Product testing

The key benefit from the research is avoiding the costs of producing an unattractive, tasteless, low-quality product in the consumer’s understanding. As well as receiving a list of improvements that need to be made to transform it into a product that meets the expectations of the target audience.

According to statistics, out of 8-10 new products only one becomes successful. Therefore, before a mass launch, it is important to test products on a representative sample of the target audience - evaluate the reaction, find out the opinion of the target audience, and, if necessary, make changes. This will avoid unnecessary costs and significantly reduce the risks of the enterprise.

The minimum size of a representative sample for such projects for hall tests and home diaries per region is 200 questionnaires, for focus groups - at least 2-3 groups of 8 people. By region we mean any territory for which separate analytics is required (this could be, for example, a city or country). The minimum period for collecting information is one week.

The cost of a project for testing new products consists of the cost of collecting information and the cost of analytics (usually no more than 10-15% of the cost of data collection)

You can calculate the cost of one questionnaire for a hall test and home diaries (without taking into account rewards for respondents) using our calculator (you will need to enter the number of open and closed questions in the questionnaire, quotas)

The cost of such a research is from 2000 £ (the cost is indicated for a minimum sample).

When testing new products, qualitative research is used: focus groups, observations, home testing using diaries, and hall tests. As a rule, when testing, quotas are set for selecting respondents based on brands that compete with the new product.

Most frequently tested:

1. When introducing new products to the market that have no analogues
2. When expanding the line of existing products
3. When changing the recipe or replacing ingredient manufacturers
4. When rebranding, repositioning

Based on the results of product testing, in addition to the perception of the new product by the target audience based on important parameters, it is possible to assess the potential of the product, forecast demand and, if necessary, calculate ROI (return on investment).

BCGroup's work on testing new products is structured as follows:

1. A BCGroup specialist clarifies the reasons that necessitated such a study and understands the current situation;
2. An NDA (confidentiality agreement) is signed between BCGroup and the company;
3. A BCGroup specialist coordinates the research tools with the customer. This could be a questionnaire for a hall test, a guide for focus groups, a diary form for home testing;
4. A BCGroup specialist agrees with the customer on quotas for selecting respondents for testing;
5. After this, BCGroup specialists collect data in a short time (no more than a week);
6. Next, the BCGroup employee transfers the array of collected data to the customer’s representative in an agreed format (Excel, SPSS, video and audio recordings, etc.);
7. After 3-5 days, a BCGroup employee sends an analytical report to the customer based on the results of testing new products (sample reports)