It is peak melon time and all our favorite farms have great supply of all the beloved standards and specialty varieties you have been waiting for. With safety and social distancing guidelines still in effect, customers will not have the opportunity to touch and taste melons in the same way as pre-pandemic. It is more important than ever to build an eye-catching display and share product information at the store and in other creative ways. Here are some tips to help talk up and sell melons:

• Make smaller displays exciting by using color and texture breaks by incorporating other items.
• Add “Staff Favorite” shelf talkers to your displays. Bits of information like this help customers make their purchasing choices. This helps add a personal touch to displays.
• Descriptive shelf talkers are a great addition to specialty melons that customers may not be too familiar with. Do not crowd the sign with too much info. Two to three talking points is plenty.
• Clear signage is always a must. With so many varieties, this helps avoid confusion and helps making sure customers are walking away the melon they want.
• If your department is set up to offer cut fruit, this is a great perk to offer. Halved melons filled with grapes and berries an attractive crowd pleaser. This is also a good way to help move melons that might need to be moved quickly or have been damaged. This helps cut down on loss.
• Since there is not an opportunity to engage and actively taste alongside customers in-store, consider introducing virtual tastings. Staff can taste, give their feedback, and describe the flavor profile of different melons on video. Keep the videos short and share through your social media accounts if available.