But what makes a person take that vital first step of picking up the package in the first place? It must catch the eye of the customer and make him or her want to investigate further. And there is very little time in which to make that happen.
According to Christophe Gottar, marketing and retail director Europe, Middle East and Africa of the Cryovac Fresh Food Packaging Division of Sealed Air Corporation, 76% of purchases are made in less than 10 seconds. A pack therefore has to make an immediate impact on the potential purchaser.
Mr Gottar, who was speaking at Agra Informa’s recent conference on value added seafood in London, described some innovative packaging designed to make pre-packaged seafood in self service retail outlets more appealing to customers.
Alter the shape of the pack to make it stand out – why must it always be square, he asked, and showed pictures of a fresh Atlantic cod product in a boat-shaped blue container with a clear film overwrap inserted into a cardboard sleeve. The cod could be prepared in a microwave oven in just three minutes.
Not only does the shape of the container not always need to be square, it does not need to only be plastic, he added, and said that Cryovac makes containers of various materials in different shapes for fresh fish and shellfish. Colour, too, was important and in this way the contents of the pack could be made to stand out.
Focus could be drawn to the product in the pack by placing it on a base that curved upwards thereby focusing customers’ attention on to the fish.
Mr Gottar described several ‘new packaging solutions’ which would add value to fresh fish, but said there are three main factors influencing how retail packaging for seafood is being developed. These ‘drivers’ are: design (self service, merchandising and appeal); quality (food waste, freshness and health); and convenience (less time, new cooking methods and enjoyment).
New seafood packaging which stands out and attracts customers is all very well, but of what relevance is it to the people who actually catch the fish? Fishermen might say they if they didn’t catch the fish in the first place there would be nothing to go into these new packs. And as fish begin to deteriorate as soon as they are killed, it is the fishermen who are responsible for the eventual quality of the product in the pack. And top class quality is essential to ensure repeat purchases.
However, it is the pack itself that plays the vital part in the eventual purchase. Fishermen, and processors, can believe that they have the most important roles in getting the fish to the retailer in the form that the customer wants, but unless a person can be persuaded to take a seafood pack from a supermarket shelf, then whatever is done before that happens is of no significance whatsoever.
