SFS

WP4: PRODUCT AND CONSUMER TRENDS

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Introduction

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WP4 will analyse the impact of consumer behaviour, market trends, innovation and product development in the seafood market. Work undertaken will be carried out in close co-operation with industry partners and key stakeholders. As a first step, micro-economic tools will be used to analyse how factors such as income, own prices and prices of substitute goods affect the demand for the chosen species. For this purpose, complete and/or partial systems of demand will be estimated. Results will highlight fish consumption within the consumers' diets, depending on country and types of consumers and will be used to simulate the effects of various price policies. In a second stage, past and current consumer preference trends will be analysed and the acceptability of fish products examined by looking at consumption in local, niche and global markets. The specific area of demand stimulation or manipulation through health, label and certification claims on one hand and negative press reports on the other hand will be analysed quantitatively where possible and compared with consumer acceptability of products using Conjoint Analysis. Finally, a database of successes and failures in product development and consumer behaviour will be used as a background material for trend research, yielding insights into product innovation and which product characteristics best fit consumers’ preferences. The outcome of the WP will be an overview of current and future trends and consumer behaviour in local, European and international seafood markets (SO4).

 

Objectives

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• To analyse the impact of consumer behaviour, market trends, innovation and product development in the seafoodmarket.
• To identify the recent trends in the fish/seafood consuming motivations and patterns in the main markets of Europe,using on one hand full range consumer studies and on the other, case studies of farmed and capture fish (salmon, trout, seabass, seabream, herring and cod).

Tasks

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1. Industry study cases (salmon, trout, seabass/seabream, herring and cod)
2. Qualitative studies towards fish/seafood consumption
3. Quantitative studies:
   • Household purchases in Finland and France
   • Impacts of increased fish consumption
   • Frequency of purchases
   • Demand stimulation/manipulation and negative press
4. Choice modelling

Deliverables

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• Industry study cases report: a collection of marketing successes and failures in the world based on clever product innovations and/or marketing activities
• Qualitative research report: analysis interviews aimed mainly at identifying the main positive and negative drivers of fish/seafood consumption (for the chosen species)
• Report on the development of fish consumption and demand in France and Finland