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CONCEPT AND PRODUCT TESTING

OBJECTIVES:

1. UNDERSTAND IMPORTANCE OF CONCEPT- AND


PRODUCT-TESTING RESEARCH

2. DESCRIBE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONCEPT TESTS.

3. DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF CONCEPT SCREENING TESTS.

4. DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF CONCEPT TEST


PROCEDURES.

5. DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF CONCEPT EVALUATION TESTS.

6. DESCRIBE ASPECTS OF CONCEPT EVALUATION TESTS.

7. DESCRIBE DEFINE THE ROLE OF PRODUCT TESTING.

8. DEFINE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF PRODUCT TESTS.

9. PROVIDE GENERAL GUIDELINES CONCERNING THE


APPROPRIATENESS OF MONADIC VS. COMPARATIVE
PRODUCT TESTS.

10. DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF PRODUCT TEST


PROCEDURES.

PREMISE:
A CONSUMER BUYS A PRODUCT FOR ITS END
BENEFITS...WHAT THE PRODUCT OFFERS IN TERMS OF
SATISFYING THE CONSUMER'S WANTS AND NEEDS.
IT IS NOT SIMPLY WHAT THE PHYSICAL PRODUCT IS.
CONCEPT TESTING

WHAT IS A CONCEPT:
A CONCEPT IS AN IDEA AIMED AT SATISFYING CONSUMER
WANTS AND NEEDS. A CONCEPT IS ON ITS WAY TO
BECOMING A MARKET STRATEGY. A MARKET STRATEGY
ATTEMPTS TO CONVINCE A TARGET SEGMENT OF
CONSUMERS THAT A PARTICULAR BRAND POSSESSES THOSE
END BENEFITS THAT THEY DESIRE AND PRESENTS EVIDENCE
TO SUPPORT THIS CLAIM. THE CONCEPT REPRESENTS THE
ESSENCE OF THE PRODUCT.

A CONCEPT TEST IS PRECEDED BY AN OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS

AN OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS IS RESEARCH (USUALLY A


MARKET RESEARCH STUDY) THAT ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY
UNFILLED CONSUMER WANTS AND NEEDS.
WHAT IS A CONCEPT TEST?
CONCEPT TESTING PROVIDES A SYSTEM FOR RESHAPING AND
REDEFINING IDEAS TO ARRIVE AT A BASIC CONCEPT FOR A
PRODUCT WITH GREATER POTENTIAL FOR MARKET ACCEPTANCE.
SPECIFICALLY, CONCEPT TESTS:

1. QUANTITATIVELY ASSESS THE RELATIVE APPEAL OF


IDEAS OR ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT POSITIONS THAT AIM
THE PRODUCT AT DIFFERENT TARGET SEGMENTS BY
HIGHLIGHTING PRODUCT FEATURES THAT ARE MOST
DESIRABLE BY EACH SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION.

2. PROVIDES NECESSARY INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPING


THE PRODUCT AND PRODUCT ADVERTISING.

3. INDICATES SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION IN WHICH


THE APPEAL OF THE PRODUCT IS LIKELY TO BE
CONCENTRATED.
HOW IS CONCEPT TESTING USED?
PROCEDURES FOR CONCEPT TESTING VARY GREATLY,
DEPENDING ON THE STAGE IN THE RESEARCH CYCLE.

A. SCREEN NEW PRODUCT IDEAS...


WHAT ARE THE MOST PROMISING CONCEPTS?

RESPONDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO A CORE IDEA CONCEPT.


(A CORE IDEA CONCEPT FOCUSES DIRECTLY ON THE PRODUCT'S
MAIN END BENEFIT, WITH LITTLE, IF ANY, EMPHASIS ON
SECONDARY FEATURES.

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B. ESTIMATE MARKET DEMAND...
IN PRELAUNCH/TEST MARKET PHASE, BEFORE NATIONAL ROLLOUT.

RESPONDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO A POSITIONING CONCEPT


STATEMENT. (A LIST OF ALL THE PRODUCT'S MAIN END BENEFITS
AND VARIOUS SECONDARY BENEFITS).

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C. AFTER ROLLOUT...IN ESTABLISHED MARKETS TO INVESTIGATE THE


LEVEL OF CONSUMER INTEREST IN A COMPETITIVE NEW PRODUCT
CONCEPT IN THE PRELAUNCH/TEST MARKET PHASE, OR FOR LINE
EXTENSIONS OF AN EXISTING BRAND.

