Like a struggling prize fighter searching for the knockout punch that will bring success and notoriety, many retail seafood departments are finding that building sales is a hit-and-miss effort. However, it doesn't have to be.
Clemens Markets, Kulpsville, Pa., is winning new fans -- and profits -- with the idea that promoting the fight is just as important as throwing a punch.
Here, the effort to differentiate the seafood department from competitors' goes hand-in-hand with well-developed promotions that are designed to boost sales in what remains a fickle category to market, according to Mike Miller, director of seafood for the 19-unit independent retailer.
"What we try to do right off the bat is generate excitement in the store, about a product and a promotion, among consumers and employees, so that everyone knows that something special is going on," he said. "And once the people have a reason to come see what all the hubbub is about, then we reel them in a get them interested in the seafood product we're promoting."
Clemens prides itself on its inventive and enthusiastic promotions, and often displays large in-store and outdoor banners touting whatever campaign is running that week. Advertisements in the local newspapers accompany most of the more elaborate promotions, and the chain's newly hired ad agency has begun generating new print, television and radio spots as well.
According to Miller, the most important aspect in running a seafood promotion is "giving people a reason to stop," which opens the window of opportunity, allowing associates to sell customers the products. However, it's important to keep the featured items in stock throughout the course of the event.
"You'd be surprised just how many retailers plan these elaborate promotions for a certain product and then forget to bump their supply up a little bit for it," said Miller. "They end up pitching a product, with all these customers in the store, and when they persuade them to try it, have to turn around and say 'Well, we're all out of it right now."'
Clemens' customers, like most consumers, are still somewhat uneasy about taking seafood home and cooking it themselves, especially if they pay more money than they are accustomed to for an unusual type of fish or an upscale, brand-name product, said Miller.
But featuring these types of products during in-store promotions and making the customers more knowledgeable about them, goes a long way towards convincing consumers the risk and the price are worth it.
"People don't mind messing up while cooking something if they only wasted a few dollars, but they don't want to pay more and then mess up and not be able to eat it when they're done," said Miller. "Especially when they look across the aisle and see a boneless breast of chicken for $3. So we help them out."
Pat Kendall, a seafood cookbook author and consultant known throughout the industry as the Fish Lady, concurred with Miller on the need to focus on some of the more pricey seafood items when promoting products. She said that people tend to keep seafood purchases simple unless they have a reason to stray.
"Most consumers are still so concerned with cooking fish that they stick with what they know," said Kendall. "So for them to buy something new or experiment, they really have to be dazzled with a great price or some very helpful, how-to demonstrations."
Another approach that Clemens incorporates into promoting its seafood is a consistent effort to be the first retailer in the area to offer a certain product, and to be on the forefront of new and exciting seafood-based products.
"Being the first to offer the public a product says something about your dedication to the consumer and their needs and wants," said Miller. "Financially, it can be risky sometimes, but I think it shows that we're out there, trying to help them know more, about more products, and that we're dedicated to being a leader in the category."
One of the more unusual promotions that Clemens Markets generated recently was called a Potlatch, a native Alaskan term that Miller said, loosely translated, means "a giving party." The seafood department had been stocking its cases with fish that was caught by native Alaskans, the only people that harvest their bounty from sacred tribal waters in their home state. The retailer brought in a group of the fisherman to dance in native costumes in the middle of one store to promote the sale of their seafood to intrigued shoppers.
To accompany the display, the Alaskan visitors also gave an in-store cooking demonstration using their personally harvested fish, showing customers how they prepare the food in their homeland and how it could be done in customers' homes as well. "The Alaskan natives were a crowd favorite, and it drew a lot of attention to the specialty fish that we had been selling for weeks without seeing much of a commotion about it," said Miller. "And, like I said, once the people had an interest, it gave the staff a chance to reel them in and let them know what we had to offer."
Motivated associates are the key to pulling off any worthwhile promotion, and each department takes pride in employees that can educate consumers and help upsell them on particular premium items, said Miller.
Seafood department staffers at Clemens -- usually consisting of one manager, one assistant manager and five or six part-time workers -- take part in weekly meetings to discuss various issues concerning the category and the store, said Miller. Employees also participate in occasional seminars, taught by different seafood vendors in a classroom setting, on how to inform consumers about certain products; they also attend informational lectures by fishermen on how to handle, store and cut seafood.
Associates find the promotions themselves are educational. One particular event focused on a grilling demonstration by Evie Hansen, marketing director for National Seafood Educators, Richmond Beach, Wash. [see "Fish-Grilling Demo Lands Sales Hike At Clemens," SN, July 10, 2000]. According to Miller, these types of visits from seafood organizations help both the staff and customers to better understand the products.
"We try to educate constantly -- our employees at least once a week, our customers every day," said Miller. "It's vital to the rise of our seafood department, or anyone's for that matter."
Kendall agreed, adding that seafood department staffs are not as busy as other store employees in most situations, and therefore have time to be more customer-service oriented.
Miller noted that any strategy to improve seafood sales must reverse the trend of apathy toward the category, something he does not understand when dealing with such a challenging department. He said that some retailers claim a lack of skilled seafood laborers forces them to focus more on other sections.
"Sometimes it's not even how well we promote our fish, but just the fact that we do it at all," said Miller. "For some reason, a lot of local retailers don't seem to be pushing as hard as we are, and I really don't understand why."
Clemens certainly has an upper hand in its ability to showcase the promotions in its well-designed seafood departments. Each footprint measures approximately 36 feet by 20 feet, and occupies a prominent location in most stores. The service counter and refrigerated service cases are often garnished with cross-promotional items from other departments that can build on particular seafood purchases.
"The more excited we are about a product, and show it, the more reason the consumer has to be interested," said Miller. "I think it's that simple."
