Domestic Pear Merchandising

Domestic Pear Merchandising. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Yesterday we began with the Pear Bureau’s Christie Mather as she recapped some of the figures of the past year before a panel discussion on domestic pear marketing.

MATHER: We know that over half of pear purchases are made on impulse meaning that shoppers did not have pears on their shopping list when they arrived at the store and decided to purchase pears after seeing the display there in the store. One third of all people buying pears purchase 77% of the crop sold in the U.S.

Howard Nager is the VP of Marketing for Domex Superfresh Growers says conditioned fruit or ripening the fruit has shown a big increase for consumers.

NAGER: Nineteen and a half percent more pears are sold when you can do that. So that’s one of the key things I feel in terms of providing customers with the value and convenience that they’re looking for.

Mather says that collaboration could be a big benefit.

MATHER: Collaborations between sales and marketing departments. Between shippers organizations and also increased collaboration between the Pear Bureau and shippers. The Pear Bureau board within the past three years has instituted some policy changes that have allowed for increased collaboration so that we can work as one and be more effective in the marketplace.

The panel discussion took place at the annual Hort Convention and Expo in Yakima.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.