The New Era of Seafood Shopping in 2025
Now that we’ve entered a new year and a new presidential administration has taken power in Washington, D.C., how are consumers adjusting their seafood purchases?
In the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index for January 2025, as reported by 210 Analytics and Circana, consumers noted their concerns regarding the labor market and potentially higher prices due to tariffs on imports. The index’s decline in consumer sentiment affected consumers across different political affiliations, age groups and income levels.
Indeed, overall fresh seafood prices were up 2.2% in January of this year, driven by a 5.1% increase in shellfish prices, while prices for finfish were up just 0.4% and shelf-stable seafood prices were actually lower than in January 2024. However, although seafood prices are looking better for shoppers, the average price per pound remained significantly higher than the average price per pound for the three most popular animal proteins: chicken ($3.19), pork ($3.21) and even beef ($6.73).
Meanwhile, in the frozen food section, the average price per pound for shrimp edged up by 0.9%, although frozen salmon prices decreased 2.5% from January 2024.
[RELATED: What's Trending in Frozen Foods?]
Still, all three seafood segments – fresh, frozen and canned – saw increases in year-over-year dollar and pound sales, with growth highest for shelf-stable product. In fact, as of January 2025, pound growth is now in positive territory for both frozen and shelf-stable seafood.
Given this economic backdrop and sales performance, how should retailers and suppliers respond to keep seafood not just afloat, but also advancing despite any adverse currents?
“According to Brick Meets Click/Mercatus, the U.S. online grocery market closed out 2024 on a high note,” writes Anne-Marie Roerink, president of San Antonio-based 210 Analytics, in her January 2025 seafood report. “December was the fifth consecutive month of sales exceeding $9.5 billion, driven by strong growth in all fulfillment methods and aggressive promotions on memberships and subscriptions. Total e-grocery sales climbed 9% for the year, with the second half of the year driving the momentum. That means seafood needs to be part of an omnichannel strategy that fuels high conversion of shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen seafood in online baskets.”
Roerink also points out that holidays and special occasions, like the recent Big Game and Valentine’s Day, the current March Madness, and the upcoming Easter, which this year doesn’t occur until April 20, are all prime retail selling opportunities.
Health and Convenience Rule
When asked about seafood trends that are poised to endure, industry stakeholders shared a few key observations.
Aaron Flamini, senior market development manager at the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), whose U.S. headquarters is in Wilmington, N.C., cites “tinned seafood, which has been increasing over past eight years, exploding during COVID-19.
Adds Flamini: “Now that the market for tinned seafood has arrived, it has brought with it many new, hip American brands as well as established European producers. It’s seen as a quick, easy way to taste something that may be completely new and exotic – and it’s shelf stable. Retailers like Target have ‘caught’ on, as they now feature compelling sets of tinned fish.”
Flamini’s ASC colleague, Marketing Manager Athena Davis, points to another important motivator for shoppers: “The latest reporting among early food adopters – bolstered by our own observations through ASC’s on-the-ground consumer campaigns and commercial outreach – reflects a strong desire for easy, healthy meals across generational categories. Farmed seafood is no exception, especially as it indexes high in lean protein and has a lower environmental footprint than most land-based meat categories.”
Griffin Raasch, director of marketing at San Diego-based Chicken of the Sea, concurs that health and convenience are increasingly important to consumers. “We continue to see consumers seeking ‘better for you’ products, especially in the convenience and snacking space,” affirms Raasch. “Consumers are also looking for variety, so expansion into different flavors and packaging formats is paramount to support their busy lifestyles. Chicken of the Sea has a robust offering of delicious, nutrient-dense products to help consumers find balance in their meals and snacks.”
Ellen Lee-Allen, director, product and program management for Brooklyn, N.Y.-based fourth-generation business Acme Smoked Fish, also agrees. “With people having busy lifestyles, being able to prepare a nutritious and healthy meal quickly is desired,” says Lee-Allen. “Our smoked fish products are ready to eat, rich in protein, and can make a delicious meal quickly and conveniently in minutes.” Further, Acme offerings like Lox in Box can satisfy the rising consumer demand for healthful snacks in the United States, she notes.
Marketing and Merchandising Success
No matter how on-trend suppliers’ items are, once product gets to stores, promotion and presentation are still crucial to reeling customers in. Thanks to such sources as the internet, though, many are hooked before they ever arrive in the aisles.
At Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based Doris Italian Market & Bakery, which operates five South Florida locations, Seafood Department Supervisor/Buyer Jim Bruno believes that the independent grocer’s increasing seafood sales are attributable to education resulting in greater consumer awareness of seafood’s health benefits, as well as to social media videos showing quick and easy preparation methods. Doris capitalizes on this interest through targeted pricing.
“We feature four to five items every week in our sales ad,” continues Bruno. “We work with our vendors to promote a few items each week at a discounted price. This is attractive to our customers to buy one of our sale items, and there is always an increase in volume on the sale items compared to when they are not featured in our weekly ad.”
In line with Roerink’s recommendation, Doris also provides seasonal or holiday packages a few times a year. “For example, for Valentine’s Day we offer a Dinner for Two Package that includes surf and turf (lobster tails and filet mignon), cocktail shrimp and our famous cannoli pastry for dessert,” notes Bruno.
“This package does very well each year, selling over 500 packages on Valentine’s Day," he continues. "We also feature a Clam Bake Package during the summer (Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day). This includes all of the ingredients needed for a clam bake, including an instruction/recipe sheet. This is very popular for us, as we have been promoting this for over 10 years. These packages give customers a no-brainer solution to a meal for certain holidays, and it has increased our sales, because customers are impressed with these packages. They come back to our seafood department and purchase other items.”
