WENATCHEE, WA - Many cherry sales can be attributed to impulse buying, so how can retailers tap into this behavior when shoppers are now often buying their groceries online? The momentum of this top-dollar-generating category cannot be stopped, for Stemilt Growers is here to ensure retail rings are off the charts. I spoke with Brianna Shales, Senior Marketing Manager, to get the scoop.

“Cherries are primarily purchased on impulse and are also one of the few true seasonal fruits out there. As they’ve come back into season, we’ve been working to highlight their season start, and help our retail partners merchandise cherries in-store and via their online channels,” Brianna noted. “We know shoppers are making fewer trips to the grocery store right now, but that they are filling their baskets when they do shop. We also know that online shopping for groceries (via pick-up or delivery) has skyrocketed. We want to make purchasing cherries easy for shoppers whether they are shopping in-store or online, and packaging is one way that we are able to deliver that.”

Moving into Stemilt’s Washington-grown cherry crop this June, the grower has multiple strategies up its sleeve to enhance retailers’ online shopping game.

“We’ve invested significantly into Top Seal packaging on our Washington packing lines, and are encouraging these consumer packs for both in-store or online sales,” Brianna explained. “Carrying a UPC item like this has many benefits. It streamlines the online order fulfillment process and it's easy to move through the supply chain. Top Seal can help drive a bigger purchase size online, especially when retailers carry a 2 lb Top Seal during the peak promotional weeks for Washington cherries. One downside to online shopping for produce is that it can be hard for shoppers to gauge how much they are buying. Top Seal or any set-weight pack makes it easy for people to understand the quantity they are buying.”

Not only does Top Seal packaging promote convenience, it also assures shoppers that the product inside remains untouched, as it is sold sealed. As an added bonus, Top Seal packages boast an average plastic reduction of 20 percent over a standard clamshell.

“In addition to having Top Seal packing capacity with our Washington cherries, Stemilt can assist retailers in adding these items to their online item database, and support digital ads through toolkits that tell the stories of where and how our fruit is grown. This is something that consumers are more curious about now than ever,” Brianna concluded.

As produce sales continue to trend up, keep reading AndNowUKnow for those necessary connections between buy and supply.

Stemilt Growers