Our Approach
Since the client was looking to optimize against their own recipe, 50% brand users and 50% category users were recruited to participate in evaluating 4 products in each flavor line, 1 prototype against 3 competitor products.
Insights
Understanding the pool of consumers we were recruiting from was fundamental in the success of this project.
Both prototypes were able to meet current user expectations. Among category users and non users the prototypes received higher purchase interest compared to the competitor products.
Results
Since loyalists account for 60% of sales and know the product the best it was critical to have them participate.
Both prototypes were identified as being superior to their competitors, allowing our client to remove inhibitors of liking – artificial flavors and sweeteners.
The newly formulated flavor lines increased market share and gave our client the ability to make marketing claims of “no artificial flavors” and “no added sweeteners.”
Step 1
Recruiting
We partnered with the client to recruit from their proprietary database.
Client branding was added to our recruiting emails allowing us to nearly double engagement among brand loyalists.
We added a phone screening to verify that customers were qualified to participate.
Step 2
Testing
Consumers taste tested 8 products, 4 of each flavor line, over two separate testing days.
Consumers were then asked to evaluate the product taking into consideration product concept, as well as taste, to determine overall acceptance and purchase interest.
