Taking a new product to market can be a risk. Say it’s a food product. How would a consumer rate the flavour, the appearance, the colour, the packaging? How does it compare to competitor items available on the market? Product testing is vital in determining this.
At Sagitta Market Research, we can help you find out this information. You might require advice on the best way to go about it. Should product testing be conducted among a larger or smaller number of consumers? (Quantitative or qualitative research). For example, testing in a venue with respondents who are pre-recruited or recruited on-street. Or conducting focus groups to really dig deep into likes, dislikes and preferences.
Find out about what consumers think of the packaging of your food or drink product, as well as the appearance, the flavour, the texture, and a host of other factors. And discover how they rate your product in comparison with existing ones on the market.
Thanks to our topline results, in-depth analysis and reporting, you will gain clear insights into what works well and any adjustments or improvements you might need to make.
Are you changing the appearance or flavour of an existing food or drink product? How will this go down with your existing purchasers? You can find this out too through comparative testing.
Do you have a fragranced product you wish to test? This could be a perfume or beauty item or a household product. Fragrance testing or “sniff” testing is an effective way to check the all-important impact the smell has on the user. Likewise, if you are modifying the scent, you will probably want to know if the purchaser accepts this change. If you have a number of fragrances to test, these can be done in succession (up to a recommended limit) and can be rated swiftly using smiley face scales. More detailed interviewing is then conducted on the liked or disliked scents, for example.
Sometimes it is useful for products to be tested in a real-life layout, as potential purchasers would see them, for example, in the supermarket. We can set up shop-style simulations with shelf testing to enable consumers to view items from this perspective.
Whatever the product, you may not wish the respondent to associate it with a brand, but to assess what they think of it in a neutral way. Blind testing is the answer. Your products are evaluated anonymously, and can be compared to other products as required. Blind testing gives you insight into your product with no particular consumer bias.
Do you have larger items to test, such as white goods? We are experienced in this field and have selected venues available where such items can be put on display and, if necessary, can be functionally tested by consumers.
If your product is still at the concept stage, we can assist you with concept testing, using mock-ups boards or other methodologies which we can discuss with you.
You might want to test advertising concepts one against the other. Again, boards present a useful way to test your proposed ads among consumers, either in a focus group / group discussion with a small number, or in-venue / at a central location for larger samples.
For every type of testing, we have highly experienced fieldwork staff who recruit respondents based on the criteria you set in terms of demographics, usage, brand acceptance / rejection and many other factors. We work in different areas of the UK to ensure that you obtain a good spread of results with regard to geographical area too. We have our own dedicated venue in Birmingham.
Contact us to discuss your requirements and to obtain a cost quotation. Ted Weller will be pleased to advise you. He is available on +44(0)7534 946263 or +44(0)1303 260697.
