Make your banana sales pop: five musts 

1. Strive for perfect color. Retailer experience shows that consumers prefer to purchase and eat bananas at color stage 5 or 6, when bananas have bright yellow peels and firm pulp. If bananas are too green or too ripe, customers will likely pass by the display or purchase fewer bananas because they’ll be afraid the fruit will not taste good or go bad too quickly.

2. Right-size your displays. If the banana display table is too large, fruit doesn’t turn over fast enough to maintain freshness. Yet a table that is too small will require too-frequent restocking. Also consider the traffic flow in the produce department, since good-looking bananas can tempt an impulse buy as well as a planned purchase.

3. Consider display surfaces. Since bananas bruise easily, a soft padded surface is best. Be sure to display bananas in a single layer with the stems up.
4. Manage inventory. Accuracy in sales forecasting is another key to a successful banana program – or a potential headache for the produce manager. If the sales forecast is too high and the bananas don’t sell fast enough, the manager can’t hold them to sell later. Unlike potatoes or apples, bananas won’t last a few days, let alone into next week.

5. Don’t forget the back room. An effective banana display starts while fruit is staged for stocking. If the back room is unrefrigerated or not air conditioned during hot weather, stored bananas will continue to ripen — potentially beyond the optimal color stage.

 

Source: AgroFresh