Citrus marketers say spring is an ideal time for retailers to capitalize on lemon and lime promotions.
With Easter, Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo and graduation celebrations on the horizon, lemons make a great addition to displays. Cassie Howard, senior director of Category management and marketing for Sunkist Growers Inc., says lemons pair well with many items across the store.
"Lemons are a consumer favorite due to their multiple uses, ranging from drinks and dishes to DIY projects, and they are always in season," Howard said.
All-around addition
Given that versatility, retailers have ample opportunities to showcase lemons and limes with many different displays.“Placing limes alongside complementary products — such as fresh seafood, cocktail mixers, herbs, and grilling essentials — encourages impulse purchases by reinforcing their role in popular spring and summer recipes,” said Zak Laffite, president of Wonderful Citrus. “Creating visually appealing displays near produce sections, liquor aisles and checkout areas can further drive sales."
Howard encouraged retailers to think of other cross-promotional opportunities such as flavored water.
"Sunkist research has shown that nearly two-thirds of lemon shoppers use lemons to flavor water at home, helping to keep themselves refreshed and hydrated," she said. "With the upcoming summer season, this becomes even more top of mind for consumers. Cross-promotion in the water aisle is a great way to increase impulse purchases."
Laffite said eye-catching POS displays in secondary locations, such as seafood and liquor departments, will also help capitalize on impulse purchases.
"Retailers should place lemons and limes beyond the produce aisle, cross-promoting them in key departments such as seafood, alcohol, bakery and even household cleaning," he said. "Positioning citrus near fresh seafood and meats highlight their use in marinades and grilling, while placing them in the alcohol section inspires cocktail creations like margaritas and mojitos."
With Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo and other summer holidays as peak lime consumption, Laffite encourages retailers to cross-promote limes with other popular items.
"Bundling limes with avocados, fresh tortillas, salsas and tequila or margarita mixes enhances convenience for shoppers," he said.
Current availability
The latest USDA crop forecast estimated lemon production for the 2024-25 crop to be about 1.1 million tons, with California expected to produce about 1 million tons, which is up about 6% from the 2023-24 season. Arizona lemon production is slightly down about 5% this season at 36,000 tons.The USDA estimates fresh lemon imports are up about 8% through January but will settle at lower levels similar to last year's import of 423 million pounds due to increased domestic production.
The availability and quality of lemons and limes have been good, marketers say, which builds toward consumers' higher demand in spring and summer. Howard said Sunkist's lemon crop size is up 10% this season. She said conventional lemons continue to drive the majority of sales, with bulk and bag volume up this year.
"We are noticing an increased demand for both seedless and organic lemons," Howard said. "Our organic lemon crop size is up by over 30% this year, helping to meet demand."
Laffite said Wonderful Citrus has also expanded its production to capitalize on the demand during peak season.
"Wonderful Citrus has prioritized operations in Mexico and has made major developments throughout the region in terms of both Wonderful Seedless Lemons and conventional limes," he said. "These new developments will fill in gaps during peak seasonal transitions with complements from our California supply."
What's trending
Seedless limes continue to experience exponential growth, with Wonderful Seedless Lemons noting 300% volume growth since 2021 and bagged seedless lemons accounting for significant growth for three consecutive years. Laffite said consumption and household penetration grew by 40% in the past year, limited only by supply constraints.
Laffite said Wonderful Seedless Lemons launched a significant marketing campaign, "Lemons With Seeds Are Annoying," to capitalize on that growth. The campaign highlights the small frustrations caused by lemons with seeds and touts the benefits of seedless lemons.
Howard said Sunkist offers recipe cards and header cards to help consumers maximize the use of seedless lemons.
"Retailers can promote seedless lemons as a convenience to save time in the kitchen," she said.
With the continued growth in organic lemon and lime demand, retailers should use signage and displays to help drive more sales, Howard said.
"Featuring a prominent display area with clear signage indicating organic produce is beneficial to shoppers," she said. "It is also essential to educate consumers about the benefits of organic products using in-store materials, along with special promotions or discounts, to encourage purchasing."
David Villasenor, president of Villamex Farms, said he's seen continual interest in organic limes.
"Organic limes are becoming more and more in demand, especially in big cities where the consumption of organic products has grown in its majority," he said.
Another trend Laffite said has been a focus for Wonderful Seedless Lemons is online shopping, which continues to grow.
"Since consumers are not able to interact with produce items when online shopping and instead must rely on product images and their perceptions of the brand, it is important to have branded images on grocery e-commerce sites," he said. "Branded produce outsells private label online by double-digits. It's truly an opportunity for brands to shine."
Laffite said Wonderful has seen strong growth among all citrus subcategories thanks to consumers' continued focus on health.
"Healthier lifestyles continue to be top of mind post-pandemic, and citrus offers the functional benefits and convenience consumers are seeking," he said. "Lemons can be easily integrated into everyday meals to add color and flavor, with no fat, cholesterol or sodium. Like many citrus, lemons add a healthy burst of bright flavor to meals and drinks, making it a great swap for added sugar or salt."
And Howard said research by a master chef at Johnson and Wales University shows that lemons can reduce salt in recipes by up to 75%.
Villasenor encourages retailers to work closely with suppliers to best capitalize on lemons and limes building into spring and summer.
"Sales strategies can be done in collaboration with your suppliers and depending on the different markets and cities to maximize and promote more sales of limes," he said. "The best way to promote limes is to have a closer relationship with the supplier and take the time to plan together a supplier-to-retailer sales strategy, which is very rare nowadays."
Laffite said visibility is critical as even smaller footprint displays have been shown to drive more than 24% velocity lifts compared to stores without POS displays.
"To maximize their impact, retailers can feature our lemonade stand POS display that will bring nostalgia to the grocery store aisles," he said. "Additionally, they can utilize our versatile hexagon bins with culinary-themed header cards, which are a perfect option for merchandising in the produce department or secondary locations, such as the seafood and alcohol sections. The rotatable header cards showcase usages from seafood and cocktails to salads, hot tea and even lemon water — which is one of the top uses for lemon purchases."
Sunkist, too, offers interactive POS materials tailored to store goals and designed to engage consumers as well as cross-merchandising display bins to help lemons stand out.
"Our interactive point-of-sale materials are available for every variety within Sunkist's robust portfolio, along with data-driven pack sizes, limited-edition cartons, and interchangeable bin header and header cards that illustrate innovative ways for retailers to integrate citrus during key promotional periods," Howard said. "The variety-specific lineup features interchangeable messaging that promotes flexibility and in-store education, allowing retailers to utilize limited floor space effectively."