Retail BITES

IS it crispy, sweet, bold or zingy? Customers at major retailers between March and September last year were asked to taste many varieties of Aussie apples to celebrate their differences in taste attributes.

This initiative is one aspect of Hort Innovation’s Apple and Pear Fund marketing levy functionalities. It aims to excite and delight consumers at the point of purchase and influence consideration of apples as the number one healthy choice for snacking occasions. This activity was overseen by the Strategic Marketing Panel, which advises the Hort Innovation marketing team. The objective is to raise awareness, educate and increase the consumption of Aussie apples grown across Australia. The full report provided by Hort Innovation is available on the Pomewest website (www. pomewest.net.au/news/2023- australian-apples-in-store-sampling-program-results).

The purpose of this endeavour was to implement a static instore sampling campaign that invited shoppers to trial different apples across the spectrum of Australian production, including seven branded and commodity varieties – Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Jazz, Kanzi, Pink Lady, Envy and Bravo.

The program involved 900 sessions in Woolworths and Coles across the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia scheduled for the busiest retailer days and high-traffic times to maximise impact. A total of more than 98,000 samples were consumed and an estimated 111,000 shoppers were exposed to the Aussie apple brand and products. There was an average of 110 samples per session.

During the activation, sales resulted in about 1,300,000 apples or 1200kg sold. The average quantity of apples sold during the sampling session was up by 30 per cent, which is a considerable uplift after partaking in the promotion. The average purchase of apples was about four apples per customer.

In WA, 34 stores were targeted, which exposed about 4000 customers to the trial. Feedback from consumers was that the factors deterring customers from purchasing apples were price (53 per cent) and taste (23 per cent). Taste was also the most perceived value to those purchasing. Most customers rated the quality of the apples on display highly and recognised that apples were rated well in terms of value for money. The likelihood of purchasing new apple varieties after sampling was high, indicating that sampling effectively promotes better apple consumption. Pink Lady and Gala apples were the most common varieties of apples purchased by consumers, and 48 per cent of customers said they purchased apples at least once per week.

Customers were receptive to trialling new apple varieties and interested in their different taste profiles and characteristics – “I didn’t know apples tasted different. I just thought all red varieties were the same,” said one female, aged 21-30. The types offered drew the customers’ attention to the diverse options available in the market. Some customers wanted to see how apples could be served differently or paired with other ingredients. In terms of negative feedback, the most common barrier to sampling was some did not like apples!