USING CONSUMER PROFILES TO INCREASE THE US MARKET FOR SEAFOOD - IMPLICATIONS FOR AQUACULTURE

A turnaround in U.S. seafood marketing occurred in the late 1980's. Pe r capita consumption declined following 1987 and prices weakened. Wors ening market conditions led the Southeast and Northeast Regional Aquac ulture Centers to undertake market studies. This study's early-1988 '' baseline'' results correspond within a few months of the peaking of co nsumer seafood demand in 1987. Cluster analysis characterized 5 distin ct consumer profiles. The two most favorable profiles toward seafood w ere differentiated by alternative views of fish pricing: one group fou nd fish inexpensive, the other, expensive. Another profile was identif ied by its dislike of sensory characteristics such as ''boniness'' and difficulty of preparation. The broad characterization that fish were nutritious and healthy was shared by 4 of the 5 consumer profiles, and represents a major marketing advantage for aquaculture producers. Fre quent purchase behavior was shown to be critically important to sales of seafood, both for at-home and restaurant consumption. Patterns of f requent purchase differed by inland versus coastal regions. Legit regr ession analysis suggested that aquaculturalists target specific consum er profiles by recognizing unique characteristics of consumers, includ ing income level, family size and presence of children, seasonality pr eferences, and other demographic factors. Consumer concerns about avai lability of fish and seafood indicate that supplying multiple species would likely be a marketing advantage. The study suggests that aquacul ture firms will increasingly need to offset the widespread perception that fish have become ''expensive'' by highlighting nutritional value and other value-added attributes such as freshness, availability and q uality.