Building anticipation for cherries among store teams and shoppers

This article appears in the May-June issue of PMG magazine. Keep an eye out for your copy in the coming weeks.

Highlights

• The last truly seasonal produce staple, cherries are nevertheless one of the highest-performing categories for the year and key to the bottom line, produce retail professionals say.
• For many retailers, drawing shoppers into the cherry category starts before the fruit even arrives, with countdown signs in the produce department, posts on social media and even the occasional news spot about the favorite fruit coming soon to stores.
• Once cherries arrive, compelling displays work hand-in-hand with point-of-sale material on nutrition, reminders that cherries can be frozen to enjoy after their peak season, and more.

Warm weather means prime time for every produce department, from berries to stone fruit to grapes to the crown jewel of summer: cherries.

“During (California and Washington) cherry season, cherries are the number-one sought item in the department,” said Rob Ybarra, director of produce for Thibodaux, La.-based Rouses Markets. “When you compare that to the total department for the year, cherries by themselves have a place in the top 10 and sometimes top 5 …  That's a phenomenal accomplishment and proves how vital they are to the total produce sales for the summer season.”

Michael Schutt, senior category manager for produce and floral for West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley’s, described cherries as the last outpost of true seasonality.

Related: Retailers talk packaging preferences for cherries

“Due to that fact we look to promote as often as possible during their season,” Schutt said. “Dedicated prime real estate in high-traffic areas paired with the promotional activity make cherries one of the biggest sales opportunities that we lean in on all year.”

Dave Rhodes, director of produce and floral operations for Findlay, Ohio-based Fresh Encounter, noted that cherries can’t be beat when it comes to the end-all-be-all metric: dollars per square foot.

“Cherries is one of your highest-performing categories out there on a year-round basis,” Rhodes said. “It’s just amazing when they come in.”

Jeff Cady, director of produce and floral for Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Friendly Markets, noted that cherries – along with being the last truly seasonal item and a significant sales driver – also have the distinction of being an incremental item, for the most part.

“Not that they do not impact other items, but they grow the produce basket exponentially when they are available,” Cady said. “Consumers are usually buying more fruit at that time of the year, so the more cherries you have, the more fruit you sell.”

Building anticipation

Since many shoppers crave cherries, retailers put the word out internally and externally as the first shipments approach.

“Once we know we have a good start to the season, we’ll let the store teams know they’re on the way,” said Jared Waterfield, marketing director for Norfolk, Va.-based Military Produce Group. “We’ll do this either through an e-mail announcement or pre-order opportunity to get the produce managers activated. Once the product is ready for distribution, we look to add sales floor signage and announce their arrival to the patrons.”

Kevin Byers, senior merchandiser for Seattle-based PCC Community Markets, noted that the company will post on its social media accounts when they pick up the fruit from local growers to let shoppers know cherries are on the way.

Rhodes noted that he likes to get cherries into the ad as soon as possible once they become available in the right volume and quality, and Fresh Encounter stores also let shoppers know the fruit is coming with website updates and through in-store signage.

Related: Peak cherry season approaching, but cherry demand goes beyond summer

Josh Rector, produce category manager for Springdale, Ark.-based Harps Food Stores, said their stores also gives customers countdown-style updates on the arrival of cherries.

“Cherries have become a big sought-after item, and it’s allowed us to kind of get out ahead of the season and start dropping reminders and hints and letting the customers know that it’s coming up on cherry season, they’re almost here, whether it be doing like a countdown type of thing or some in-store promotions and signage,” Rector said.

“Then when they are here, we always do a cherry display contest, usually in the summertime when they’re widely available, and we have all our stores go out and build these big cherry displays and really kind of get after it and make it a big focal point in the department," Rector said.

Schutt said Raley’s also makes a point to talk about cherries well before they get to stores.

“We have used a host of methods to get the word out, from in-store message boards to social media and (website) posts, to having local live TV along with myself doing segments shot in the orchard during picking and in the packinghouse during packing to really prime the customers for the start of the season,” Schutt said.

Ybarra said Rouses starts with communication to the store teams so they can start getting customers excited about the arrival of the signature summer fruit.

“E-blasts also work great in building anticipation,” Ybarra said. “Once the fruit starts rolling in, the fun happens, big displays get built, customers start purchasing, and all is good. Personally, I get excited when I see rainiers – my favorite. I purchase two bags, one for the car on the drive home and one for the house. It's my favorite time of the summer season.”

Louis Scagnelli, director of produce and floral for Alpha 1 Marketing, an affiliate of White Plains, N.Y.-based Krasdale Foods, said their stores use social media posts, in-store signage and also handouts that promote the health benefits of eating cherries to get shoppers excited about the season.