With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I would offer my Christmas Wish List for the produce industry. At the core of every “wish” is the hope to increase consumption and sales of fresh fruits and vegetables.
RETAILERS– I wish you would consider not treating the produce department like dry grocery or general merchandise. I appreciate the necessity of redeploying labor to accommodate online shopping but piling out a three-foot deep display of vine-ripened tomatoes—in the morning just so you don’t have to fill it later in the day—is not doing customers any favors (nor the tomatoes).
I wish you would realize customers don’t know all the nuances and flavor profiles of apples, melons, onions, tomatoes, pears, and stone fruit, and create attractive and informative signage to help navigate increased varieties.
Wouldn’t it be cool if a customer could scan a QR code sending them to a short video of how items taste with suggested uses? Back in the day, there was a video series called “A Minute in the Kitchen with Mary” showing how to select and prepare various items. The best thing about this video was it made customers stop. The more time they spend in the produce department, the more they’ll buy.
I wish there was a “Ripe for Tonight” program for avocados. I know this might increase some shrink—and this is particularly true if good rotation disciplines aren’t taught—but I guarantee sales will increase (this works for pears and stone fruit too).
I wish promotional displays were priced to make turns match the size of the display. It’s sad to watch a display of sweet corn dry out because the price point didn’t increase sales velocity. And while I’m at it with corn, I wish store clerks knew that when they peel back the shucks, the kernels will lose their sugar content. Why would anyone want to buy dried out sweet corn?
Finally, I wish stores would teach workers not to exceed load line limits in refrigerated cases for items like berries and packaged salads.
PRODUCE FOR BETTER HEALTH FOUNDATION– I wish you would reconsider “Have A Plant” as the tag line. The idea is to sell more fresh fruits and vegetables, let the soy-based product people have their own tag line. But in all fairness, while I don’t like the tag line, I just don’t see any retail support out there. Back in the day, “5-A-Day” was everywhere: on bags, signs, packaging, and even on the weekly ads stores run. And now, with the merger of IFPA and PBH, the board of directors can add the support of its members to create a unified marketing message.
ORGANIC INDUSTRY– I wish you would tone it down. Look, there’s nothing wrong with organically produced fruits and vegetables, but they’re not going to save the planet and more importantly, not going to feed a hungry world.
My problem with the organic industry is how it’s marketed. A speaker at a recent conference mentioned being “glad to be speaking to the good guys.” Who are the bad guys? For an upcoming conference, the title of a talk is “Marketing to the Conscientious Consumer”—so if you don’t buy organic produce, you’re not conscientious? Marketing-wise, it’s bad to suggest some produce is good and some is bad, which creates unintended consequences.
We want to encourage consumers to buy all fresh fruits and vegetables. If they prefer to buy produce grown in a particular way, more power to them. But it’s been pointed out that for some consumers, especially in today’s economic times, items may be priced out of reach—and price is still the #1 factor driving consumer behavior.
So, there’s my Wish List for the upcoming season. And as I said earlier, my biggest wish for the produce industry is to encourage consumers to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. And if this wish comes true, 2023 will be a great year for everyone!
