling eliminates the risk of not knowing whether they will enjoy the product after purchase.”
Hal Blanton, of Blanton’s Market, notes, “We make sure we are in-stock, displayed well and sampling, especially when we bring in Santa Claus and other seasonal melons or varieties that look interesting to us. We lead with price, but quality of taste is important, and people will spend the money. We are not afraid to sample things out. In our experience, people will buy melons because they like them, independent of price. And when quality is good we can sell at regular retail price.”
6. CONVENIENCE CAN ENHANCE SALES
“Consumers have come to expect conve- nience above all else,” says Robinson Fresh’s Castagnetto. “Mini melons and ready-cut offerings provide the convenience consumers demand, and the fresh-cut segment continues to gain popularity as an answer for the busy lifestyles of consumers today.”
After mixed fruit, watermelon is the top value-added fruit item, according to the United Fresh FreshFacts on Retail 2018 Year in Review. Both value-added watermelon and cantaloupegrewindollarsales,poundssold