LTO: Get your Sumos while they last

If you haven’t tried a Sumo Mandarin, the super large and super sweet citrus varietal on sale by name between January and April, you have missed out. It’s part of the emerging food industry trend of branded produce. As CCD Innovation’s Kara Nielsen states, “The Sumo's success story speaks to the history of branded fruit that's been unfolding over the last ten years or so. [Companies] are working to have a section in the market or a special, free-standing merchandised cardboard container or platform for more signage. The Sumo falls into that. Thanks to the rise of fruits that are specially engineered to taste better and be more ‘user-friendly,’ the produce section has gotten a lot more competitive, so companies have to work harder to set their fruit apart.” 

Additionally, this limited time offer is a familiar consumer motivator and marketing technique. "We have been trained very well by food marketers to pick up the pace and hurry into the store to pick up limited time offers, whether it's something like the latest Oreo flavor or a new item at McDonald's. There's a consumer behavior pattern that responds to novelty and says, 'Now's the time to splurge and get it,'" says Nielsen.” Read the full article>>

Inset Image Credit: Superkazulas / Instagram/Refinery 29

Cover image Credit: Cheba Hut / Menu Innovation