High stress is in the DNA of the foodservice business. Operators today, however, are under even more pressure, dealing with labor shortages or automation that is coming to market almost up to the task. You are trying to figure out how to ensure quality control with third party delivery companies like GrubHub or Postmates. Maybe you’re attending conferences or listening to podcasts to stay up on trends, and the never-ending eating plans that American’s are trying out this week. (According to the Hartman Group, 44 percent of Americans have recently experimented with some modern eating approach.) It is hard to keep them all straight: Paleo, Keto, Plant Paradox, Vegetarian, Flexitarian, they all start to feel like attention-tarians after a while.
So what can you do to attract more customers to your dining rooms now and in the future?
We asked 4,000 people across the country what motivated their decision-making when it came to seafood now, and what they were likely to do in the future. Their answers clustered into consumer segments based on their behavior and attitudes rather than their generational identifiers. Two consumer segments stuck out as the most valuable. These two can give you sales lift, repeat business, and become your brand ambassadors, they are your “Super Consumers.” While the machinations go on with the eating plans, these two “Super Consumers” share certain characteristics, and are looking through the “enjoy” and “avoid” lists for certain high-level qualities and brand messages that you can deploy.
Together they are:
- Clustered in urban areas
- Living an upscale lifestyle
- Concerned about climate change
- Connected via social media
- Supporting American jobs
- Needing to trust where their food is from
- Spending the most money eating out
The Seafood Super Consumers further break into two sub groups: the “Optimizer” and the “Originator.” While the above is true, they are distinguishable in a couple of different ways. To begin with, the Optimizer skews male. He’s busy and food is fuel. He’s less likely to try something new, and he needs food solutions to be ubiquitous. He’s willing to use whatever source can fill his needs. He will order online, buy from a C-store, or any foodservice operation. One caveat though, he’s brand sticky, and so if he has a good experience he will repeat it. If he doesn’t, it’s unlikely that he has time for a second chance.
The most valuable is the Originator that skews female. She makes purposeful decisions, and is likely to be the one you see positioning her phone over the dish you’ve just prepared for her. She agrees with him on the big picture, and takes it a step further. She’s talking about functional foods or even food as medicine. She is that attention-tarian who’s actually eating healthier than she did last year, partly because she’s eating more seafood. She is an adventurous eater, trying a new restaurant or a new dish on the menu and reporting back. She wants to discover you, to give you props, bring her friends and family to your place and show them what a find it is.
If your operation resonates with the Seafood Super Consumer, this could help: Asked how they feel when they see the Alaska Seafood logo on the menu:
- 61 percent are more likely to order the seafood offering
- 56 percent will return to your restaurant in the future
- 53 percent will recommend your restaurant to others
