California Strawberry Commission reaches consumers through Ibotta app

In a repeat of a successful promotion in 2020, the California Strawberry Commission is investing in generic promotions in the Ibotta app to reward consumers for purchasing fresh strawberries. The vast majority of California strawberries go to retail outlets, said Chris Christian, senior vice president of the commission. “The strong surge of retail demand that we experienced during COVID last year, and the ongoing level of demand, has more than made up for the loss in terms of foodservice during 2020,” Christian said. 

Foodservice will come back to some degree in 2021 but retail will get the majority of marketing focus, she said. “We do expect foodservice will be rebounding as things get more under control this year, but our efforts are really around communicating outreach to retailers.”

The California Strawberry Commission also has a very strong consumer promotion program via social media. One of the big promotions for 2021 is another partnership with the Ibotta shopper rewards platform. That promotion will kick off at the beginning of May, which is National Strawberry Month.

Ibotta is a shopper rewards smartphone app. The promotion provides cash back directly to the consumer with a purchase of fresh strawberries and supports all brands in the strawberry industry. Consumers take a picture of their strawberry receipt with their smartphone and upload it.  In some cases, the Ibotta program integrates with individual retailer loyalty programs. In that case, the consumer connects their loyalty account to the Ibotta app, which automatically uploads their purchase so they can receive the cash reward. “It is a seamless program for retailers; we had a very successful effort last year and we’re planning to repeat that this year,” she said. The commission will also have its summer strawberry recipe challenge.

Connecting 

Christian said the majority of trade show have transitioned to virtual. While that was beginning to change, she said it was too early to make any definite predictions about what is around the bend. “We will be taking a look at what actual events and conferences are going to be in person and we’ll have to evaluate that as the year goes on,” Christian said. “Certainly I think we can all be hopeful that as we get into the fall and into the next year, in-person events will become more and more possible.”