The point of sale is where the match is played, and it is there that the ideal line-up is built together with retail partners to win over the fans — in this case, consumers. This was the central message from VOG – Home of apples at Fruit Attraction 2026, where the Consortium presented the evolution of its strategic approach to category management and assortment planning.
Following the communication strategy launched earlier this year, VOG used the Madrid trade fair and its event at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to demonstrate how its football-inspired concept can be translated into practical tools for the retail environment.
The strategy is based on consumer research carried out with YouGov in 2025, which identified five clearly differentiated apple consumer profiles. The aim is to use this knowledge to help retailers structure their assortment according to different needs and purchasing motivations.
Five consumer profiles
The study identified promotion-driven consumers, who mainly purchase apples depending on the offers available; tradition-oriented consumers, for whom apples are a familiar staple of the family diet and who favour traditional varieties and established brands; and sustainability-conscious consumers, who associate apples with a healthy and environmentally responsible lifestyle and tend to choose local, seasonal and organic options.
The research also identified quality-focused consumers, who prioritise taste and consistent quality and favour apples with a strong brand identity, as well as trend-oriented consumers, who see apples as a convenient snack and are more open to new varieties, formats and consumption occasions.
For VOG, understanding these different profiles makes it possible to move from consumer data to practical decisions at the point of sale.
From consumer insights to the shelf
The Consortium aims to provide retailers with concrete market insights to help them structure and optimise their category management strategies. The objective is not simply to offer the right assortment, but to match the right products with the needs and expectations of different consumer groups.
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Apples also benefit from their versatility, fitting into a wide range of consumption occasions, from snacks and desserts to cooking, salads, yoghurt, juices and smoothies. At the same time, new varieties, colours and flavour profiles provide opportunities to attract consumers and create new occasions for the category.
According to VOG, this diversity can be fully exploited at the point of sale through a broad and well-structured assortment, supported by effective presentation and communication.
A strategy inspired by football
“After presenting our strategy at Fruit Attraction, we have put it into practice in an iconic setting such as the Bernabéu,” said Hannes Tauber, Head of Marketing at VOG. “With this metaphor, we want to offer our commercial partners an immediate way of understanding the complexity of the market.”
The concept translates consumer profiles into practical decisions for the shelf, allowing each retailer to build its own “ideal team” according to its customers and market.
“When we manage to put the right apple in the right place, guide consumers at the point of sale and highlight the personality of each product, we win the match together with our customers,” Tauber added.
For VOG, this shared approach is key to developing the apple category over the long term, combining consumer understanding, assortment planning and effective retail execution.
