Aquaculture America 2024

February 18 - 21, 2024

San Antonio, Texas

ATTRIBUTES AND ADVERTISING PREFERENCES AFFECTING AT-HOME SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THROUGHOUT THE RECOVERY

Mustafa Selcuk Uzmanoglu*, Shraddha Hegde, Carole Engle, Jonathan van Senten, Ganesh Kumar, Madan Dey

Virginia Tech, VSAREC | SEAMaR 27 W Queens Way Suite 204, Hampton, VA, 23669

uzmanoglu@vt.edu

 



The unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis and subsequent shocks to the economy raise questions about how the attributes that affect at-home seafood consumption changed during the pandemic, but perhaps more importantly throughout the recovery. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing seafood consumption at home during these two periods and to discern changes in information and advertising preferences related to at-home seafood consumption. Five consumer surveys were conducted throughout the pandemic and the recovery phase and compared seafood consumption before and after the onset of the pandemic. Surveys were administered at three-month intervals beginning in Quarter 1, 2021, with the last two surveys conducted at six-month intervals. Participants were asked to assess 15 attributes that influenced their at-home consumption of seafood and assess 18 preferences for receiving information and advertising for at-home seafood consumption. The six attributes that influenced respondents’ at-home consumption of seafood were, in order of importance (those with a mean score of 4 or greater on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important): taste/flavor, expiration date on the package, appearance of the fish/shellfish, texture, price and easy availability in stores. The six most preferred methods for receiving information or advertising for at-home seafood consumption, with a mean of 2.5 or greater (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 most important) were, in order of importance: recommendation from seafood counter clerk (supermarket) or restaurant waitstaff, recommendations of family or friend, in-store cards, table tops, discount coupons, rewards, and online reviews (Table 1). No trends were identified for preferences amongst respondents for receiving information or advertising about seafood or for the most important attributes affecting seafood purchase decisions for at-home consumption during the pandemic or throughout the recovery period. The one exception in the data was the importance of price; which exhibited an apparent trend of increasing importance from Q1 to Q4, perhaps in response to changes in incomes and inflation. Findings from this study may inform future strategies for seafood suppliers, retailers, and government agencies to continue to promote seafood consumption at home.