The first-ever North American marketing campaign for the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee is now in full swing and set to continue through the end of September. As of Week 32, more than 19,000 tons of kiwifruit had been shipped to North America, with shipments expected to continue through September.
With the goal of providing retailers with the tools they need to drive sales of Chilean Kiwifruit, the Committee’s trade campaign has included everything from digital coupons and demos to sales and display contests at both regional and nationwide chains. Comments Karen Brux, Managing Director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, “Our program has produced double digit sales increases across the board. With historically high dry matter, Chilean kiwifruit tastes better than ever this year. We’re confident that if people buy our fruit once, they’ll have a great eating experience and come back for more.”
Brux noted that while retail marketing and merchandising support is crucial, so is ongoing consumer communication. “There are so many choices in the produce department, so we need to make it as easy as possible for consumers to choose Chilean Kiwifruit. How does it taste? What role does it play in a healthy lifestyle? How do you choose a ripe kiwifruit? If it’s not ready to eat, how do you speed up the ripening process?” With over 350,000 Facebook fans and more than 20,000 on Instagram, social media has proven to be an effective channel for ongoing communication about everything “kiwi”. For additional consumer engagement, the Committee is also running social media promotions throughout the season and working with registered dietitians for sponsored TV segments.
The Chilean Kiwifruit Committee continues to raise the bar for harvesting parameters and is committed to growing and exporting consistently better kiwifruit, year on year. In regard to North America, the Committee is optimistic about growth opportunities. Chairman Carlos Cruzat states, “Our promotions are ongoing, but we’ve already seen the results of marketing great tasting fruit. Consumer feedback and retail sales figures have shown us that there is great potential in the North American market. We’re looking forward to 2020 and how we can grow excitement for Chilean Kiwifruit!”
Chilean Kiwifruit is available through October. For more information and promotional tools, please visit fruitsfromchile.com.
