Key sales opportunities with smaller apples and pears

Stemilt’s Lil Snappers kid-size fruit puts tiny fruit, into tiny hands offering parents a convenient, healthy fruit option for their kids. Stemilt Marketing Director Brianna Shales said retailers can shift focus from bulk apple promotions to include a Lil Snappers three-pound bag program in the regular apple and pear mix to move volume of smaller fruit this year.

“The decade-old Lil Snappers brand has been successful carving intent purchasing and providing a system for small, but great quality fruit,” said Shales. “This year, we have more opportunities for smaller-size fruit that will lend to packing more Lil Snappers and reducing labor costs for bulk apples. Getting behind a branded item like Lil Snappers through regular promotion presents the perfect opportunity to leverage bag sales.”

When a product like Lil Snappers delivers on quality and flavor, consumer shopping habits form and encourage repeat purchases. According to a study conducted by Deloitte Insights, there are two distinct customer personas: contemporary (younger, well-off shoppers) and conventional (older, low-income shoppers.) Seventy-one percent of contemporary shoppers and 54 percent of conventional shoppers said they would pay a premium for fresh food. Brand name remains more critical for Contemporary consumers (55 percent) than Conventional (35 percent).

“The fruit may be little, but the flavor and benefits are big when retailers carry Lil Snappers as an everyday item,” said Shales. “When retailers carry conventional and organic Lil Snappers apples and pears, you offer something for everyone and increase organic ring too. Lil Snappers can help move volume for core apple and pear varieties, including Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples, and Bartlett and Starkrimson pears.”

Colorful, high-graphic Lil Snappers boxes instantly display at retail to capture the attention of parents and children looking for a healthy snack. Nine three-pound bags will fit in one Lil Snappers euro box that doubly serves as a grab-and-go destination. Apples and conventional pears will come in a three-pound bag, and organic pears in a two-pound bag. Many retailers will sell apples in a two-pound bag to keep retail prices down, but a three-pound bag program will increase purchase size and move volume.

“We’ve seen lots of retailers leverage the display-ready cartons to create a destination for Lil Snappers, or put these stand-up bags in refrigerated displays,” said Shales. “Families are seeking convenience in their lives, and there are big benefits of merchandising a premium item at retail intended for a specific audience. Lil Snappers is a great brand to leverage that is quality consistent and fulfills our goal to delight consumers with great-tasting fruit.”