Summer has traditionally been considered the peak for retail avocado sales. However, the Avocado Seasonality Drivers study by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) reveals that the first quarter is the new peak for avocado retail sales.

The new data suggests that seasonal influences impact retail sales of avocados, driven by supply chain dynamics and shopper purchase behaviors. These influences have steered the category into an evolution of seasonality over the past four years. 

Since 2018, the first quarter has seen great strides in retail sales growth and now marks the peak of retail avocado volume, according to HAB.

The report states that this change has been partially driven by an increase in household penetration and purchase frequency, with the first remaining steady at 58% since 2018.

According to HAB figures, first-quarter  household penetration increased by two percentage points since 2018, reaching 44% in 2021. The number of first-quarter purchase trips also increased by 14% since the same year, reaching nearly five trips per household in 2021.

As for volumes, the study said that total shipments reached 2.8 billion lbs. in 2021, resulting in incremental shipments of 295 million since 2018. This translates to an increase of almost 12%.