Creative Promotions and Merchandising Reframe Carrots

This vegetable is a year-round staple in the produce department.

Carrots can be fun, just ask Walmart. The Bentonville, AR-based retailer used a holiday promotion featuring carrots to emphasize its connection to the growing community that supplies its fresh produce. Walmart promoted its connection to Hungenberg Produce, a fourth-generation family farm in Greeley, CO, as it encouraged consumers to bring their kids to the store and pick out carrots to lay out for Santa’s reindeer, right beside the milk and cookies for St. Nick.

Jordan Hungenberg, chief executive of Hungenberg Produce, notes the operation has grown through its relationship with Walmart that began more than two decades ago. “At the time, there was only one major carrot supplier in the country. Walmart took a chance on us over 22 years ago, a small, local producer.”

In its promotion, Walmart emphasized Hungenberg Produce harvests, washes and packs carrots, and has them at one of its distribution centers within less than 48 hours. From there, they move on, reaching store shelves in 72 to 96 hours of harvest. The reindeer connection is Walmart’s way of reinforcing its relationships with families, both helping them to celebrate the holidays and partnering with them to supply fresh fruit and vegetables.

“The piece was intended as an engaging way to highlight how Walmart works closely with growers and suppliers to deliver quality and freshness to customers,” says company spokesperson Haley Maxwell. “It reflects Walmart’s ongoing work to provide high-quality, fresh items for customers across produce, including carrots, and our collaboration with growers.”

ADAPTABLE PRESENTATION

As flexible as carrots are in use, they are equally adaptable in presentation. Wegmans, Rochester, NY, for example, mounts designated carrot and celery presentation in stores consisting of packaged product, but also includes bulk carrots in cooking vegetable merchandising.

Carrots are also part of Wegmans’ brand prepared and ready-to-heat offerings, such as its dill-roasted carrots.

Today, consideration of promoting and merchandising carrots has to include convenience. Mike Servello, chief executive, Bargain Grocery, Utica, NY, says while he does carry some bulk product, it’s important to offer bagged prominently, as that’s the way consumers have moved. “They prefer one- or two- or five-pounders.”

PROLIFERATION OF CHOICE

Sean Balog, director of sales and marketing, Hillside Gardens Ltd., Bradford, Ontario, says retailers can best address the carrot category “as a core destination within the produce department by merchandising all formats together so shoppers can easily choose based on value, convenience or use occasion. Clear signposting that distinguishes between cooking, snacking and specialty options helps simplify the shopping experience.”

Balog emphasizes that maintaining freshness through disciplined rotation and clean, full displays is critical, as strong visual quality reinforces carrots’ value perception across all formats.

Karen White, vice president of marketing, Bolthouse Fresh Foods, Bakersfield, CA, says merchandising can help consumers get a better sense of all the ways they can use carrots. “Merchandising continues to play an important role in supporting category growth by helping shoppers more easily navigate the carrot set and understand how carrots fit into their routines.”

White says carrots lend themselves naturally to cross-merchandising because of their versatility. “Within the produce department, opportunities alongside fresh dips, hummus, packaged salads, soup ingredients, and entertaining trays help reinforce both snack and meal occasions. In other areas of the store, carrots can also complement proteins, such as beef, for soups and stews, particularly during colder seasons. While execution can vary based on store layout, these adjacencies create inspiration and help shoppers connect carrots to complete meal solutions.”

Since carrots today come in a range of colorful varieties, Matt Hiltner, marketing manager, Babé Farms, Santa Maria, CA, suggests retailers can use hue to improve the display.

“Babé Farms’ colorful bunched carrots are best displayed together, with each variety arranged to create striking color contrasts,” he says. “Creating a captivating display in the produce department is key to capturing consumer interest and boosting sales.”

However, he adds that making sure the basics are addressed is critical to merchandising, including keeping carrots well misted and properly rotated, trimming carrot tops as needed, clearly differentiating formats as to bulk, baby bunched, hand-peeled and snack sizes.

