SOLUTION STRATEGIES
2019 Category Captains Awards Dole Food Co.
Dole has created a sweet spot for retailers by leveraging its legacy in commodity produce and value-added salads behind three winning propositions: re-energizing the banana category through organics, driving salad category growth through kit leadership, and leveraging plant-based eating trends with the new Bountiful line. Using national banana consumption trends, Dole provided valuable insights to its retailer partners on the decline of the No. 1 volume generator in produce. The message was clear: Bananas were losing volume to such items as mandarin oranges, cherries and avocados. Low-income households were purchasing less, while high-income households were purchasing more. The company aimed to re-energize the category using organic yellow bananas as a powerhouse to attract and drive more natural and organic households to the store. Through an increased presence at shelf, along with secondary organic displays strategically placed throughout its stores, one retail partner was not only able to impact the organic banana segment, but also drive additional dollars and volume to the entire banana category and store, bringing increases in banana volume and market share.
E&J Gallo
From emerging varietals to alternative packaging formats, the wine industry has experienced continued growth due to innovative products, so it’s critical that retailers adapt quickly and provide solutions for consumers’ ever-changing needs. A major consumer need that has emerged is that of occasion-based drinking, with consumers seeking solutions based on specific drinking occasions. In answer to this need, smallsized wine formats have grown over the past year at more than five times the rate of the total wine category — 15% versus 2% — and Gallo has played an important role in driving this growth. In 2019, the company launched 25-plus small-format wine items, thereby further driving the category opportunity. By leveraging category insights and a progressive shopper marketing approach, Gallo developed the Anywhere, Anytime small-format category program. The nationwide program focused
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progressivegrocer.com
Dole’s sales-velocity leadership position in the value-added salad kit segment, and in the critical, growth-driving chopped-kit space, extends to new product innovation. In 2019, Dole launched the Bountiful plant-based line, meeting a trending consumer need and bringing new shoppers to the category. At one retailer, more than a quarter of Bountiful sales were above expected from new category buyers, based on the amount of sales from new buyers in the previous period. Retailers that have added Bountiful are seeing higher dollar and unit velocities in chopped kits than those that haven’t. Retailers heavily involved in Dole’s category development process experience an additional five to six points of growth, alongside a thriving partnership primed for sustainable future growth and innovation.
on driving single-serve purchases, while also educating consumers on the benefits of small-format wine for their various drinking occasions. The three phases in the program were Living, centered on building brand awareness via branded
social media content and partnering with social media influencers; Looking, which targeted the consumer through a combination of Pinterest ads and a mobile microsite; and Buying, focused on converting pre-sold customers with impactful in-store point of sale and a digital retailer toolkit. The use of digital advertising, shopper education and solution-focused marketing all contributed to the overwhelming success of Anywhere, Anytime: Nationwide, there was a significant lift in dollar sales on the programmed brands as well as in volume sales, and an incremental $2 million in revenue generated during the two-month digital activation. The program was also highly successful with both national and regional retailers. By embracing change, being quick to innovate and focusing on consumer-centric solutions, Gallo was able to execute a category-focused program that drove business nationally and significantly contributed to overall category growth.