The ripe avocados from Mission Produce and Lantao in China have had their initial delivery via the first 'offline supermarket' by the country's leading e-commerce site JD.com. 

Mr. Avocado fruit arrived at 7Fresh in the Chinese capital Beijing on Jan. 4, according to a release from Mission Produce. The new supermarket is 4,000 square meters and is located near JD’s headquarters in the Yizhuang District of Beijing.

Packed with technology, 7Fresh includes smart shopping carts, sensor-activated product information, and integrates online and offline shopping for customers.

Since launching ripening operations in Shanghai in April 2017, the Mr. Avocado brand rolled out its distribution in the market through China’s fruit-store giant Pagoda. Based on the distribution through Pagoda and ongoing promotion and education in the market, Mr. Avocado is making ground in China.

Following the Pagoda launch, Mr. Avocado began supplying Harbin Zhongyanghong supermarket in the summer, quickly followed by JD online, and then rising online retailer Missfresh in November.

At the beginning of 2018, Mr. Avocado is rapidly finding more opportunities in the market through various supermarket and online channels.

Mr. Avocado developed customized boxes for the launch of 7Fresh. The box was engineered specifically to fit four large avocados and designed to stand out in the 7Fresh retail environment.

The graphic design included educational materials to demonstrate how to cut an avocado and included seasonal recipes for Chinese New Year.

The first-day of sales were impressive, according to John Wang, president and CEO of Mr. Avocado.

“We wanted to make a strong impression with consumers at 7Fresh, and our full package with recipes, how-to guides and nutritional information really did the job," he said.

"We were very pleased with the sales volume, and the opportunity to continue to educate the Chinese consumer on all the benefits of the avocado.”

In the future, Mr. Avocado plans to find additional opportunities to continue its brand development, through distribution channels that provide opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle that include avocados in daily Chinese diets.

www.freshfruitportal.com