There is no escaping promotion this week, or any week I hear you cry.
Tesco must be somewhat confused as well, as this week has seen it praised by happy UK producers for its apple support, while at the same time getting it in the neck from consumer bosses for not promoting enough.
Does fresh produce get its fair share of promotion? The National Consumer Council says no, but the issue has divided the industry according to this week’s freshinfo poll (p6).
While there’s nothing wrong with a spot of promotion to whet the consumer’s appetite, suppliers are wary that any talk of promotion invariably comes down to price, and that means putting their hands in their pockets.
Promotion doesn’t have to be about money off, or extra produce free. In a market as impulse sensitive as fresh produce, simply attracting consumers’ attention as they wander through the aisles can often be enough.
Tasting sessions were once a popular way of achieving this. But how often do we see produce being waved under the nose of consumers? These days, with space at a premium in most tightly packed supermarkets, the last thing produce managers probably want is tasting sessions cluttering up their aisles. All this just goes to show how important the FPC’s Eat in Colour campaign could be in capturing consumer attention. Have you signed up yet?
Ed Bedington
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