The first-ever North American marketing campaign for the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee is now in full swing, with more than 19,000 metric tons (MT) of kiwifruit having been shipped to the market.

According to the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, the trade campaign has been expansive. It has included everything from digital coupons and demos to sales and display contests at both regional and nationwide chains.

In this way, it hopes to provide retailers with the tools they need to drive sales, says the association. Looking at the numbers, this approach has been successful.

“Our program has produced double-digit sales increases across the board," comments Karen Brux, managing director of the association.

She attributes this partly to the category's eatability this season. "With historically high dry matter, Chilean kiwifruit tastes better than ever this year. We’re confident that if people buy our fruit once, they’ll have a great eating experience and come back for more.”

Shipments are set to continue through September, notes the entity.

Ongoing communication with kiwifruit consumers

Brux noted that while retail marketing and merchandising support is crucial, so is ongoing consumer communication.

She notes: “There are so many choices in the produce department, so we need to make it as easy as possible for consumers to choose Chilean Kiwifruit. How does it taste? What role does it play in a healthy lifestyle? How do you choose a ripe kiwifruit? If it’s not ready to eat, how do you speed up the ripening process?"

"With over 350,000 Facebook fans and more than 20,000 on Instagram, social media has proven to be an effective channel for ongoing communication about everything kiwi."

For additional consumer engagement, the Committee says it's also running social media promotions throughout the season.

Additionally it says it plans to work with registered dietitians for sponsored TV segments.

Chairman Carlos Cruzat states: “Our promotions are ongoing, but we’ve already seen the results of marketing great tasting fruit. Consumer feedback and retail sales figures have shown us that there is great potential in the North American market.

"We’re looking forward to 2020 and how we can grow excitement for Chilean Kiwifruit!”