Report for Tasmania Abalone Study 2008.09

1. Report for Tasmania Abalone Study 2008.09

2. Suggestions

3. Strategy Suggestions Though has a similar taste with Africa abalone, Africa abalone is long recognized as an authentic dried abalone kind. Priced Tasmania abalone a little cheaper than Africa abalone could trigger restaurants switch brand. Fresh Abalone Price strategy Dish development Tasmania Abalone Dried Abalone As the dominant brand of fresh abalone, the sales of fresh abalone is held back by its limited cooking methods. Some dish innovation as well as some marketing effort could greatly encourage the sales of fresh abalone. Canned Abalone Keep the edge

4. Suggestion for Positioning Statements Wild and health could be the biggest selling points with basic guarantee and pleasant layout. Health Wild Quality guarantee World’s largest wild abalone fishery Immunity enhancement Keep fit The concept need to be redeveloped to highlight the specific benefit and nutrition • Lay out: blue ocean pictures • Easy to associate with natural and wide • Pleasant to eyes

5. Market Situation of Shanghai and Guangzhou Shanghai Guangzhou Follower Leader • Sophisticated at abalone cooking skill • Long abalone eating history • Not easy to accept new category • Receive abalone cooking culture from Guangzhou • Favor westernized dishes • Fast dish innovation pace Most abalone restaurant in Shanghai hire chefs from Guangzhou to method cook abalone in their way, while Shanghai restaurants are also making innovations to create their own cuisine. Abalone cooking in Guangzhou cuisine is considered to be the most delicious and authentic cooking method, both keeping the flavor and nutrition.

6. Market Situation

7. Restaurant Segment Chained or restaurant (attached to large group) State-owned restaurant Private/ Boutique restaurant Occasions of serving abalone • Premium banquet for treating of government officials or top class from state-owned enterprises • Private business meetings • Special dishes for sophisticated abalone eater • Premium business treat • Prestige parties Abalone form Prefer canned abalone Prefer dry abalone Prefer dry abalone Safe Convenient Prestige Stable Unique Innovation Key Factors

8. Abalone Market Situation Dry Abalone • Well-established • Stable consuming group • Mature cooking method • Convenient usage • For low budget banquet • Easy storage Canned Abalone Fresh Abalone • Limited volume

9. Dried Abalone Dried abalone is the most popular abalone dish in restaurant, thus, faces the most intense market competition. Dried abalone is well known for its strong and delicious taste, and thus, is the widely recognized of the among restaurants and consumers. A set of matured cooking methods for dried abalone are highly accepted by consumers and restaurants. Only experienced chefs of hard skills are qualified by restaurant of abalone cooking. Some restaurant have to employ professional workers from Hong Kong or Guangzhou to hair abalone. • Popular • Well recognized flavor and taste • Long history • Prestige image • Complicated hair process • High trial cost • Chef qualification Strength Weakness Most of the chefs and restaurants habitually adopt Africa abalone, because it enjoys a longer history and sound reputation.

10. Canned Abalone Currently, Australia canned abalone is the most popular in the market. It is mostly purchased by state-owned hotel to serve in big banquet or government official treating. Local canned abalone is mostly consumed by small restaurants. Canned abalone is widely adopted as backup plan for emergency usage or as a cheap substitute of dried abalone for budget problem. Professional abalone cuisine would not adopt canned abalone for it has a weird taste and containing harmful additives. • Bad taste • Unhealthy • Cheap image • Convenient • Easy storage • Easy cost control Strength Weakness For its convenient usage, canned abalone is the kind that mostly likely to penetrate into mass consumer market.

11. Fresh abalone Fresh Tasmania abalone is middle positioned, less prestige than dried abalones and more expensive than local abalones. Since it has small market share, its distinguish taste and nutrition benefit has not been widely identified by consumers. • Distinguish taste • Nutrition benefit • Fashion and novel • Cheaper than dried abalone • Dominant kind in the market • Impressive appearance • Limited cooking method • Hard to raise and store • Lack of prestige image • Too big, inconvenient to consume as a whole Strength Weakness Though not very popular among restaurants, some restaurant start to think of ways and selling concept to promote fresh abalone, such as healthy, nutritious, refreshing taste.

