Aquatic product market: new consumer trends bring new patterns

This year's Double 11 promotion saw a year-on-year growth in the aquatic product category. Store operations have become the top marketing platform for brands in the private domain, with both commercial advertising and efficiency increasing. According to data, the consumption of imported aquatic products has increased by over 40%, with new customers growing by nearly 20%. User repeat purchases have contributed about 60%, with particularly outstanding growth in salmon, cod, king crab, and live shrimp. "At the 2024 China Seafood Summit held on November 14th, Zhang Haichuan, the head of Tmall Fresh Aquatic Products category at Taotian Group, said in a report.

In recent years, China's aquaculture industry has steadily advanced, with the scale of development continuously expanding and production rapidly increasing. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the total output of aquatic products in China has been increasing year by year from 2015 to 2023, reaching 71.1624 million tons in 2023.

The growth of the domestic consumer market has driven a change in the pattern of aquatic product trade. It is reported that from 2013 to 2021, the total trade volume of aquatic products in China increased by 24.47%, and the trade deficit expanded from 1.64 million tons to 8.68 million tons. China's imports of aquatic products mainly include three types: raw materials for processing, fish meal, and edible aquatic products. Among them, the export volume of edible aquatic products has always been greater than the import volume, but there was a trade deficit in 2019-2020, reflecting the increasing demand for imported aquatic products in the domestic market.

The "Insight Report on the Current Situation and Consumption Trends of China's Aquatic Industry in 2024-2025" points out that 71.5% of consumers often purchase fresh/frozen aquatic products in the selection of aquatic product categories, and the fresh/frozen aquatic product category still dominates consumer choices. Enterprises should continue to coordinate resources reasonably and strengthen the production and supply of fresh/frozen product lines. Instant snacks are the most commonly purchased category of deep processed aquatic products by consumers, accounting for 75.3%. Instant aquatic snacks are easy to purchase and carry, have a good taste, and are rich in nutrients, meeting the consumption needs of consumers in their fast-paced lives. They have a certain advantage in the market share.