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.

When should I use quantitative research?

Quantitative research is useful when you need to forecast customer attitudes, behaviour and performance, measure brand or product awareness, establish customer profiles or determine market size.

What is quantitative research used for?

Typically quantitative research can be used to answer such questions as:

• What percent of the market would use our product?
• How effective is our advertising campaign?
• What does our typical customer look like?
• How strong is our brand (in terms of awareness and/or preference)?

Quantitative methods are especially well-suited for:

• Satisfaction studies
• Attitude surveys
• Public opinion polling
• Market segmentation
• Brand image and positioning studies
• Advertising and brand awareness studies
• Usage and preference studies

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research is generally used to provide general indications and an in-depth understanding of how consumers think:  the range, nature, motivations and needs behind attitudes and behaviour.

Qualitative research is usually informal and semi-structured, and allows people to contribute and share their views and feelings in a conversational format, without the constraints of a structured questionnaire.

Qualitative research methods are typically undertaken when the research goal is to obtain more detailed knowledge or explore ideas rather than to obtain findings that can be scaled up and projected onto a larger population. Given the depth and involvement of these methods, data is generally collected from a much smaller number of participants than would be used in quantitative research. The two main qualitative research methods are in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.

What are focus groups?

Focus group discussions are one of the most commonly used qualitative research techniques. They allow a small group of people to come together and share their views, under the guidance and prompting of the researcher. The sharing acts as a ‘brainstorming’ session, generating a wide range of views and reactions, and they represent an opportunity to express ideas, or concerns, in an open forum.