West Pak helps its retail partners identify missed sales opportunities and find other ways to elevate the avocado category with its “avo audits,” which can determine whether stores are offering the right amounts of ripe fruit, bagged options and variety of sizes (among other things).

“There are a lot of things retail buyers don’t take advantage of, but they really make a difference,” said Joe Nava, vice president of sales and business development for West Pak Avocado.

West Pak also offers its partners quarterly opportunities to enhance seasonal sales, recipes, and creative content with materials and assistance from both West Pak itself and industry associations.

“We want to get more intimate with retailers and become their greatest resource, to really dive into their category, come up with a strategic plan and offer a seamless experience with all of those things under one roof.

The surge in demand for bags led West Pak to create its Party Pak, a rotating seasonal bag that’s customized and catered to each customer. Festive seasonal packaging with themes like Healthy Happenings, Viva la Fiesta, Grilling Gatherings, and Holiday Goodness offers grab-and-go convenience, with scannable recipes right on the bag, Nava said. 

Educating consumers about the avocados is simultaneously a challenge and a huge opportunity for marketers and retailers, said Stephanie Bazan, vice president of shopper and trade marketing for Avocados From Mexico (AFM).

“(Education) is one of the top controllable barriers after price and selection,” she said, citing an AFM proprietary study which found that 73% of shoppers are more likely to buy avocados if they have more avocado knowledge. “Providing education awareness across the path to purchase is important to provide shoppers with confidence, especially when purchase decision is made.”

AFM has implemented various solutions to educate and drive awareness around how to speed up or slow down ripening, as well as tips on how to preserve avocados, Bazan said.

Another key education resource AFM has developed is Avo University, a free online resource that educates produce personnel on how to build their avocado product knowledge and provide strategies to drive customer demand.