Millennial avocado shoppers especially valuable to retailers
Hass avocados are one of the most versatile items in fresh produce, finding their way into cuisines that span the globe. As shoppers discover more ways to incorporate Hass avocados into their home cooking, their in-store purchasing habits continue to transform. 
The Hass Avocado Board recently published a new study that dives into the grocery basket of Millennial and non-Millennial avocado-purchasing households to uncover the value and content of the basket for each group. The new study — Millennial Avocado Market Basket — reveals that Millennial shoppers are especially valuable to retailers when they purchase avocados.
“The Millennial shopper proves to be a significant contributor to the avocado category,” said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. “And this study suggests there are many opportunities to drive sales with this key consumer group.”
The study found that when shoppers included avocados in their market basket, the value of the basket increased, delivering an in-basket premium of $28 on average. The in-basket premium was even greater for Millennial shoppers at $31, which was nearly $5 higher than non-Millennial shoppers.
This In-Basket Premium helped drive a higher total market basket value for Millennial households, the value of their market basket with avocados was $10 higher than when non-Millennials purchased avocados, and this gap increased vs. the prior year. The value of the Millennial basket with avocados increased 0.3 percent, while the value of the non-Millennial basket with avocados declined -2 percent.
Additionally, the study delved inside the avocado market basket to discover what else avocado shoppers are buying with avocados. The study found that fresh produce was commonly found in the avocado market basket: of the top 20 most often found items in the basket, 11 were fresh produce categories, and this trend was especially prevalent among Millennials.
The study is based on household purchase data from the IRI Consumer Network. HAB offers these insights and detailed retail information as the only avocado organization that equips the entire industry for success, with clear and actionable data and metrics that all can use to drive their avocado business. To learn more about the impact of Millennial households and their avocado purchase behaviors, visit hassavocadoboard.com/research-insights.
