Sales & Marketing
A staple of the Aussie family fruit bowl, apples and pears are both in the top 10 most frequently purchased fresh fruit category.
From a consumer perspective, the fresh produce category is becoming more dynamic with the new, exciting and premium varieties appearing on-shelf, year-round availability and perceived ‘new’ or superfood health benefits.
While new varieties such as Bravo®, Piqa® Boo®, Kanzi® are now more readily available, APAL market research shows that consumers regard apples and pears as ‘staple’ products: families always have them in the fruit bowl and see them as good value for money.
With increased competition from other fruits and ‘healthy snacks’, it’s more important than ever that consumers are consistently delighted by the quality of apples and pears. Just one poor eating experience can deter a shopper for weeks!
While there is no single characteristic that determines what consumers rate as a ‘great apple’, a ‘crisp’ apple will have a uniform look and feel, i.e. no blemishes, no bumps, preferably a round shape, not too big or too small, and with a vibrant colour.
Pears face an additional marketing challenge, with consumers sometimes unsure how to judge when a pear is ripe and ready to eat. The Pear Maturity Project, currently being conducted by APAL, will remove some of this guesswork by pre-ripening pears to create a more consistent eating experience – as has already been implemented to great success across avocados and kiwi fruit.
Finally, fresh produce shoppers are known to be largely habitual and difficult to disrupt, so creating attractive point of sale and merchandising displays is important. The use of packaging, however, must be managed carefully: while providing valuable marketing real estate for branding, improved country-of-origin labelling and convenience, there is a simultaneous and growing desire by consumers to reduce waste.
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