Stemilt's Brianna Shales Discusses Key Merchandising Strategies for Lil Snappers®
WENATCHEE, WA - With the new year comes a heightened focus on health and wellness, and consumers are seeking more than just one apple a day to keep the doctor away. Stemilt is helping buyers meet this demand with convenience, leveraging one of its most successful brands, Lil Snappers®, to give a generous boost to the apple category. With premium varieties packed inside, Lil Snappers presents itself as the perfect snacking opportunity for both kids and their apple-loving parents.
“Lil Snappers has ten years of success at retail, and that’s because it provides retailers and shoppers with convenience and quality,” explained Brianna Shales, Marketing Director. “We’re putting premium quality fruit in Lil Snappers bags and favorite kid varieties! That means the customer is having a great experience and they can rely on Lil Snappers for that consistency.”
Marketing themselves with bold, colorful, and informative packaging, Lil Snappers easily catch the attention of parents and kids as they shop. The stand-up pouch features colorful graphics, and the packaging conveys exactly what is inside, including the size of the fruit and how much they’re getting. The grab-and-go convenience of the brand makes it an ideal opportunity to merchandise for impulse sales, as many parents are constantly looking for quick and easy lunchbox additions that pack a great health benefit.
“It’s a great snacking solution for kids. January is a key time for apples and produce because people are trying to reset what they’re eating,” said Shales. “The 3 lb size for most Lil Snappers apple and pear packs provides shoppers with the right quantity of fruit to serve to two kids every day for a week. The 3 lb size profile also tops Nielsen data for packaged apples, making up 30 percent of apple sales during the January–May timeframe.”
Achieving soaring apple sales is no daunting task during the holiday season, as the New Year brings healthy eating into the spotlight. With consumer-favorite varieties, including Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady®, and Honeycrisp, in tow, buyers can uplift the category all season long.
“The New Year is a great time to build apple sales because of that healthy eating focus consumers have. We have promotion opportunities and great qualities of Lil Snappers to help retailers move apples in volumes,” said Shales. “Since this is a Stemilt-owned brand, we can go beyond the point of sale and deploy digital tactics that help retailers market Lil Snappers and pull shoppers to purchase them at their stores.”
According to a press release, Lil Snappers have proven to sell in physical stores and in online grocery environments. The products are shipped in display-ready cartons, allowing retailers to display the apples in the same box it ships in. In addition, the fruit’s fixed weight also makes it easy for shoppers to know the quality, quantity, and pricing of the product, thus driving apple purchases overall.
Whether they are shopping in-store or online, the grab-and-go offering is sure to appeal to shoppers who value convenience amongst their grocery products.
“The fact that they’re in a stand-up pouch makes it a really good grab-and-go option,” added Shales. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a higher resurgence around convenience because people just want to get in and out of the store or they’re shopping for groceries online now. It’s the perfect time for retailers to bring Lil Snappers in for promotions to support their apple category performance.”
These little apples are more than ready to give a big boost to your produce department, so don’t miss out on the chance to meet the consumer demand for “an apple a day.”