WHAT SHOULD BE THE KEY APPEAL OF THE COMPETITIVE ENTRY?


IN WHICH AREA IS THE ESTABLISHED BRAND PARTICULARLY
VULNERABLE?

CONCEPT TESTING IS EFFECTIVE FOR MOST TYPES OF PRODUCTS,


EXCEPTING PRODUCTS WITH RADICALLY INNOVATIVE AND THAT REQUIRE
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN EXISTING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS.
TYPES OF CONCEPT TESTS

CONCEPT SCREENING TESTS

CONCEPT TESTS FOR (A) SCREENING NEW PRODUCT


IDEAS OR (B) DETERMINING ALTERNATIVE END-
BENEFITS FOR A SINGLE PRODUCT IDEA.
(PREFORMED EARLY IN THE RESEARCH CYCLE)

CONCEPT EVALUATION TESTS

CONCEPT TESTS DESIGNED TO GAUGE CONSUMER


INTEREST AND DETERMINE STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES OF THE CONCEPT.
(PERFORMED EARLY IN PRELAUNCH OR JUST BEFORE
TEST-MARKET...MOST OFTEN AFTER INITIAL SCREENING
AND CONCEPT REFINEMENT.)

CONCEPT SCREENING TESTS ARE DESIGNED TO EVALUATE A SET


OF IDEAS BEFORE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES ARE COMMITTED TO
THEIR DEVELOPMENT.

AVERAGE PURCHASE INTENTION SCORES BY PRODUCT CATEGORIES

CATEGORY    DEFINITELY WILL BUY 
 
Fragrance (no price)   9%
Detergents 12%
Fragrance(with price) 18%
Food 20%
Cleaning products 28%
────────────────────────────────────────────
CONCEPT SCREENING TEST PROCEDURES
CONCEPT STORY BOARD
COPY AND POSSIBLY PHOTOGRAPH OR ILLUSTRATION THAT
DESCRIBES HOW THE PRODUCT WORKS AND ITS END BENEFITS.

INTERVIEWING
CONCEPT TESTING IS USUALLY CONDUCTED IN A CENTRAL
LOCATION (COULD BE DONE BY TELEPHONE OR MAIL), BUT
TYPICALLY DONE BY INTERCEPT METHOD (AT MALL, FOOD
STORE, OR OTHER TRAFFIC LOCATION).

FOR NEW PRODUCT CONCEPT SCREENING, 5-8 CONCEPTS ARE


VIEWED.

FOR TESTING ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS FOR PURCHASE AND


INCENTIVES, CONCEPT SCREENING TESTS USE 10 OR MORE
PRODUCTS.

QUESTIONS ASKED
PURCHASE INTENTIONS
PURCHASE FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS OF THE IDEA
BELIEVABILITY OF THE IDEA
IMPORTANCE OF THE MESSAGE

IF ALTERNATIVES (ALTERNATIVE BUYING INCENTIVE CONCEPT


SCREENING TEST) ARE PRESENTED, RESPONDENTS ARE ASKED
TO EVALUATE CONCEPTS ACCORDING TO HOW INTERESTED
THEY ARE IN PURCHASING THE PRODUCT

ANALYSIS APPROACH
1. EXAMINE INTENTION SCORES...
2. COMBINE "DEFINITELY WOULD BUY" AND "PROBABLY
WOULD BUY"
3. CLASSIFY THE CONCEPTS IN TO SCHEMA
A. ME TOO..GENERIC PRODUCTS
HIGH PURCHASE INTENT/LOW UNIQUENESS
B. WINNERS
HIGH PURCHASE INTENT/HIGH UNIQUENESS
C. LONG SHOTS
LOW PURCHASE INTENT/LOW UNIQUENESS
D. FAD-SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
LOW PURCHASE INTENT/HIGH UNIQUENESS
CONCEPT EVALUATION TEST PROCEDURES:
USUALLY CONDUCTED AFTER INITIAL SCREENING AND
CONCEPT REFINEMENT.

