Summer is a time when “fresh, premium quality, convenient and flavourful” appetites dominate the thoughts of many. It’s all about being outdoors as much as possible, including cooking outdoors. Summer is also a time when traditional “three square” winter meals give way to smaller meals and, likely, more frequent snacking post breakfast to enjoy Canada’s all too brief summer. To successfully capture those profitable impulse sales, SMart – Strategic Merchandising and Social Media – in-store merchandising can result in enhanced fresh peanut sales.
Strategic Merchandising:
Be creative with merchandising and create small areas around the produce sections that can house additional items that will intrigue the health-conscious consumer. For example, consider adding a small selection of peanut oil near the salad section along with other salad dressings or salad dressing ingredients. Peanut oil is a heart-healthy option and an increasingly popular ingredient for salad dressings and marinades. This will be sure to inspire the healthy taste buds. Another strategic merchandising idea is to display peanuts close to the checkout. Peanuts have an array of health benefits, flavours and textures. These qualities, along with their portability and value, make them an ideal snack food that can easily entice consumers at checkout.
Social Media:
Consumers are always looking for new recipes and ideas for how to use products. An increasing number of retailers maintain multiple online platforms, including social media, to introduce recipes or publicize news. Why not use the retail store to increase traffic to the different platforms? If the website is the main platform that houses information, add a separate tab for recipes, divided by ingredients or meal occasion. Using peanuts as an example, add a QR code beside the peanut display that will direct customers to the specific webpage that features recipes using peanuts. This will not only increase traffic to the website, and ultimately, other online platforms, but also keep customers engaged both in and out of the store and create additional sales opportunities. Keep in mind, the Peanut Bureau of Canada website currently has more than 100 recipes and frequently adds new ones.
Remember, the APC offers funding for unique marketing or promotional plans that highlight peanuts or peanut butter made with Quality USA Peanuts. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to share your proposed Quality USA Peanut concept and learn more about potential project eligibility under the APC’s MAP Canada program.