Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
January 15, 2026
Strawberry Sales Surge: New Playbook Reveals 10% Growth & $500M Boost
TLDR
- Retailers can gain a competitive edge by using the California Strawberry Commission's playbook to optimize merchandising and drive category growth through data-backed strategies.
- The playbook analyzes retail sales data and shopper behavior to provide actionable recommendations for improving strawberry merchandising and purchase conversion rates.
- This research helps advance sustainable strawberry farming practices that benefit farmers, communities, and consumer health through improved industry collaboration.
- Strawberries drove 61% of berry category growth with 32 oz. packs adding $332 million in revenue, showing surprising consumer demand.
Impact - Why it Matters
This research matters because strawberries represent a critical component of the produce department that drives significant revenue and volume growth across the entire berry category. For consumers, the findings suggest that retailers will likely enhance their strawberry displays, promotions, and packaging based on these insights, potentially leading to better quality, more attractive pricing, and improved availability of strawberries year-round. For industry professionals, the data provides concrete strategies to optimize merchandising, capitalize on promotional effectiveness, and understand evolving shopper behaviors. Given that strawberries are a staple fruit with high nutritional value and consumer appeal, these insights help ensure the continued availability and affordability of this popular produce item while supporting sustainable farming practices that benefit both farmers and communities.
Summary
The California Strawberry Commission (CSC) has unveiled its comprehensive 2025 Strawberry Shopper Playbook, a groundbreaking research report that provides marketers and industry professionals with actionable data to optimize strawberry merchandising and drive category growth. Based on in-depth syndicated retail sales data and quantitative Path-to-Purchase research, this guide offers a complete view of the strawberry purchase journey—from pre-store preferences to post-purchase behaviors—highlighting retail sales insights, purchase drivers, and barriers that prevent sales. The report reveals that strawberries remain a powerhouse in the produce department, with volume rising 8% year-over-year and representing 60% of total berry category volume, while dollar sales grew 10%, adding nearly $500 million in incremental sales.
Key findings from the research demonstrate the significant impact of promotions and packaging innovations on category expansion. During the 52-week period studied, approximately 52% of strawberry volume was sold on promotion, generating a remarkable 36% volume lift with an average discount of 22%. The 32 oz. package emerged as a major growth driver, accounting for 68% of incremental sales and delivering 20% dollar growth, which added $332 million in revenue to the category. Chris Christian, Vice President of Market Insights at the California Strawberry Commission, emphasized that the playbook provides retailers, shippers, and industry partners with data-backed insights needed to optimize their strategies and capitalize on the momentum of the strawberry category.
The 2025 Strawberry Shopper Playbook also highlights shopper motivations and opportunities to close gaps between rising consumer expectations and the in-store experience, helping the industry strengthen execution and maintain shopper confidence. The report is now available for download on the California Strawberry Commission's retail resource page, offering valuable guidance for industry professionals looking to enhance strawberry merchandising strategies. This research represents the collective work of the Commission, which represents more than 400 strawberry farmers, shippers, and processors working together to advance strawberry farming through groundbreaking programs focused on workforce training, production research, and nutrition research.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Strawberry Sales Surge: New Playbook Reveals 10% Growth & $500M Boost
