Boost New-Year Sales with Healthy Seafood Options

As the new year comes up, many consumers may be focusing their efforts on eating healthier—and for some, part of eating healthier may mean eating more seafood. In fact, according to Technomic’s 2019 Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report, 45% of consumers who say they are eating more seafood say they are doing so because they are trying to eat healthier and consider seafood options to be healthier. What’s more, nearly one-third (32%) of consumers said they expect to eat more seafood in the coming year. For grocers, the opportunity to capitalize on these shoppers’ desires toward seafood is big.

Technomic’s report found that a full 73% of consumers classify seafood as healthy or very healthy. To appeal to health-minded consumers, grocery stores should stock a variety of seafood, including all the incredible species coming from the icy, pristine waters of Alaska:

Highlighting quality

To boost the appeal of seafood, retailers should use signage as well as train staff on how to educate shoppers on the quality of the seafood in stores. With sustainability top of mind for many consumers, it can be beneficial to highlight the origin of the seafood, especially since 46% of consumers said it was important to them to know which country the seafood they eat is from, according to Technomic’s report. Alaska has a long-standing commitment to maintaining a positive balance between the environment and its thriving fisheries—so much so that in 1959, when Alaska became a state and took over the management of its fisheries, the constitution mandated that fish be “utilized, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle.” Additionally, the Technomic report found that 44% of consumers prefer to eat wild-caught seafood, so retailers should definitely make a point of calling out “wild” or “wild-caught” on packaging or in coolers where applicable.

By highlighting the inherent high quality of wild-caught, sustainable seafood from Alaska, consumers will be more likely to purchase over other options.

Boosting inspiration for meals

As shoppers dive into their healthy eating goals, it’s important for retailers to keep them interested in purchasing good-for-you items week after week. After all, no one wants to get into a recipe rut, cooking the same meals every day. To increase interest, retailers can consider hosting cooking demonstrations, emailing recipe cards in weekly newsletters or displaying unique ingredients near the fish counter to spur inspiration. For instance, retailers can set up a station near the salmon featuring teriyaki sauce, broccoli and brown rice, and put up signage suggesting a tasty stir-fry for a weeknight dinner, or display pasta, garlic and spinach near surimi seafood, suggesting a tasty pasta topped with spinach and surimi.

Seafood can be a great choice for shoppers looking to eat healthier in the new year. Fish is high in protein and relatively low in fat, making it perfect for those who are looking to eat a little leaner in 2020. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has recipes and merchandising materials to help retailers meet the needs of the ever-increasing health-minded consumer.

To learn more about how to best market and promote healthy and delicious seafood options in grocery stores and get support in doing so, visit alaskaseafood.org.