Hema Xiansheng is the main imported seafood retail channel under Alibaba Group. During the 2020 epidemic, consumer demand for domestic seafood was stable, while sales of imported seafood declined.
A Chinese seafood procurement expert said: “Imports of frozen seafood, fresh seafood and sashimi seafood products have shown a downward trend this year, while sales of domestic seafood in China have continued to grow.” He also said that virus will have a long-term impact on the entire industry.
Frozen seafood grew rapidly in January 2020 and reached its peak in March. Later, affected by the continuous cases of infested outer packages, the sales of imported frozen seafood began to decline and continued until the end of the year. The person in charge of Hema Fresh Procurement said that during the epidemic, Chinese consumers paid more attention to the relationship between health and diet. In terms of animal protein choices, Chinese consumers are more inclined to choose basic meat products, such as pork, beef, and poultry, while aquatic products rank lower.
It is well known that the Chinese market has huge consumer demand for seafood. According to a market study, Hema Xiansheng’s main seafood consumers are young people. They pay more attention to product quality and service. At present, Hema Fresh has 20 million active members, and the repurchase rate of members is about 60%. Most of the consumers are women, aged between 23 and 40. According to statistics, this consumer group consumed 3 million lobsters and 200,000 king crabs last year. In addition, the consumption habits of Chinese consumers have also changed during the epidemic, and more and more middle-aged and elderly consumer groups have begun to accept online sales.
Affected by the epidemic, Chinese consumers have lost certain confidence in the safety of imported seafood. However, China has a large population and huge demand for seafood. Domestic production is difficult to meet the huge demand. We believe that as the global epidemic is gradually brought under control, imported frozen products will inevitably resume good sales in China.
