Consumers’ attitude and behavior on fish consumption in Kenya
Mobile survey sampling in emerging markets
The challenge
FoodTechAfrica’s 2013 study, coordinated by Larive International, identified the huge potential of fish farming in Kenya. This development was the result of a drop in the amount of local wild-caught fish available and fish price hikes. It presented an opportunity for the local fish industry, but also a challenge for food security. Against this backdrop, Larive International recently tasked MetrixLab with gathering actionable insights on Kenyan consumers’ attitudes towards fish consumption.
The results
We discovered a fast-changing fish market. A number of remarkable differences between our findings and those of FoodTechAfrica’s 2013 study emerged. These confirmed the need for continued investment in local fish production.
- Since 2013, fish consumption in both Nairobi and Kisumu has declined.
- In Kisumu, the number of respondents indicating that they consume fish a few times a week has fallen by 13%. This signals a significant drop in fish consumption in what is a traditional fish eating area that borders Lake Victoria. This finding corresponds with recent media reports about the decline in the amount of wild-caught fish from Lake Victoria. It also corresponds with the general focus of the FoodTechAfrica project to replace wild-caught fish with sustainably farmed fish in East Africa.
- 50% of the respondents in Kisumu indicated that the key barrier to them consuming fish is its increasing price. Our study indicates that respondents in Kisumu are willing to pay an average of 362 KES per kilo for fish. That’s 45% more than they were prepared to pay four years ago. According to FoodTechAfrica’s 2013 study, they were willing to pay an average of 249 KES per kilo.
How we got there
We partnered with TTC Mobile – a mobile company with more than eight years’ experience of using mobile technologies in emerging markets. The partnership between MetrixLab and TTC Mobile has led to the recruitment of high-quality mobile panelists and profiled databases.
More than 700 Kenyan consumers were surveyed using our innovative mobile survey sampling platform in just two days.
Capture the tastes, preferences and opinions of the next billion consumers
- Access hard-to-reach respondents in emerging markets using device and browser neutral mobile surveys
- Benefit from a dedicated network of mobile partner companies that can send SMS invites and transfer airtime incentives
- Maximize our knowledge of the appropriate incentives to achieve a high response rate
- Digital fingerprinting ensures panelists are genuine and unique
