Retail Tips to Prepare for an Uptick in Post COVID Seafood Sales

The past 12 months have been tough on not only our mental health but also our physical fitness. However, a positive outcome of our collective home-bound experience is that in general, we have adopted healthier eating habits that promise to carry over to our post-COVID re-set.

Studies show that since the shutdown, people are cooking and eating healthier, a trend that bodes well for seafood retailers. In fact, according to an initial survey conducted by Eat Seafood America in fall 2020, respondents were three times more likely to have added seafood to their meals in the last two months. And there’s more:

· 12% plan to add seafood to their meals soon

· 22% are learning to cook seafood more often at home

· 23% have eaten more seafood in the last two months.

How to keep the momentum going with your customers? Leverage the new focus on health and utilize Lent as a 2021 kick-off.  Lent, traditionally, is a time of reflection and seafood-only guidelines as the “go-to” food on Friday. The result is a 20% increase in sales, which even COVID-19 has been unable to affect. Keep that traction in play throughout the year with some simple steps that educate your customers on the endless variety and innovation of today’s seafood recipes.

A Few Tips

Restaurants are beginning to reopen after the pandemic shutdown, and diners eager to get out of the house and support their local restaurants. So how can retailers hold on to their share of sales? Below are tactics to keep your customers coming to your seafood counter throughout Lent and beyond: 

1.    Offer new and unique recipes. Not all shoppers come to the store with a list; many customers browse to see what looks good that day or is easy to cook. In fact, studies have shown that 38% of purchases of fish and shellfish are unplanned, driven mostly by the customer’s mood or product positioning in the store. Educating customers is key. Having your seafood fare nicely displayed with fast, easy, tasty recipes cards available from dispensers at the point of display or on the counter can encourage shoppers to buy particular types of seafood along with other ingredients needed for the recipe. Ask your suppliers to provide interesting and easy recipe ideas that will stimulate repeat purchases once a new meal becomes a family favorite during and after Lent. 

2.    Consider your counter location. As we all know, whether for real estate or product placement, robust sales are always about location, location, location and prime spots in your store demand a premium. Consider strategically placing your frozen seafood displays in a more visible location closer to the entrance and/or near the check-out areas. This placement makes it handy for those coming in specifically to pick up fish, as well as shoppers who pick up their seafood just before checkout. If you can’t move your counter, find another way to highlight the area with more distinct signage, especially during Lent, to remind shoppers to prepare for fish Fridays.

3.    Highlight new items. Developing simple messaging and effective promotions in your customer newsletters and coupons that highlight seafood innovation will remind consumers that seafood promotes year-round health well beyond Lent. The more you can underscore the benefits and de-mystify the prep with new approaches, the more seafood you will sell.

The good news is that the younger generation tends to be more adventurous than their predecessors, in part, because of greater exposure to a variety of ethnic cultures and cuisines through travel and technology. So, keep your counter stocked with traditional favorites, but buy and promote a few new items since many younger shoppers want to be among the first to try emerging trends. 

4.    Ensure You Stay On-trend. What to choose? Check out what is starting to appear on restaurant menus, which “are amazing predictors of what shoppers will look for next on the shelf,” advises Progressive Grocer (PG). First on PG’s current list is branzino. Also called European sea bass, branzino is popular in Mediterranean and other ethnic cuisines and fine dining due to its delicate taste, scarcity of bones, and cooking versatility.

5.    Double the Opportunity. Intersecting with Lent is the Lunar, or Chinese, New Year, which started February 12. The holiday is celebrated by most Chinese for 16 days, during which time they prepare a wide range of seafood dishes believed to bring good luck and longevity. Take advantage of this celebration by offering special promotions that encourage new and creative ways to make seafood a healthy and popular choice well past new year festivities.

Incorporating some of these marketing approaches now will cultivate new seafood customers, boost seafood sales and promote new revenue opportunities well into the future.