Avocado Retail Quality Surveys
Joanna Embry Avocados Australia
Presentation Overview
• Why conduct quality surveys
• What quality parameters to survey
– Consumer sensory testing
– Online survey
• Results to date
• Where to from here
Consumer sensory panels and
online surveys
• Ripeness
– level of ripeness (firmness) preferred by
consumers
• Internal flesh quality
– maximum acceptable level of internal defects at
different price points above which future
consumer purchasing decisions are negatively
influenced
• Maturity
– minimum maturity (measured by DM%) that
produces Hass avocados of acceptable eating
quality
Ripeness
C: Purchase intent for different ripeness levels
• 85% of consumers have a preference to purchase
avocados that are ready to eat/use immediately
• Consumers prefer soft ripe and medium ripe avocados
• Consumers select for ripeness on colour then
squeezing
Internal Quality
• Severity of defect was of primary
importance followed by price
• At all prices an incidence of more than
10% internal damage significantly
impacts on probability of repurchase
X X X
Maturity : DM v
Likelihood of Purchase
• 22% - 28% Competitive advantage
What we know consumers want
and will alter purchasing for
• They want fruit they can eat tonight
• They want unblemished fruit – no more
than 10% damage
• They want mature fruit – above 22%
What do we give them?
Retail Quality Surveys
• Began in October 2007
– 16 stores in each Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne & Perth
– Monthly
• Information collected
–
–
–
–
–
–
Price
Display details
Size
Weight
Sticker Information
Internal quality
Key findings for 07/08
• More than half fruit colour level 3 or
below
–
–
–
–
NSW 51% of stores
Qld 40% of stores
WA 30% of stores
Vic 5% of stores
1
2
3
4
5
6
Key findings for 07/08
Incidences of internal defects had a significant
association with sampling month, state and store
type of purchase
Total Damage by month
damage > 10%
80
some damage
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Oct-07
Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08
Feb-08 Mar-08
Apr-08 May-08 Jun-08
Jul-08
Aug-08 Sep-08
Total Damage by State
Total Damage by state
>10%
80
some damage
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
N
Q
Around 29% in all states
V
W
Total damage by store of purchase
Total Damage above 10%
45
Store type 1
Store type 2
Store type 3
Store type 4
40
35
25
20
15
10
5
0
Vic
WA
Damage above 10% by store (Sydney)
60
50
40
30
20
10
stores
16
ns
15
ns
14
ns
13
ns
12
ns
11
ns
10
ns
09
ns
08
ns
07
ns
06
ns
05
ns
04
ns
03
ns
ns
02
0
01
Qld
ns
NSW
Proportion above 10% damage
%
30
Key findings for 07/08
Proportion of fruit with specific damage bove 10% damage
14
% above 10% damage
12
10
8
1
6
4
2
0
Body Rot
Bruising
Diffuse Flesh
Other
Stem end rot
Vascular
Bruising most common defect
Proportion of damage above 10% - by State
25
Body Rot
Bruising
Diffuse Flesh
Other
Stem end rot
Vascular
20
15
10
5
0
N
Q
V
W
Key findings for 07/08
NSW probability of repurchase
Probability of Purchase (%)
Prob for Perfect fruit (%)
Average Price($)
3
80
2.5
12%
60
6%
1.5%
50
9%
2
1.5
40
30
1
20
Cheaper fruit have higher
predicted probability of
purchase
0.5
10
0
0
Independents
Cheaper fruit also had
larger estimated
reduction in purchase
prob due to defects
Ind S'markets
Woolworths
Qld probability of repurchase
Probability of Purchase (%)
Prob for Perfect fruit (%)
Average Price($)
90
probability of purchase (%)
Coles
3
80
70
60
10%
6%
10%
2
7%
50
2.5
1.5
40
30
1
20
0.5
10
0
0
Coles
Independents
Ind S'markets
Woolworths
Price ($/pce fruit)
70
Price ($/pce fruit)
probability of purchase (%)
90
Vic probability of repurchase
Probability of Purchase (%)
Prob for Perfect fruit (%)
Average Price($)
3
80
2.5
8%
7%
60
7%
2
5%
50
1.5
40
30
1
20
Price ($/pce fruit)
0.5
10
0
0
Coles
Independents
Ind S'markets
Woolworths
WA probability of repurchase
Probability of Purchase (%)
Prob for Perfect fruit (%)
Average Price($)
90
3
80
2.5
70
60
10%
9%
50
2
2.5%
5%
1.5
40
30
1
20
0.5
10
0
0
Coles
Independents
Ind S'markets
Woolworths
Price ($/pce fruit)
70
probability of purchase (%)
probability of purchase (%)
90
Maturity
Average DM content - North Queensland (Hass)
2009
DM Standard
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - Central Queensland (Hass)
2008
Dry Matter Content (%)
Dry Matter Content (%)
2008
2009
DM Standard
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - Sunshine Coast (Hass)
2009
DM Standard
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - South Qld (Hass)
2008
Dry Matter Content (%)
Dry Matter Content (%)
2008
2009
DM Standard
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - Northern NSW (Hass)
2009
DM Standard
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - Central NSW (Hass)
2008
Dry Matter Content (%)
Dry Matter Content (%)
2008
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
2009
4-May
4-Jun
DM Standard
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - Tristate (Hass)
2009
DM Standard
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Average DM content - WA (Hass)
2008
2009
DM Standard
38
36
34
32
Dry Matter Content (%)
Dry Matter Content (%)
2008
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
1-Jan
1-Feb
3-Mar
3-Apr
4-May
4-Jun
5-Jul
5-Aug
5-Sep
6-Oct
6-Nov
7-Dec
Where to from here?
• Working with supply chain partners to
make improvements
• Working back from retailers who have
consistently over time sold high quality
fruit to assist in producing education
materials
• Producing a series of education
materials
• Continued quality surveys for monitoring
and to measure improvements
Proportion of Hass with internal damage above 10%
Sydney
Coles
Independents
Independent supermarkets
Woolworths
Se
p09
Au
g09
Ju
l-0
9
Ju
n09
09
M
ay
-
9
Proportion of Hass with internal damage above 10%
Brisbane
Coles
Independents
Independent supermarkets
Woolworths
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
Se
p09
Au
g09
Ju
l- 0
9
Ju
n09
09
M
ay
-
09
Ap
r-
09
ar
M
Fe
b09
Ja
n09
ec
-0
8
D
ov
-0
8
N
ct
-0
8
10%
0%
O
Ap
r -0
09
M
ar
-
Fe
b09
Ja
n09
-0
8
D
ec
-0
8
N
ov
O
ct08
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Proportion of Hass with internal damage above 10%
Melbourne
Coles
Independents
Independent supermarkets
Woolworths
-0
9
Se
p
-0
9
Au
g
9
l-0
Ju
n09
Ju
09
M
ay
-
9
-0
Ap
r
9
-0
M
ar
9
b0
Fe
n09
Ja
De
c08
ov
-0
8
N
O
ct
-0
8
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Proportion of Hass with internal damage above 10%
Perth
Coles
Indpendents
Independent supermarkets
Woolworths
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Oct- Nov- Dec- Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- May- Jun08
08
08
09
09
09
09
09
09
Jul09
Aug- Sep09
09
Thank you