[Never miss a story – sign up for Progressive Grocer's FREE Daily newsletter]
In addition to spotlighting fresh seafood, Doris makes sure to remind customers about its frozen offering.
“We put store signage on certain items in our frozen section to draw attention when there is a promotion or special item we are stocking,” says Bruno. “Again, our weekly sale ads come into play with this as well. We do include frozen items from time to time on our featured discounted items, and this is promoted on our website, social media and in store with signage. One frozen item we have had great success with is snow and king crab legs. This is an item we sell in our frozen seafood section, and when our vendors offer us a discounted price, we take advantage by passing this discount to our customers and drawing more attention to that item and other items in the frozen section. There is a noticeable difference in sales volume when frozen items are promoted in our weekly ads.”
Perhaps most important, however, is making sure that product looks appetizing.
“Our No. 1 focus is presentation of our seafood department,” emphasizes Bruno. “This starts with the freshness of product. Our seafood is delivered fresh every day. Each morning, our seafood clerk sets up their showcase, putting only the fresh fish we receive that day. Our seafood case is organized in a way that is attractive to our customers, with proper signage labeling each item. We also include some prepared seafood dishes in our showcase, which increases our sales, as some customers want ready-prepared items they can just heat and eat. Our seafood clerks are knowledgeable about the items they are selling and can cross-merchandise or upsell our customers when they come to the seafood department. Having an employee that knows fish is a major advantage when merchandising to customers.”
On the supplier side, following a major 2023 rebrand including refreshed graphics, which led to improved shelf presence and merchandising, Chicken of the Sea continues to introduce initiatives to support such new products as tuna packets it created with spice purveyor McCormick.
“We’ve rolled out multiple retail-specific marketing programs since the launch of our tuna packets, including sampling programs, new item displays, targeted digital placements, and more to drive trial and awareness,” notes Raasch. “We built a comprehensive marketing strategy to support our full product portfolio that continues to evolve as we launch new flavor offerings to our packet lineup and carry momentum for the brand.”
Acme is also sampling product in stores. “We recently launched a demo program for the rollout of our Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna at Whole Foods Market, and we’ve been seeing a very positive response,” says Lee-Allen. “Consumers love the tuna! Its delicious taste – lightly smoked – and versatility are attractive. Consumers are enjoying the tuna on avocado toasts, in rice bowls and in salads.”
Merchandising can be particularly crucial when conveying what differentiates certain items.
“ASC is all about transparency, as products that carry our ‘sea green’ label can be tracked back through the supply chain via our unique chain-of-custody code on the packaging,” explains Flamini. “Since our label is relatively new to the American market, shoppers are more likely to make the connection between ASC’s label and the traceability it provides when the country of origin, or even the specific farm, is listed on or next to the seafood. This kind of retailer cooperation is key to effectively communicating our label’s meaning to the shopper, ensuring they can make informed, responsible seafood choices.”
He continues: “Retailers can communicate the origin of seafood or its ASC certification via a simple sign or channel strip, accompanied by having the ASC label on-pack. This is an easy way to showcase transparency to shoppers and highlight responsible sourcing. Frozen or shelf-stable branded seafood often prominently features the country of origin in the product name – Norwegian Cold Smoked Salmon – which is another simple way to share more source information with shoppers.”
Beyond Salmon and Shrimp
It’s safe to say that certain seafood species are especially popular with Americans, but are there opportunities to introduce them to other items that may not only widen their seafood experience and add more variety to their diet, but also generate more sales? Experts believe so.
According to ASC’s Flamini, “[O]ysters … look to continue an upward trajectory.” The market for this bivalve “is projected to increase 25% in the next decade,” he observes. “While this trend is driven by restaurants, we’ve already begun to see oysters at more upscale specialty retailers and at Whole Foods. It is important to note that in the U.S., nearly all oyster production is done through aquaculture, and nearly all of it is from North American farms.”
“As a way to differentiate and diversify, many innovative specialty retailers and brands are already branching out from the seafood classics, introducing their customers to a wider array of species such as branzino/European seabass, kanpachi, trout and mussels,” says Davis. “Major retailers should take note. As inflation continues to shape consumer shopping behaviors, retailers can respond by showcasing affordable seafood options, many of which come in the form of lesser-known, budget-friendly options.”
She adds: “ASC has had great success highlighting responsibly certified seafood species beyond shrimp and salmon through our retail campaign partnerships. For example, we worked with New Seasons Market to showcase USA-raised trout through a series of promotions offering whole trout giveaways, DIY butchery videos, and sustainability education that emphasized fish health and water quality. Telling farmers’ stories has proven an especially effective way to connect with shoppers.”
[RELATED: Giant Eagle's Private Label Seafood Nets Historic Certification]
“We … believe having a knowledgeable employee behind the seafood counter servicing shoppers also helps to introduce new and different seafood options,” advises Bruno, no stranger to in-store engagement. “When you have someone behind the counter that can explain what different seafood items taste like and how to season and cook them, it is encouraging to shoppers to try new items.”
Yet another opportunity exists in plant-based seafood alternatives, although how long-lived this trend may be is still unknown.
“We’ve gotten some interest from our bagel customers on a plant-based alternative,” notes Lee-Allen. “Last year, we met the team from Konscious Foods and sampled their Plant Based Smoked Salm’n – it mimics the smoked salmon texture and taste. This year, Acme became their distributor for foodservice customers. We think it’s an excellent option for those who prefer a plant-based diet, [but] it’s a bit too early to tell what the long-term viability will be.”
As Bruno points out, “If the consumer demand is there, it will survive.”
