MARKETING | |
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Retail marketing ideas |
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RETAIL MARKETING IDEAS | |
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Seafood has many distinguishing characteristics that make it a unique form of animal protein. One of these, the associated health and utritional benefts, is a key factor driving seafood consumption today. In addition, many seafoods are considered luxury items, purchased for special occasions or celebratory events, and consequently premium lines can command high prices. The range and variety of seafood products available to consumers can be daunting. Compared with alternatives such as chicken, beef and pork, seafood presens more complex buying decisions. consumers often have limited knowledge of the range of seafood available and/or how to prepare and cook it appropriately. Retailers seeking to promote seafood must therefore not only capitalise on its unique characteristics, but must also consider providing meal solutions for their cusomers that make seafood a simpleand convenient choice. listed here are ways for caterers, restaurateurs and fishmongers to promote seafood by considering both the seafood itself and the needs of the consumer. | |
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Seafood is not only nutritional, but also perceived to be nutritional by consumers. | |
To capitalise on this: |
Promote the nutritional benifits of seafood on your menu, in store promotions and through other forms of advertising. Australians are generaly well informed and recognise the importance of a healthy diet. They are on the lookout for foods that can meet their nutritional needs. So do not be afraid to reinforce the message that seafood is important in meeting dietary requirements. eep your premises clean and tidy in keeping with a healthy image. |
• Use seafood in nutritional recipies | Try steaming, baking or grilling to accentuate the natural goodnessof seafood. |
• Train staff to give nutritional pointers to customers | Nutritional pointers should be succint and precise-For example, seafood is the easiest of all protein sources to digest, or seafood is high in omega-3's and an excellent source of the B group of vitamins and iodine. |
Seafood has a special and up-market image to many customers. Other commonly eaten meats do not have a similar image. Serving seafood at a function will make a very favourable impression on guests, as they may be consuming a product that they do not regularly eat. | |
To capitalise on this: | If your seafood and services are of an appropriate standard, a special and up-market image can result in more sales and higher selling prices. Take advantage of special occasions when consumers are looking for an eating ?experience?. Create a seafood ambience in your establishment?decorate with fishing nets, have an aquarium or use a seafood theme for your staff uniforms. |
• Do something special with seafood | Be adventurous! Do not stick to the traditional seafood varieties and recipes. Try interesting and innovative ?new? seafood in your establishment; for example have a fling with ling. Help your customers enjoy the experience by providing a story, either verbally or on the menu, about this new dining experience. |
| Be creative! Seafood has an extremely wide variety of colours and shapes as well as cuts and cooking methods. This unique combination of characteristics, along with the fact that many seafood species can be displayed live in an aquarium, provides almost endless options for creatively stimulating demand for seafood. | |
To capitalise on this: | Try having photos or cartoon-style seafood characters on the menu, a chilled seafood display case, an aquarium, sculptured seafood displays, framed seafood posters or buffet displays. |
• Prepare seafood presentations in advance | Seafood can be served cold, hence sculptured seafood displays for a function can be prepared in advance so as to minimise preparation at the function. This is particularly useful for commercial caterers. |
Take advantage of the seasonality of many seafood species. Seafood that is in season is usually economical, plentiful and of high quality. Consumers also consider seafood to be of higher quality and better value when it is in season. | |
To capitalise on this: | Buying and selling seafood in season can save your customers money and give them the opportunity to try different species throughout the year. To check when a species is available refer to the Species chapter or the Australian Seafood by Season calendar (available from Seafood Services Australia). |
• Use ?seasonal? as a promotional tool | Promote the seafood on the menu as being in season and emphasise that now is the best time to eat it. Do this, for example, by carefully wording your menu and advertising, and educating your staff. Inform your customers that in-season seafood is at its best now but will not be in season for long. Try using slogans such as ?mud crab mayhem? or ?goodbye winter warehou? in your promotions. |
• Get staff to encourage customers to buy in season | Suggestive selling requires staff to be knowledgeable and confident, not only with selling techniques but with seafood generally, and with species and cooking information in particular. Encourage staff to use the Species chapter to learn more about the seafood on your menu. |
• Give customers a taste of your wares | Give customers the opportunity to taste or trial seafood that is in season. For example, offer complimentary bite-size samples while they are waiting to be seated, or even on your menu as part of the whole restaurant package or experience. Once customers have tasted something they are much more likely to buy it. And if carried out with style and quality, initiatives such as these can only improve your reputation. |
• Have a flexible menu |
Do not let your menu lock you into serving a limited number of seafood species. If you do this you will lose bargaining power and may need to pay a high price and settle for inferior quality. Remember seafood is often seasonal, so be flexible in selecting species and setting prices. Rather than printing menus that are inflexible, use a blackboard menu that can be changed according to the availability of seafood. If a printed menu is more consistent with your image, use an ?umbrella? name such as ?ocean catch?; this allows you to take account of seasonal and weather changes that affect seafood availability. However, ensure that staff know which species are being served each day and that seafood is correctly labelled. It is an offence to use misleading names. CSIRO?s Australian Seafood Handbook ? an Identification Guide to Domestic Species (available from Seafood Services Australia) lists national marketing names. Seafood platters also give scope for varying the ingredients. And rather than advertising ?fish of the day?, name the dish after the proprietor or chef (for example ?Charlie?s Choice?) and change the species as required. |
• Offer price deals |
