Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the persimmon marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consumption. Here is a quick look at what happened during the year...

The 2025/26 persimmon marketing program focused on driving awareness and trial among Australian consumers.

Insights that drove our thinking  

Research showed that almost 68 per cent of consumers have never purchased persimmons, while less than one per cent spontaneously name them as a fruit they intend to buy in the next week.  

Research findings also highlighted that persimmons are strongly associated with being unique and exotic, with taste and health benefits acting as key purchase drivers. However, price, seasonality, availability and in-store quality remain barriers for many shoppers.  

Persimmons are most commonly eaten fresh as a snack or dessert, reinforcing the importance of helping people experience the fruit firsthand and building confidence in how to enjoy it.  

What did the campaign achieve?

The marketing program delivered targeted in-store sampling across 110 Woolworths stores in New South Wales and Victoria.  

Across the campaign, 14,821 samples were consumed and an estimated 22,710 shoppers were exposed to the product. Of the shoppers who interacted with sampling teams, 75 per cent chose to try a sample. More than 11,143 persimmons were sold during the sampling period, averaging approximately 101 per session.