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merchandising review pears
least one per month — with multiple pear varieties on ad at one time.”
Retailers with multiple-variety displays and big, bold displays “see great increases in sales, of course,” says Stephenson. “ ose that had the best results last year included cross-mer- chandising opportunities with salad, cheese, nuts and other ingredients commonly found paired with pears.”
roughout the year, Stephenson points out, pears can be promoted with the current season. Holiday baking, entertaining and decorating is a good t for pears from November to December “and connecting shoppers with the health bene ts of pears in the healthy New Year,” she says.
Retailers can rely on sampling events, in-store dietitians, website and social media sharing and more to build awareness of the pear seasons that consumers can celebrate.
Making a pitch to kids: “Kids love pears,” insists Brianna of Stemilt. “ ey are one of the rst foods given to a baby, and the enjoyment can continue into adolescence if we can provide kids with a great eating experience. Kids will tell you if they don’t like something, after all.”
Stemilt has had a line of kid-sized fruits that are centered on avor and quality for years. e Lil Snappers brand has transformed the way consumers see and enjoy small-sized pears, says Shales. “ ey now see this product as great for their kids, and the bags are helping to build incremental sales at retail for customers that participate.”
It is a brand that works, explains Shales, “because we are marketing intentionally to that kid/parent audience. ey see pears as a great snack or lunchtime solution because of this branded pack. We really believe getting kids to love pears is how we will build lifelong pear fans.”
Stephenson says, “Each year, our managers o er sales trend data showing opportunity gaps for the pear category compared to the market. We also provide usage and attitude information to help retailers know what shoppers are looking for. A great demographic graphic we use helps retailers recognize that pear consumers are younger than they may think, and are more a uent than most shop- pers. Paying attention to the pear shopper helps ensure to attract key groups to the store.”
Many retailers are placing fresh fruit at the front of the store for kids to try. ere are also often pear sampling events in stores, conducted by demonstrators or by nutrition ambassadors.
“Last season, several dietitians shared pear stickers provided by Pear Bureau to deco-
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PEAR BUREAU
rate pears like monsters for Halloween,” says Stephenson. “Many shippers participate in the Eat Brighter campaign to entice kids to try pears. Finally, the bagged pears, which are often kid-sized, are an excellent way to encourage kids’ consumption of pears.”
e right-sized pear makes it easy to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables, she adds. “PBNW also works with schools and education groups to make sure pears are ripe, ready and delicious for kids.”
Ready-To-Eat: e many health bene ts of pears are being promoted across multiple platforms. However, the selection and storage process is also being promoted to help consumers make better purchasing decisions with regards to pears.
“Pears are not always perfectly ripe and ready to eat when they’re placed in a shop- ping cart,” notes Sinks. “Instead, they may need to sit out at room temperature for a couple of days. We don’t want consumers to have a poor experience when they bite into a pear, so conveying the Check the Neck message [applying gentle pressure to the neck of a pear; if it yields, it is ripe] is relatively important.”
at, Sinks adds, is another reason why Sage Fruit is expanding is conditioned pear program — so that consumers can enjoy their pears when they get them home from the grocery store.
Varieties: Each variety of pear, Stephenson notes, has its own character, avor and uses. She calls Bartlett pears “the quintessential snacking pear, and great on salads with the fresh, bright avor when ripe.” Bosc pears “are a highlight during the holidays, partially because of the use for baking and poaching. ey have the most exceptional shape. e red pears are terri c sliced, adding color to any table. e Anjou pear can certainly inspire shoppers throughout the year with its versatile taste and texture — deli- cious out of hand, in dishes, on salad.”
Stephenson says there are 10 pear varieties
or more grown in the Northwest, “and honestly, most retailers don’t display more than three or four.” e Pear Bureau encourages retailers to bring all varieties to the table if they are inter- ested in creating excitement for their shoppers.
ere are a couple varieties on the horizon, shesays,butproducingthosetakestime.“We recommend retailers bring in the red pears like Starkrimson in the fall and Red Anjou in the spring, or add Comice pears during the holidays — a perfect gift-basket pear.”
Varieties aren’t necessarily being marketed di erently, Sinks points out, though the di erent sizes of pears are. “You’ll likely nd the larger ones in bulk, whereas smaller-sized ones are more likely to be packaged in a pouch bag. e smaller pears are a more kid-friendly size, and so often appeal to them.”
Promote With Apples: e most frequently purchased item along with pears is the apple, according to a shopping-basket analysis from one of the bureau’s major retailers.
Stephenson calls it a great idea to promote pears and apples together, encouraging shoppers to buy from their tree fruit categories. “Most consumers are likely to purchase both. e pear industry does not see apples as a threat to the pear purchase, but the large display space commanded by apples is a concern. Our marketers encourage retailers to maintain multiple pear varieties on shelf even when there is a new apple variety being considered.”
Shales says she does not have any clear data on whether or not consumers buy pears together with apples versus one or the other. “But pears are more of an impulse purchase than apples. Because pears are an impulse item, we must really wow shoppers with quality and avor,” she says.
Sage Fruit’s Sinks agrees. “Apples are an item consumers put on their weekly shopping list, while pears are more of an impulse buy. No one variety is a superstar, but there are three main varieties that dominate the cate- gory: Anjou, Bosc and Bartlett,” he says. pb