Wenatchee, WA: Northwest cherries deliver an intense, extremely profitable season and there’s only a three month window left to plan promotions and reserve volume. Bolster sales from every direction with the freshest selections of premium cherries, high-graphic displays, and exciting promotional programs. CMI Orchards dives into this fruitful time of year with their sweetest sales guide yet.
With the largest selection of specialty cherries, along with staples like conventional and organic Red and Rainier, CMI’s Domestic Sales and Organics Manager Joel Hewitt says CMI is uniquely positioned to take this sizzling-sweet cherry season head-on. “From coveted fan-favorites like Red and Rainier to deluxe specialty varieties like Skylar Rae® and Strawberry Cherries, we’ve got it all,” Hewitt says. “Cherry season offers the most attractive window of the year for sales. Savvy retailers who get ahead of the game see their sales skyrocket, impacting total produce sales for the year.”
Danelle Huber, Senior Marketing Manager, explains that the trick to making sure cherry season isn’t just a flash in the pan is capitalizing on consumers’ anticipation with a multi-pronged approach. “Our programs take sales to the next level by curating a shopping experience that has customers coming back for more,” says Huber. “Displays typically drive up to 30% more sales in-store. When you pair that with cherries—the magical fruit that inspires seasonal excitement year over year—it’s really the dreamiest match-up you could ask for.”
Engaging shoppers in multiple ways is crucial, Huber says, because cherries are an impulse buy; they’re the sort of item that gets picked up on a shopper’s way through the store, or during their online shopping experience. She adds, “A study conducted by Harvard Business Review and a major US retail company found 73% of customers use multiple channels throughout their shopping journey, while only 7% were exclusive online shoppers and 20% were store-only shoppers.”
Huber goes on to explain this is why retailers should offer a range of channels, such as digital ads, in-store displays, and mobile app information to appeal to customers who prefer different methods of shopping to ensure capturing those impulse purchases from every angle. “The window for success is so tight during this season that we highly recommend retailers stay proactive and make sure they have secondary displays on hand,” she says.
Hewitt adds that, while it’s still too early to get an accurate sense of what the season holds, there are solid expectations of a good, healthy crop, which retailers can advertise through the majority of the summer. “Due to challenging weather conditions, last year’s cherry crop was down,” says Hewitt, “but this year we’re optimistic that retailers are going to get more bang for their buck on advertising throughout the season.”
View the full guide to CMI cherries: Click Here
About CMI Orchards
CMI Orchards is one of Washington State’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium quality conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries. Based in Wenatchee, WA, CMI Orchards delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
