Let's talk about dessert.
You know and I know that fruit is a fabulous dessert option, but in a media landscape in which we’re constantly bombarded with sensuous advertisements for candy and other consumer packaged goods sweets, it can sometimes feel like nothing less than a truly indulgent treat will hit the spot.
Strawberries are frequently included in desserts, but too often they’re offered as merely a topping rather than the main attraction.
What if, instead of displaying the strawberries with the pre-made shortcakes, you cross-merchandised them with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and some point-of-sale material on how to melt the chips and create a simple sauce to pour over the strawberries?
You might recall the OptUp app that Kroger launched several years ago. The premise is to meet shoppers where they are but gently nudge them down a continuum of healthier eating. As everyone reading this knows, strategic merchandising has the same kind of power to influence behavior.
Strictly speaking, is 100-some calories of semi-sweet chocolate on a pile of strawberries a perfectly innocent dessert? Perhaps not. But could it take the place of something with less nutritional value while delivering some much-needed indulgence in a healthier way? My answer is yes.
Shoppers need options for all meal occasions right now, and in the dessert category the produce department has a great opportunity to provide solutions in an area that’s previously been dominated by center store and bakery. Now is the time to experiment – good luck!