Taste, nutrition content and the grab-and-go factor might prompt consumers to put berries on their shopping list, but purchases might also be driven in-store by creative displays and innovative merchandising techniques, grower-shippers say.
Retailers can make an impact on shoppers with strong berry displays that offer variety and make choices clear for shoppers, says Jerry Moran, vice president of sales for Salinas, Calif.-based Naturipe Farms LLC.
Focusing on high-visibility merchandising that leverages berries’ natural impulse appeal also can help drive maximum velocity, says Brad Peterson, director of business development for Watsonville, Calif.-based California Giant Berry Farms.
Visibility and scale are of utmost importance, adds Steve Magami, co-founder and CEO of Century City, Calif.-based Fruitist.
“Larger displays create a sense of abundance and quality, which drives trial,” he says.
Hype the Health Benefit
The blueberry category has an advantage of its own when it comes to currying favor with consumers, says Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the North American Blueberry Council.
USHBC has long sponsored health research that has created a strong foundation on which retailers can build, he says.
Display Decisions
Naturipe’s Moran encourages retailers to start off by making sure their berry displays are well-stocked with multiple pack sizes throughout the day.
“Data continues to show significant lost opportunity due to out-of-stock situations,” he says.
Cross-merchandising is another sales booster, like placing berries near yogurt, bakery or breakfast items so shoppers can easily picture how berries fit into meals and treats, Moran says.
“Creating abundant, tiered displays at the store entrance or within high-traffic corridors establishes a sense of farm freshness that captures shoppers immediately,” California Giant’s Peterson adds.
Large pack sizes also help lift berry sales.
Data from the California Strawberry Commission says 32-ounce containers are “massive drivers of category growth,” accounting for nearly 68% of incremental sales, Peterson says.
He also recommends cross-merchandising.
“Retailers can simplify holiday shopping by pairing fresh berries with bakery staples like shortcakes or dairy items like whipped cream,” he says.
And since more than half of strawberry volume is historically sold on promotion, implementing BOGO offers or multi-buy pricing can generate volume lifts exceeding 35%, Peterson says.
What a Study Shows
Cronquist says USHBC shopper research has shown that:
- Clear and bold in-store merchandising sells more blueberries.
- Cross-merchandising with highly aligned products (like yogurt) is also successful.
- Signage that refers to the quality and value of blueberries is effective as well.
“Positioning blueberries as a ‘healthy-but-easy’ snack with multiple everyday use cases is key to increasing basket size and repeat purchase behavior,” Cronquist says.
USHBC provides turnkey, customizable retail merchandising solutions, including:
- Seasonal marketing toolkits aligned to key selling periods and occasions.
- In-store activations, point of sale and signage designed to drive visibility and impulse purchases.
- Digital shelf and e-commerce assets to support omnichannel conversion.
- Shopper insights and data-backed strategies to guide merchandising, pricing and promotion decisions.
“Clear pricing, strong quality cues and well-organized displays help shoppers move confidently through the purchase process,” Cronquist adds.
Mind the Placement
Fruitist’s Magami suggests that retailers rethink how berries are positioned in-store.
“For a long time, they’ve been treated as a commodity produce item, which naturally limits how often people buy them,” he says. “But when you start to merchandise berries as a snack, you unlock a very different kind of behavior.”
That means moving them beyond the produce aisle and into more impulse-driven environments, like near checkout, in grab-and-go coolers or alongside items people already associate with snacking, he says.
Fruitist works closely with retail partners to share insights on what’s actually driving growth, he says. That includes product placement, how various formats perform and how berries can bring new shoppers into the category.
