PMA Fresh Connections: Retail Addresses Shopper Experience to Build Sales

Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Connections: Retail will connect retailers and suppliers through retail-based education sessions, networking opportunities, and an optional tour of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. The event will return to the city of Philadelphia April 5-6, 2016.

Industry experts will deliver tips on key elements that affect retail including current trends, shopper experience and consumer collaboration.

“This will be a terrific shared learning experience for me,” says Alan Alexander, founder/CEO, Recoleta Digital Media. “I can learn more about all of the aspects of the produce industry and provide valuable information regarding the power of personalization to individuals attending the event.”

Alexander will be among the experts speaking during the education session Create Sales Opportunity: Personalize the Shopper Experience. This session will explore consumers’ needs and how they shop. Attendees will learn how to embrace the minds of tech-savvy consumers to meet consumer demands and develop personalized strategies to grow sales. A consumer panel will be present to answer questions provided by the audience.

“I’m very excited to meet and interact with all of the attendees this year at Fresh Connections: Retail,” says Alexander, “and I’m hoping to provide a few intriguing ‘surprises’ along the way in terms of the information I will be presenting.”

The education session Restaurant Table to Home Kitchen: Dining Trends Inspiring Retail will tackle how to transform the most popular restaurant menu items into fresh product offerings to increase retail sales. Attendees will also hear from a global food and drink analyst on trends— such as global flavors and dynamic ingredients— that affect both retail and the supply chain. In addition, a consumer panel will discuss how these foodservice trends influence fresh produce purchases.

Online communication and consumer relations will be discussed during Learning from Each Other: Creating Demand through Collaboration. Attendees will explore the importance of consumer influence and learn how to improve user experience to deliver high valued products and services.

“It’s nice to take advantage of events such as this that dedicate such an extensive focus on a specific component of the produce industry’s supply chain,” says Joe Watson, PMA vice president of domestic business development. “It can be a helpful source that provides the necessary tools for creating those key personal relationships with retailers.”

Retailers at this year’s event include:

On Wednesday morning, an optional tour will be available for individuals to take a look at independent fresh wholesalers that sell to retailers within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia. Tour participants will witness the world’s largest fully enclosed, fully refrigerated wholesale produce terminal—ranging 700,000 square-feet— and will learn about delivery and distribution setup, food safety inspections, cold chain management and more.