Watermelon Category Sees $3.2 Billion in Sales as New Research Reveals Omnichannel Growth Opportunities
TL;DR
Retailers can gain market advantage by implementing NWPB's omnichannel strategies to capture the $782 million in new watermelon purchases from 7 million new households.
The NWPB research outlines how channel dynamics and evolving shopper demographics drive watermelon category growth through tailored marketing and merchandising strategies across retail formats.
Increased watermelon consumption promotes better nutrition and hydration in millions more households, contributing to healthier communities through accessible, nutrient-rich food options.
Watermelon reached 75% of US households with 5.3 billion pounds consumed last year, offering excellent Vitamin C content while being 92% water for natural hydration.
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The National Watermelon Promotion Board has released comprehensive research showing the watermelon category has added 7 million new purchasing households since 2021, with watermelon now present in 75% of all U.S. households. These new buyers generated $782 million in incremental purchases, pushing total category purchases to $3.2 billion—a 33% increase over the period. The findings provide marketers with actionable insights into how channel dynamics, purchase behaviors, and evolving shopper demographics are reshaping the category.
Executive Director Mark Arney stated that industry partners now have a clear roadmap for growing watermelon sales across retail channels. By tailoring strategies to the unique opportunities present in each channel and among evolving shopper demographics, retailers can strengthen loyalty, broaden penetration, and drive incremental trips and dollars. The research identifies three key areas for growth: refining channel strategies, leveraging club channel momentum, and engaging evolving household demographics.
While grocery remains the leading retail channel for watermelon, Mass, Club, and Online channels are seeing new shoppers and growing at faster rates. The industry can strengthen omni-channel engagement by adapting marketing and merchandising strategies across these formats. The Club channel has become particularly important, with merchandising tactics that boost volume per trip representing a key opportunity for growth in this segment.
Demographic analysis reveals watermelon growth is strong among smaller, higher-income, younger and more diverse households, while engagement among older households is also rising. This creates opportunities for marketers and retailers to balance efforts between loyal Heavy shoppers and these emerging segments. To help industry stakeholders capitalize on these opportunities, the NWPB has released a companion Marketing Guide designed to help translate channel and demographic trends into actionable steps that support category growth.
This study builds on NWPB's initiative to invest in research that helps the industry grow the watermelon category, including the Watermelon Attitudes and Usage and Watermelon Shopper Segmentation studies, providing a comprehensive understanding of the evolving watermelon shopper landscape. The complete research study and companion Marketing Guide are available at https://www.watermelon.org/audiences/industry/research/retail-research/.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
