Korean Retailers Start to Embrace Ready to Eat Avocados

It's taken years of convincing but Korean retailers have begun offering consumers ripened avocados that can be eaten on the day of purchase. This is a dramatic, and slightly risky departure from the rock hard green fruit we've been subjected to ever since avocados began appearing on our instagram feed back in the halycon days of the mid 2010s.

As branch office for Avanza, a New Zealand avocado exporter (shout out to Martin Napper), we've been quick to emphasise the potential sales growth that can be achieved from offering ready to eat fruit. Research done suggests that there can be as much as a 400% increase in sales when ready to eat fruit is offered. The reason for the hesitancy is that, if not managed as optimally as possible, rots and quality loss can occur in the notorously temperantal fruit and retailers will be inundated with customer complaints and claims.

Emart has been the first retailer to offer ready to avocados in stores and to mark this move, Avanza held consumer sampling events in Emart stores, offering a guacemole and nacho recipe to Emart customers.

In-store retail sampling isn't exactly the new kid on the block, a new paradigm of marketing strategy, but it's hard to argue with the results. Sampling gives a relatively low cost per engagement(250-400 KRW), an opportunity to build category entry points and for a split second, their permission to hear your spiel.