ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER CHOICE OF PROCESSED FISHERY PRODUCTS IN BALONGPANGGANG VILLAGE, GRESIK REGENCY, EAST JAVA.

Abstract

Gresik Regency has great fishery potential, yet its utilization through processed products remains suboptimal, necessitating a deep understanding of consumer preferences as a foundation for developing marketing strategies. This study aims to analyze consumer preferences for processed fishery products in Balongpanggang Subdistrict through mapping the importance and performance levels of product attributes and the influence of demographic characteristics on preferences. The research employed a descriptive quantitative approach with a survey method involving 105 respondents selected through accidental sampling. Data were collected using Likert scale questionnaires and analyzed using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's Rank Correlation test. The results showed that taste and trust attributes are the main strengths that must be maintained, while price is the top priority for improvement. Demographic characteristics have limited influence, where age significantly affects the taste attribute (p=0.044) and education significantly affects the packaging attribute (p=0.026), while income and consumption frequency have no significant effect. This study recommends differentiated marketing strategies including improving price perception, taste innovation for the productive age group, and enhancing packaging quality with complete product information.