Avocado shoppers exhibit distinct purchase behaviors in each of the eight geographical regions across the U.S. according to a new study published by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB). The new study - Avocado Shopper Segmentation: Segment Dynamics by Region - and its companion piece - Avocado Category Development Drivers Action Guide - provide insights into how these distinct behaviors can lead to greater development of the avocado category.
This new study, based on household purchase data, indicates that regional avocado shopper behaviors have a strong influence on each region’s category development index (CDI), which benchmarks a region’s share of Total U.S. avocado purchases against their share of Total U.S. population. Specifically, the report highlights three key drivers in regions with high CDI:
Penetration: The percentage of households in the region that purchase avocados
Heavier avocado shopper households: The percentage of households in the region that are Super Heavy (purchasing $25.36+/year) or Heavy (purchasing between $9.78 and $25.35/year)
Purchase frequency: The average number of annual avocado purchase trips per household in the region
The alignment between these regional shopper purchase patterns and each region’s CDI reveals growth opportunities for Hass avocados in the U.S, according to the Board.
“The avocado category has developed at different rates across the U.S., and this study highlights the underlying purchase patterns behind that development,” explains Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. “HAB is excited to support the industry with new data-based opportunities for Hass avocados, and help usher in the next wave of category development.”
The study found that regions with higher penetration also have higher CDI. In the total U.S., 52% of households purchase avocados, but penetration is higher in California, West, and South Central, the three regions with the highest CDI. This indicates that building penetration, i.e. bringing new shoppers into the category, is a key driver of category development. Additionally, moving current and new shoppers up the purchase ladder to the higher purchase levels is a path to continued development of the category.
For example, combined, the Super Heavy and Heavy shopper segments make up 50% of total U.S. avocado households, yet together, these two groups are responsible for 90% of all avocado dollar purchases. This study found, however, that within each region, the shopper groups are not equally represented. The regions with the highest concentration of Super Heavy and Heavy shoppers (California, West and South Central) also have the highest CDI’s. This reinforces the importance of not only bringing new shoppers into the category, but also moving all shoppers up to higher purchase levels.
The third key development driver highlighted in the study is avocado purchase frequency – a higher number of avocado trips is associated with higher CDI. Regions averaging seven or more avocado purchase trips per year have CDI’s ≥130, while regions averaging less than six trips per year have CDI’s ≤90. This finding indicates that increasing avocado trip frequency can help drive further development of the avocado category.
In addition to the action guide, the full study findings reveal growth opportunities for Hass avocados in each region by revealing the underlying shopper purchase trends for each shopper segment. Each region has a unique opportunity to bring shoppers into the category, move shoppers into heavier purchase levels and increase trip frequency. To learn more about the impact of the three key development drivers in each region, visit https://www.hassavocadoboard.com/retail/market-basket-shopper-trends
For more information:
Jill Netzel
Tel: +1 (818) 718-8084 Ext. 212