Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
November 12, 2025
Watermelon Sales Surge: $3.2B Category Adds 7M New Households
TLDR
- 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.
Impact - Why it Matters
This research matters because it reveals fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and retail patterns that extend beyond just watermelon. The findings about channel migration—particularly the growth in Club, Mass, and Online formats—reflect broader retail trends affecting numerous product categories. For retailers and marketers, understanding these omnichannel dynamics is crucial for staying competitive in an evolving marketplace. The demographic insights about younger, more diverse, and higher-income households adopting watermelon consumption signal changing food preferences that could influence product development and marketing across the fresh produce aisle. For consumers, this growth indicates watermelon's increasing popularity as a healthy, convenient food choice, potentially leading to better availability, more variety, and competitive pricing as retailers compete for this expanding market.
Summary
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) has unveiled groundbreaking research titled "Omnichannel Strategies for Watermelon Category Growth," revealing that watermelon has gained 7 million new purchasing households since 2021, now reaching 75% of all U.S. households. These new buyers contributed $782 million in incremental purchases, driving total category sales to $3.2 billion—a remarkable 33% increase over the period. The research provides marketers with actionable insights into channel dynamics, purchase behaviors, and evolving shopper demographics that are reshaping the watermelon landscape. Executive Director Mark Arney emphasized that industry partners now have a clear roadmap for growing watermelon sales across retail channels by tailoring strategies to unique opportunities in each format.
Key findings highlight significant opportunities across multiple retail channels. While grocery remains the dominant channel for watermelon purchases, Mass, Club, and Online channels are experiencing faster growth rates and attracting new shoppers. The Club channel specifically has emerged as increasingly important, with merchandising tactics that boost volume per trip representing a key opportunity. The research also identifies evolving household demographics as a critical factor, with strong growth among smaller, higher-income, younger, and more diverse households, while engagement among older households is also rising. To help stakeholders capitalize on these trends, the NWPB has released a companion Marketing Guide designed to translate channel and demographic insights into actionable steps for category growth.
This comprehensive study builds on NWPB's ongoing initiative to invest in research that supports industry growth, complementing previous Watermelon Attitudes and Usage and Watermelon Shopper Segmentation studies. Industry professionals can access the complete research study and companion Marketing Guide through the NWPB's retail research portal, providing valuable resources for making smarter decisions about marketing, merchandising, and promotions. The NWPB, established in 1989 and funded by over 700 watermelon producers, handlers, and importers, continues its mission to increase consumer demand through promotion, research, and education programs, supporting an industry that saw nearly 5.3 billion pounds of watermelon consumed in the United States in 2024.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Watermelon Sales Surge: $3.2B Category Adds 7M New Households