Having an excess of seafood at any time need not be a problem. If you bought at a lower price you can pass the lower cost on to the customer. Offer it as a special deal. If you want to have promotional campaigns with special price deals, in-season is one time to do it. Your suppliers are most likely to have the extra quantities needed, lower prices, and the best quality to impress your customers. |
Customers generally know less about seafood than about products such as beef and chicken. This discourages some customers from ordering seafood as they might not know what it is, how to eat it correctly or even how to pronounce it! Overall, many consumers lack confidence with seafood and some would rather eat familiar seafood in a restaurant than in their home where they perceive that its preparation is unduly difficult. | |
To capitalise on this: | Train your staff. If your staff do not have the knowledge to provide confident recommendations, the chances are that your customers will choose something they know well?which may not be seafood. Staff should be friendly and need to know what the different species are, where they are from, how they are best cooked and what they taste like. Train your staff appropriately. If you have a large number of staff, you could hand out a weekly staff briefing note on the information that needs to be passed on to the customer. Perhaps they could demonstrate to customers how to eat certain seafoods?for example how to best shell a crab. Some talented staff may be able to do this as a form of entertainment, particularly during quieter periods. In both retail outlets and restaurants, staff must aim to make customers both comfortable and successful with seafood. |
• Educate your customers using printed material | Ordering: try placing educational information about seafood on the menu or placemat. Include interesting little pointers about the seafood?s origin, a story or fable, a diagram or photo of different species, or illustrations of the beautiful locations where they are caught. This gives customers something novel to read, increases their interest, and enhances the likelihood that they will order seafood. |
• Try taste-testing for customers |
Offer customers a sample platter. A good opportunity for commercial caterers to secure an edge over competitors is to put together a sample platter for the decision maker in the customer organisation. Provide a taste of what is to come if you get the order! It is visual, impressive and stylish and reduces the risk for the decision maker when choosing. Restaurants can also provide seafood samples for customers to try. This lowers the risk for the customer when ordering something new. It also gives the customer more experience with seafood, and greater confidence. You should also let staff taste-test new menu items. |
People who enjoy your seafood will tend to return to your establishment. Attracting new customers is much more expensive than generating repeat business with the customers you have. Reward loyal customers with special incentive deals. | |
To capitalise on this: | Show your customers that you want them to return and to tell their friends about your establishment; ?word of mouth? is the greatest and most reliable source of business. If it suits your situation, develop a personal approach?recognise customers and greet them by name. Add value to the service provided to repeat customers and make them feel part of your establishment. Offer a loyalty program, extra coffee, a bottle of wine, or otherwise show that you recognise and appreciate continued custom. In retail outlets, offer to pack seafood in ice if the customer has far to travel. |
• Use price incentives to encourage repeat business | Try a weekly promotion or special deal. Have a weekly seafood night with an entr?e and main meal at a bargain price. Keep it going every week so customers become familiar with it?it might become habit forming! Time the promotion for when your customers are more likely to follow a habit, for example after work on Fridays. Price discounts such as half-price seafood meals can also be offered to repeat customers (for example on their fifth visit). Bear in mind however that the use of price to attract repeat customers should be done cautiously or it can lead to an erosion of profit margins. Be careful that patronage does not decline on nights when specials are not on offer. It may be better to offer repeat customers extra food or services?for example free dessert or coffee?rather than a price discount. You can also try a ?business card bowl?: draw two business cards a month, with a prize of free seafood meals. |
Seafood is one of the few foods that can be displayed live to potential customers. Exploit this fact. When done properly, increased turnover and profits may more than compensate for the cost and time involved. | |
To capitalise on this: • Blend live display with established themes | Live displays work best when incorporated into the overall interior design and general theme of your establishment. Live seafood will add realism and movement to your other decorations and will arouse your customers? curiosity. |
• Make live displays stunning | Live seafood will attract your customers? attention but they will be quickly turned off if the display is unattractive or dirty, or if the animals are suffering. Make sure you are aware of all animal welfare requirements and do not cut corners with the initial set up or ongoing maintenance. A poorly presented live seafood display may lose you customers. |
• Be sensitive to your customers? feelings | Some of your customers may be offended by seeing live seafood, knowing that it will soon be killed and eaten. If this may be a problem in your business, treat the animals as pets and make sure your customers know that the live animals are for display only. Alternatively, display non-seafood animals such as small, colourful aquarium fishes. These will attract the attention of many customers, particularly children. Conversely, some customers may enjoy selecting the animal they want to eat, and will be satisfied that they are being served high-quality seafood. |
Some consumers do not buy seafood from retail outlets as they perceive it to be too difficult to prepare. However, many seafood meals are easy to prepare compared with other dishes. |
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To capitalise on this: | Recipe cards: no retail outlet should be without recipe ideas for customers. Develop recipe cards for the seafood you are selling and place these in an obvious place on the counter. Recipes encourage impulse sales as well as stimulate increased use of seafood. Many consumers are looking for new menu ideas and recipe cards are an excellent way to showcase the versatility of seafood. |
• Offer meal solutions to your customers | Give consideration to the way in which your customers may wish to use seafood. By offering options such as peeled prawns, crab meat, marinara mixes, crumbed fillets or diced finfish fillets suitable for stir fries, you will add value to your seafood and, importantly, provide a convenient meal solution for your customers. By making it easy for them, they are more likely to come back and to tell their friends about your excellent service. |
