Bronx, New York, U.S.A.-based Fulton Fish Market is experiencing a boom in direct-to-consumer digital seafood sales.
The longstanding fish market began delivering fresh seafood directly to restaurants and consumers across the U.S. via its e-commerce site, FultonFishMarket.com, in early 2017.
Since then, the venture has performed well – especially in 2025.
“Sales have been very strong; we’ve seen double-digit growth in our direct-to-consumer channel this past year,” FultonFishMarket.com CEO and COO Mike Tonetti told SeafoodSource, attributing the increased demand to a mix of internal marketing and merchandising improvements, alongside broader economic and societal shifts. “Customers are realizing that ‘dock-to-door’ isn't just a slogan; it yields a premium product compared to what is typically found in the retail case, helping transform seafood from a special occasion purchase into a reliable weekly habit.”
Tonetti also said that Fulton has performed detailed market research to determine what consumers want and meet those needs accordingly.
For instance, crab is the top-searched seafood online in the U.S., with 341,333 monthly searches on Google, according to a recent FultonFishMarket.com report. Oysters placed second, followed by crawfish, salmon, shrimp, lobster, mahi, tilapia, and clams.
“We were definitely intrigued to see items like oysters, crab, and crawfish topping the charts, given the retail volume dominance of shrimp and salmon,” Tonetti said.
Those species are likely more popular, according to Tonetti, because consumers turn to online search for “event-based” seafood, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. They are typically harder to source locally and might be more intimidating to prepare, compared to salmon, which many consumers are familiar with, he explained.
Still, salmon was the top-searched species in many states, especially those in the middle of the country, “which likely speaks to the challenge those regions face in finding the quality tier they are looking for,” Tonetti said.
“It’s also interesting to note the overall dominance of more seasonal seafood, like crawfish in the South or salmon in the Pacific Northwest. It really speaks to those items' cultural presence and role as more than just another weeknight meal,” Tonetti said.
FultonFishMarket.com's sales reflect similar findings.
“Although retail favorites like salmon top our sales, we certainly skew more heavily toward the search favorites, like crab and oysters, than traditional retail does,” Tonetti said. “Because we ship direct-to-consumer, people come to us specifically for the quality tier or harder-to-find items that might not be at their local counter.”
Fulton’s key takeaway from the report is that, while everyday favorites like salmon remain the foundation of American seafood consumption, there is a distinct appetite for items tied to regional traditions and more premium everyday items, according to Tonetti.
“Rather than trying to force a major shift in habits, we are using these insights to better meet those specific cravings,” Tonetti noted. “Looking forward, we'd like to continue to see more Americans experience high-quality seafood, try new items, and introduce seafood as a staple in their day-to-day diets.”
Building on the momentum built up throughout the year and continuing to leverage market research, FultonFishMarket.com executives project a significant increase in sales this holiday season.
“As economic pressure makes dining out more expensive, we are seeing a strong trend of ‘insourcing luxury.’ Hosts are choosing to splurge on our premium appetizers and centerpieces because a home feast still offers far better value than a restaurant menu,” Tonetti said.
Tonetti’s outlook echoes projections from other organizations and retailers.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is predicting that U.S. retail sales from 1 November to 31 December will increase anywhere from 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent year over year to between USD 1.1 trillion (EUR 935 billion) and USD 1.2 trillion (EUR 1 trillion).
“We are bullish about spending this holiday season,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said during a November media call announcing the organization’s annual holiday forecast, adding that this is the first time holiday sales are expected to surpass USD 1 trillion (EUR 850 billion).