PURPOSE:
1. ASSESS MARKET POTENTIAL FOR EACH PRODUCT (OR
PRODUCT POSITIONING)

2. DETERMINE A PRODUCT CONCEPT'S STRENGTHS AND


WEAKNESSES

3. PROVIDE AN INDICATION ABOUT THE MARKET SEGMENT IN


WHICH EACH PROPOSED PRODUCT IS LIKELY TO HAVE THE
GREATEST ACCEPTANCE.

4. GIVE AN INDICATION OF WHETHER TO INITIATE A TEST


MARKET.

IMPLEMENTATION:
STORY BOARD, COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS, ACTUAL
PRODUCT PROTOTYPES
CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN REFINED AND SCREENED, SO THAT ONLY
2-3 CONCEPTS ARE ACTUALLY TESTED

INTERVIEWING
CONCEPT TESTING IS USUALLY CONDUCTED IN A CENTRAL
LOCATION (COULD BE DONE BY TELEPHONE OR MAIL), BUT
TYPICALLY DONE BY INTERCEPT METHOD (AT MALL, FOOD
STORE, OR OTHER TRAFFIC LOCATION).

QUESTIONS ASKED
PURCHASE INTENTIONS
PURCHASE FREQUENCY AND VOLUME
KEY BENEFITS (OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS)
LIKES AND DISLIKES (OPEN ENDED)
BELIEVABILITY (OPEN ENDED)
UNIQUENESS
OVERALL/ATTRIBUTE RATINGS
KEY BENEFIT IMPORTANCE
DEMOGRAPHICS
ANALYSIS APPROACH
1. STANDARD TECHNIQUES
2. COMBINE "DEFINITELY WOULD BUY" AND "PROBABLY
WOULD BUY" TEST ACROSS ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS.
3. CLASSIFY THE CONCEPTS IN TO SCHEMA
A. END BENEFIT IMPORTANCE
B. CONCEPT ATTRIBUTE RATINGS
C. UNIQUENESS
D. BELIEVABILITY

CONCEPT/PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

USES CONJOINT ANALYSIS METHODS

AN APPROACH IN WHICH RESPONDENTS REACT TO VARIOUS


PRODUCTS, BRANDS, CONCEPTS, IN TERMS OF OVERALL
PREFERENCE, WHERE THE VARIOUS OBJECTS BEING EVALUATED
REFLECT A PREDETERMINED COMBINATION OF ATTRIBUTES IN
SOME SYSTEMATIC WAY.

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PRODUCT TESTING

HOW DOES THIS PRODUCT PERFORM WHEN EVALUATED BY THE


CONSUMER?

BASIS FOR EVALUATION...


ISOLATION, COMPETITIVE FRAME, AGAINST ITS ADVERTISING, AGAINST
FORMULA VARIATION, ETC.

PURPOSES OF PRODUCT TESTS:


1. TESTS AGAINST THE COMPETITION:
SEEK TO IDENTIFY WHICH OF MANY ALTERNATIVE NEW
FORMULAS IS BEST IN TERMS OF BEING MOST PREFERRED OR
TO MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW PRODUCT
RELATIVE TO OTHER COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS.

2. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT TESTS:


DETERMINE WHETHER AN IMPROVED FORMULA OR
CONSTRUCTION SHOULD REPLACE THE CURRENT PRODUCT

3. COST-SAVINGS TESTS:
DETERMINE WHETHER A LESS EXPENSIVE PRODUCT SHOULD
REPLACE THE CURRENT PRODUCT

4. CONCEPT-FIT TESTS:
DETERMINE WHICH OF SEVERAL TEST-PRODUCT VARIANTS MOST
CLOSELY RESEMBLES WHAT IS BEING COMMUNICATED BY THE
SELLING CONCEPT

TYPES OF PRODUCT TESTS


MONADIC PRODUCT TESTS ONE PRODUCT IS PRESENTED AND AN
EVALUATION IS REQUESTED, WITH NO OTHER SPECIFIC PRODUCT
COMPARISONS.

COMPARISON PRODUCT TESTS TWO OR MORE PRODUCTS ARE


PRESENTED AND A COMPARISON AND RATING OF EACH IS REQUESTED:

PAIRED COMPARISON REPEAT PAIRED COMPARISON


SEQUENTIAL MONADIC DESIGNS ROUND ROBIN DESIGNS
PROTOMONADIC DESIGNS TRIANGLE DESIGNS
PAIRED COMPARISON DESIGNS DUO-TRIO DESIGNS
DISCRIMINATION/DIFFERENCE

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