Product Testing

Hall tests and in-home tests are used to directly expose products or concepts to the consumer for critical evaluation.

Hall Tests - utilise easily accessible town centre venues which offer a controlled and neutral environment, ensuring all respondents evaluate the test product in identical conditions. Respondents are carefully screened and recruited on the street and brought into the venue to undertake the test and complete an interview. This method is very cost effective and can generate over a 100 responses per day depending upon location, target audience and the length and complexity of the test.

Typical this methodology is used to test products for taste, perfume, appearance or texture, usage or packaging, or for assessing advertising or other marketing communications.

In-Home Tests - allow respondents to test products under normal conditions in their own homes. Their experiences are recorded via a self-completion questionnaire, diary or during a face-to-face follow up interview. Products are typically placed with respondents for a week or longer.

These tests may involve purchasing products from the consumer to use in the tests, for example garments which can be cut in half and washed using different detergents for comparison.

In the past we have used in-home placements to evaluate products such as washing-up liquid, powder and liquid detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, electric toothbrushes, paper products, chips, snacks and ready made meals.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research uses carefully structured questionnaires to capture and measure the views of large numbers of respondents. Respondent samples are carefully chosen and controlled to project the results onto a wider population with a high degree of statistical certainty.

In general the larger the numbers of respondents, the more viable analysis by different sub-groups becomes, but in practice sample sizes will vary depending upon budget, timescale and methodology.

We use a number of different methods for collecting quantitative data including:

• Street Interviews
• Exit Interviews
• In-Home Interviews
• On-Line Interviews
• Postal Surveys
• Telephone Surveys
• Staff Completion Audits
• Traffic & Footfall Counts

In close consultation with our clients we will choose the most effective method to produce the best and most telling results for them.

What Is Market Research?

Market research involves providing critical information about the buying habits, needs, preferences and opinions of current and prospective customers, allowing our clients to make informed strategic and operational decisions.
Primary market research is the best way for businesses or service organisations to learn about their customers’ attitudes and opinions:
Researching current customers will identify what types of people are using a companies products or services, for what purpose, in what situation, and with what attitudes and opinions.
 
Researching potential customers will identify who they are, how they can be reached and most effectively communicated with, and how both your own and any competitors’ products, brands or services are perceived in the overall market.

This research can also be supplemented by secondary research information or business intelligence – including your own data, such as sales (what’s being bought, where and when?), the retail price index, government census information or published market sector surveys.

What types of things is market research used for?

In essence, research is used to find out whatever a client needs to know in order to underpin marketing or strategic decisions, such as will this product sell and for what price, how effective is my advertising, which is the best product design or most effective packaging– in essence all the activities aimed at optimising the performance of a product or service.

Research can be used for:

• New product or service development
• Measure advertising effectiveness
• Staff and store assessments
• Customer satisfaction research
• Brand evaluations and development
• Customer usage and attitudes
• Advertising or promotion recall
• Concept development
• Pricing strategies
• New-customer acquisition
• Retail audits
• Brand/company image research
• Government or political research
• Brand or advertising tracking
• Employee satisfaction and commitment
• Shopping behaviour
• Media consumption