Industry overview
What is shaping fishing
Fishing connects coastal communities, processors and exporters in a supply chain where freshness, ice and timing decide value. Livelihoods depend on seasons, regulation and access to cold chain.
- Seasonal fishing bans and weather drive income cycles
- Cold chain and processing determine export quality
- Welfare schemes and cooperatives support fisher families
Client background
A fresh seafood delivery start-up in North America, working in Vancouver, Toronto & Seattle. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A fresh seafood delivery start-up in North America
- Sector
- Fishing
- Team engaged
- Digital Marketing
- Services
- E-commerce marketing, Google Ads / PPC, Landing page & CRO
Client challenge
The start-up relied heavily on aggregator apps, paying high commissions. Its own website attracted visitors but converted poorly, and repeat orders were low.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: growing direct online orders for a fresh seafood brand.
- Set measurable targets and a tracking baseline before launch.
- Improve results through structured testing, reported in plain language.
Target audience
Scope: Website, app store and paid media.
Audiences we typically reach in fishing
Fishers and boat ownersFish traders and auctioneersProcessors and exportersSeafood consumersCooperatives and scheme officials
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Vancouver, Toronto & Seattle. Markets: Canada and United States.
- Canada
- United States
Research methodology
A test-and-learn programme: a clear baseline, focused campaigns and weekly optimisation against agreed targets.
- 1Brief
- 2Search and social campaigns
- 3Checkout optimisation
- 4Insight
We fixed tracking, simplified the checkout, added delivery-slot clarity and freshness guarantees on product pages, and launched search campaigns for high-intent local searches. Post-purchase emails and WhatsApp messages encouraged second orders.
E-commerce marketingGoogle Ads / PPCLanding page & CRO
Sampling strategy
- Audiences were defined from the client's customer data and platform targeting, with test and control groups where possible.
Data collection
- Campaign, website and CRM data were tracked daily through analytics and ad platforms.
Data quality & validation
- Conversion tracking tested end to end
- Consistent UTM tagging on every link
- Numbers reconciled between ad platforms and analytics
- Two-person check before anything goes live
Data analysis
- Funnel analysis from impression to lead or sale
- A/B test results on creatives, keywords and pages
- Channel and campaign attribution
Key findings
- Direct orders grew steadily as a share of total sales, and repeat purchase rates improved after the retention journeys launched.
Fixing trust and convenience on the site mattered more than buying extra traffic.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: fixing trust and convenience on the site mattered more than buying extra traffic.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: direct orders grew steadily as a share of total sales, and repeat purchase rates improved after the retention journeys launched.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The founders reduced dependence on aggregators in their strongest neighbourhoods.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Campaign assets and landing pages
- Monthly performance report
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how aware are fishers of welfare schemes?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.