A bit of vitamin for consumers and turnover

The juice category will surely not sleep the winter over, since these vitamin-providing beverages is about to enter the high season. According to Nielsen’s data, juice sales in September 2009 are at the same level as a year earlier, while combined fruit juice/drink sales fell by 10 percent. At the same time, the average price of fruit juice is approaching that of nectars. According to Katalin Zarándy, SIÓ-ECKES Kft.’s marketing director products in promotion influence indicators and private label juice sales are significant. Winter is usually strong for orange and peach flavours, they are followed by mixed flavours; multivitamin and apple come next. The marketing director says that the September results are partly due to the introduction of the SIÓ Prémium product range in aseptic PET bottles – and of course the reaction of competitors to this. Melinda Kun, RAUCH Hungária Kft.’s brand manager is of the opinion that juices and premium juices were able to preserve their market positions because they have a strong, high-status consumer base that was not affected by the crisis. She adds that the high quality and several available flavours of their Happy Day fruit juices also contribute to the success. Stable demand for high fruit-content drinks encourages smaller companies to fill the market niche. One of these is S.P.I.N. Kft.; its managing director Csaba Kocsárdi says that in November they enter the market with „Fresh!”, a 100% fruit-content product family that is made not from concentrate (NFC) and contains no additives. SIÓ VitaTigris Gyümölcspüré is fruit purée whose high season has arrived. – Its 100% fruit content and Hungarian flavours make it a strong contender for import fruits. A health education programme in one third of Hungarian kindergartens promotes the brand – says Katalin Zarándy. hohes C is the leading brand in the juice category with a stable market position in the last 15 years. Happy Day offers the most flavours in the premium category. – In the autumn of 2009, we come out with two new flavours: Happy Day 100% Piros Multivitamin has a high vitamin and antioxidant content, while Happy Day Kajszibarack reflects Hungarian taste and has a 40% fruit content – says Melinda Kun. Enduring economic hardships keep influencing consumer behaviour. Thus, companies need to optimise marketing spending and find new, efficient channels for every season. With SIÓ Prémium the company uses a combined image-product campaign and an improved POS marketing synergy. RAUCH Hungária supports strong brands by using prize games that activate consumers. An integrated marketing strategy will support Happy Day and Bravo in 2010 as well. As for in-store communication, the RAUCH tree display and the special price tag were really successful.