12. Marketing Solutions

13. Marketing Solutions Marketing solutions are developed as below: Abalone dish development Free materials • Cuisine development • Free DVDs • Seasoning product • Free magazines • Cooking tips Work with restaurants Cooperate with Restaurant Association • Shelf display • Cultural Festival • Chef seminar • Cooking competition With importers • Hair service • Trade fair • Trip incentive

14. Instructions of Marketing Solutions - 1 • Dish development In recent years, Chinese cuisine start to absorb western cooking idea and method to enrich traditional cuisine. Developing westernized Chinese dishes is now a popular trend among restaurants. • Free material Since already widely recognized as one of the main kind of abalone, promotion activities could only work as an aided measure to publish latest information and get a deeper understanding.

15. Instructions of Marketing Solutions - 2 • Cooperate with restaurant association It could save a lot of trouble to reach the target restaurant by getting the help from restaurant association. Activities and promotions could be held through the wide connections of restaurant association. • Work with restaurants Though working with restaurants could directly boost abalone sales, it only work seasonally and has limited effect for boost brand image. • Work with importers It was very difficult to manage these importers to carry out the consistent incentive policy or other plans. Though some trade fair organized by big importers could be considered.

16. Dish Development It requires a professional team to provide sustained cuisine development. >> >> Cuisine development Seasoning Product Cooking tips Seasoning product for abalone cooking could make cooking easier for chefs, so as to compensate young chefs of less experience. Special cuisine, such as Australia seafood theme cuisine, would help Tasmania abalone to raise its popularity, and easier for restaurant to adopt. Chefs are very interested in getting cooking ideas and tips, to keep them updated with abalone information. To build up a well-recognized cuisine, so as to enter Chinese cuisine To make cooking abalone easier and more delicious To lower the chances of bad cooking abalone Chefs are very interested in news and information about some cooking and cuisine. It would help them to keep the edge in their career.

17. With Restaurant Cultural Festival Shelf Display For restaurant of strong power of influence For medium restaurant • Display iced fresh abalone on large table • Give consumer an impression of fresh and cheap • Build the atmosphere of having Australia abalone among consumers • Organize an event or theme party • In some famous hotels or restaurants • Attract consumers and raise their chances of consuming abalone. • Build win-win partnership with hotel or restaurant by encouraging sales volume. • Win popularity among consumers • Need strong marketing effort • Strong connection with big restaurants required This method is widely adopted by restaurants to sell crab. It is very effective to raise seasonal sales volume.

18. Free Material Chefs are more interested in getting information of dish and cuisines than abalone knowledge. << Magazine Free DVD Send out free DVDs to chefs in restaurant to promote the abalone knowledge Send out free magazines or brochures to publish abalone knowledge It could be handed around among chefs to learn some knowledge and kill time when they are having a rest. Few chefs are interested in the free DVD, for DVD is too troublesome to play. • The idea of free DVD is not accepted by most of the consumers. • Not convenient to play in the restaurant • Do not want to bring work stuff home to watch • Not so interested in the abalone knowledge (more interested in dish cooking) • The idea of free magazines enjoys a high acceptance among chefs. • Easy to pass around in restaurant • A good way to kill time in restaurant • Easy to memorize the message

19. With Importers Trade fair Service Incentive trip Most importers provide free services, such as hair dry abalones. While most chefs also expressed the concern that importers use unsafe chemicals, so that the flavor and nutritious would be damaged. Promotion activities, such as seafood fair could be organized through the connection of big importers. Incentive trip and kickback are also widely adopted by big importers to retain clients of stable relationship. Since Tasmania abalone already enjoys a sound reputation among the chef, unique selling point would be necessary to further promote it to more restaurants. • This method is very appealing to : • state-owned restaurants: convenience is very important to them • small restaurant: not very sophisticated with abalone cooking This is idea could only be carried out in private restaurant of small scale. Since big restaurant have their own purchasing department and strict regulations.

20. With Restaurant Association Chef Seminar Cooking competition Cooking competition could always attract a lot of attentions. New restaurant and those who want to raise their reputation are very interested in participating cooking competition to build fame and credit through winning. Hold conference or seminar through the help of restaurant association for chefs to exchange ideas and experiences. The introduction and cooking show could be carried out during the intervals of the conferences or seminar. • Wide coverage of all the seafood restaurant • Low impact • Easy to raise its fame within the industry • Low cost As Tasmania abalone is already widely accepted by the market, some unique and impact information need to be explored to attract the attention. Through cooking competition, chefs could learn from each other abalone cooking skills or get inspire new abalone dishes.