It’s helpful to “group products in a way that makes usage intuitive,” he adds. “Signage and recipe cards help. When shoppers can quickly understand what each type of carrot is best used for, conversion improves.”

At Grimmway Produce Group, Bakersfield, CA, David Bright, vice president of category management, says putting together merchandising displays that clearly differentiate products, including organics, can make it simpler for consumers to see what the product category offers.

“Carrots are relatively easy products to merchandise for retailers,” says Bright. “While a wide band of orange in the produce department is a clear signal to shoppers of where to find carrots, retailers can assist shoppers in finding the carrot product they seek and potentially inspire a purchase of a different carrot product by ensuring clearly visible facings of each product. This is especially important to differentiate conventional from organic.”

EMPHASIZING VIRTUES

Carrots combine health and affordability at a time when both wellness and price motivate shoppers.
“To drive volume, retailers should lean into carrots’ role as a nutritious, affordable staple, particularly when consumers are focused on managing total basket spend,” says Hillside Gardens’ Balog. “Secondary displays and seasonal messaging tied to soups, roasting, holidays, and healthy resets can generate incremental sales, while consistent everyday merchandising reinforces carrots as a dependable, year-round essential.

“To drive volume, retailers should lean into carrots’ role as a nutritious, affordable staple, particularly when consumers are focused on managing total basket spend.”
— Sean Balog, Hillside Gardens Ltd., Bradford, Ontario

“Balancing strong value messaging with limited, well-placed specialty offerings allows retailers to support both volume and trade-up opportunities without diluting the core category.”

Effective merchandising can make the case for the versatility and applicability of carrots. “By organizing the set around clear occasions and purposes, retailers can make carrots easier to shop, easier to use, and more relevant across multiple moments throughout the day,” says White.

Given their many uses, carrots can be an ideal candidate for cross-merchandising.

“While great on their own, carrots pair well with many items in the produce department and grocery store in general,” says Bright. “Shredded carrots are an excellent complement to salads, made at home or purchased in a bag, for additional color and flavor. Baby carrots, sticks and chips are perfectly paired with dips, including ranch, nut butters, hummus and others. This makes for easy snacks or quick entertaining platters.”

Past Grimmway research showed higher purchase correlation between carrots and Greek yogurt, indicating an excellent prospect for cross promotion, he adds.

The nature of the commodity gives the carrot particular cross-merchandising advantages. “Carrots lend themselves well to cross-merchandising because they fit into both value-driven meal solutions and healthy snacking occasions,” Balog says.

“Within produce, they pair naturally with onions, potatoes and other cooking staples to reinforce economical home-cooked meals, as well as with celery, cucumbers, peppers and dips for snack-tray solutions. Snack carrots also complement packaged salads as an easy add-on for lunches and quick dinners. Outside of produce, carrots can support wellness-oriented displays alongside juicing and smoothie ingredients, such as apples, ginger, and beets.”

“Growth in the category is being driven by a combination of usage occasions and precut forms that support convenience and home cooking,” says White. “Purpose-driven new items, such as Bolthouse Fresh’s Soup n’ Stewin’ carrots, are designed specifically for fall and winter soups and stews, to help reduce prep time and make cooking more approachable. These formats make it easier for shoppers to incorporate carrots into meals by simplifying preparation and supporting everyday cooking.”

“As one of the most versatile vegetables in the produce department, carrots are expanding beyond traditional uses and showing up across more eating occasions throughout the day.”
— Karen White, Bolthouse Fresh Foods, Bakersfield, CA

From a demographic standpoint, Hiltner says, “younger consumers and food-inspired shoppers are driving interest in carrots when paired with sauces and trending ingredients like hot honey, chili crisp, and za’atar spice. At the same time, carrots will always have broad appeal due to their familiarity, value and versatility.”