Analysing consumers’ perceived differences in wild and farmed fish

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards wild and farmed fish, in order to identify possible distinct consumer groups, and to examine potential linkages between characteristics of the consumers’ demographic and socio-economic status and marketing aspects in wild and farmed fish. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from an in-person field survey, a TwoStep cluster analysis was employed in order to detect perceived differences among consumers with different profiles. Findings – The analysis identified two distinct consumer groups differentiated primarily by income: the low-potential aquaculture consumers and the high-potential aquaculture consumers, representing 67 and 33 per cent of the total sample, respectively. The study provides evidence that there is a lesser preference towards farmed fish. Therefore, more efficient marketing strategies are probably needed in order to promote awareness in aquaculture consumption, and potentially contribute in guiltlessness of the whole sector. Originality/value – There is a lack of detailed empirical research regarding consumer perceptions and particularly potential differentiation for wild and farmed fish. This paper advocates the use of consumer profiles as a basis for the development of consumer-focused strategies in order to improve consumer performance in the sector.