Walk into any supermarket in North America in the summer and you are bound to see a display of big, juicy watermelons waiting to be purchased for a picnic, backyard barbecue, or just as a tasty and refreshing treat for the family.

In fact, watermelons and summer are so closely associated that the U.S. Senate passed a resolution in 2008 that designated July as National Watermelon Month. A year later, the U.S. House of Representatives followed suit, and watermelon became the official fruit of the summer.

But what happens when the days start to get shorter, the mercury starts to come down and the back-to-school circulars fill the advertising sections of the newspapers?

For smart retailers, it means it's time to double-down on watermelon promotions, according to Juliemar Rosado, director or retail operations and international marketing for the National Watermelon Promotion Board, based in Winter Springs, FL.

“Watermelon is a year-round crop, and research has shown that people who buy watermelon buy many other fruits, so promoting it can help increase overall produce department sales,” said Rosado.

“A consumer research study conducted in August 2014 polled 3,200 people and found that those who purchased watermelon in the last 12 months are 33.4 percent more likely to purchase other fruits, including oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, apples and honeydew. Approximately 78 percent of those who bought watermelon in the last 12 months also purchased these fruits.”

To help retailers keep the momentum going with watermelon promotions, the NWPB offers retailers a wealth of resources on its website, www.watermelon.org. There, a section devoted specifically to retailers contains a retail toolbox that includes a peak production calendar and Twitter-friendly headlines to help with promotions on social media, as well as videos and store-level training materials to help educate produce department personnel on the best way to merchandise watermelon.

Also available in the retail section are point-of-sale materials and information about the Watermelon Queen program.

“We think it is very important for produce managers and store-level personnel to be knowledgeable about our product because they are the staff on the floor helping customers pick out watermelons,” said Rosado. “We are trying to boost the resources we have available to retailers so they are never out of ideas about how to promote watermelons.”

One post-summer promotion strategy the NWPB encourages is pushing more fresh-cut watermelon.

“In the fall, after the domestic season tapers off, it can be a challenge to have enough fruit for bin promotions, so we like to encourage more fresh-cut purchases,” said Rosado. “It is a convenient, sweet treat for kids and a perfect after-school snack.”

Another effective way to promote year-round consumption is to work with chefs and restaurant operators to get more watermelon on their menus.

“At the Watermelon Board, the retail division and the foodservice division work closely to keep up with consumer trends,” said Rosado. “Ideally, we want to influence chefs and restaurateurs to use watermelon on their menus so consumers will experience it when they dine out and want to make a similar recipe at home. It comes full circle.”

Rosado said the Watermelon Board is always open to feedback and suggestions from the retail community about how the Board can best assist with promoting watermelon. She said maintaining a presence at the regional produce shows gives her the opportunity for face time with retail clients, to better understand their needs.

“We want consumers to know that watermelon is not only for summer months,” said Rosado. “When the hot summer months go away, there are still plenty of uses for watermelon in any meal, any time of the day, every day of the year.”