Sales of New Zealand Rockit™ apples in the Chinese market have increased 45% compared to last year, despite challenges the fresh produce industry is facing – such as the ongoing pandemic and the global distribution crisis. Responsible for developing the market in China for New Zealand Rockit™ apples over the last three years, Market Manager, Mr. Dai Yue discussed the current sales conditions in this market.
“Produced in New Zealand, the greatest competitive advantage of Rockit™ apples in my opinion is their uniqueness, and product quality. The result of twenty years of technological research and innovation by the New Zealand Food and Plant Research, this apple variety is very crisp, which suits the taste of most consumers, and the apple core is rather small, which means there is more fruit flesh to enjoy. Moreover, the Rockit™ apple variety does not require peeling, and the overall flavor is sweet.”
The price of Rockit™ apples remained stable throughout the pandemic, despite a global distribution crisis, with Chinese market demand continuing to grow. "In most cases importers pay for the additional cost of the rising shipping price, but in our case, we carry that cost,” Mr. Dai explained.
“New Zealand Rockit™ apples are a high-end market product and their price is rather high to reflect this. Secondly, we suspect that the global distribution crisis is only temporary. We value our relationships with distributors and retailers, which is why we want to share the burden of this difficult time with our partners.” The retail price of Rockit™ apples has been stable at 49-69 yuan [7.68-10.82 USD] per tube (depending on the size of the tube) for the last two years.
When asked about the sales conditions of Rockit™ apples during the pandemic, Mr. Dai said, “Chinese importers have become more conservative in their order volumes since the Covid-19 outbreak, especially following the Chilean cherry incident earlier this year. However, as far as we can tell, domestic Covid-19 prevention methods have become commonplace and the economy is recovering rather quickly. Pleasingly, we have been spared major difficulties during this pandemic with our apples.”
Mr. Dai also talked about the confidence of consumers in fruit importers. “The outbreak of Covid-19 did not affect New Zealand significantly as the situation was quickly brought under control, and customs procedures require 100% disinfection. We are under the impression that our customers do not have any worries about the safety of Rockit™ apples, and our distributors and retailers also express confidence in our products.”
This year, Rockit™ apples also opened flagship stores on prominent e-commerce platforms such as TMall and JD.com. Mr Dai said this was a progressive step for the company. “Our flagship store in TMall opened five months ago with good sales so far. On our first day of trading November 11 (a popular commercial holiday in China) our sales figures exceeded those of stores that have been open for much longer. The Rockit™ apple products in our TMall shop are all sold from the original factory and we pay careful attention to their packaging in online stores. We invest in premium packaging that protects the apples from bruising to meet high expectations, while providing the best experience for our consumers. We also use the platform to organize promotional activities and live broadcasts.”
In addition to excellent online sales, the Rockit Global team also works hard to expand offline retail channels. “We worked together with Greenery in June to organize a hybrid Greenery & Rockit™ apples offline event in the Wuyi Plaza in Changsha, as well as on the Changsha subway line 4, which was well received by Changsha residents. We also organized an offline event in Chengdu in October, and in November Rockit™ apple posters featured on Hong Kong public transport. We are also organizing a series of online activities with two fitness product brands, Fiture and Super Monkey. We hope to promote the ideas of healthy food and beverages, and healthy lifestyles among Chinese consumers.”
For more information:
Mr. Dai Yue – Market Manager
Rockit Global Ltd
E-mail: Eric.dai@pcnz.com.cn
Website: www.rockitapple.com