Companies have multiple products at varying stages at any given time. Does your product truly fill a gap for your target audience? Are you launching the best version of your product? Where can your product be optimized? Through the art of product testing and consumer insights, we’re unveiling solutions behind 5 instrumental stages, from exploration to renovation, that exist across the product and consumer insights landscape.

With the growing interest of plant-based alternatives, CPG brands are responding quickly to prioritize the development of plant-based dairy products. But does growing interest equal sales? Loyalty in the dairy category is mixed, with a large majority of U.S. consumers still preferring traditional dairy. There's a broader world of innovation that deserves recognition. Consumers are looking for something unique, and new products and strong competition are all clamoring for the best seat at the table.

Since launching a new product offers only one chance at success, optimizing it to its fullest potential becomes crucial. Franchise protection is the ultimate business objective in the realm of productivity testing. Brands must adopt a vigilant approach to product performance initiatives to mitigate risks stemming from product changes due to supply chain changes and cost optimizations.

Open-ended responses hold a distinctive power to unveil hidden insights that quantitative measures might miss. Curion ventured to explore the potential of modifying prompts for open-ended questions to influence the context of consumer responses. This research was selected by the Scientific Committee as a "Top Poster," representing the top 10% of all research presented at Pangborn 2023, showcasing its outstanding contribution to the field.

Two leading factors - fragrance and skinfeel - behind consumer experience have the power to dictate whether a product is embraced or discarded. Research consistently reveals that positive emotions heighten product appeal, while negative feelings deter consumer interest. Blue California partnered with Curion to dive into the emotional landscape of skincare, guided by Russell's Circumplex Model, a large library of fragrance descriptors that formed the foundation for understanding consumer emotions.

While liking is crucial, it's only the tip of the fragrance iceberg. Companies are realizing that fragrance can be harnessed to communicate a range of emotions and functional benefits, thereby amplifying the impact of their products. The collaboration between Blue California and Curion dives deep to understand how leveraging fragrance-emotion relationships can revolutionize product development.

Imagine the task of designing a mac and cheese that both kids and adults savor. Each demographic brings unique preferences and sensitivities, making the challenge complex yet rewarding. The goal is not merely to build flavors but to orchestrate a winning product that resonates with every age group. The Kraft Heinz Company and Curion embarked on a mission to unlock the secrets of the perfect mac and cheese for all, using Curion’s Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®).

Staying ahead isn't just about innovation—it's about proving your product's worth. This brand stepped onto the stage, determined to showcase their products’ superiority over rivals. Their objective? To empower both B2B and B2C brands with compelling claims that would resonate with consumers and industry peers alike.

The heart of Curion Score™ lies in its individualized, calculated nature. Through a series of normalization calculations, it seamlessly replaces traditional liking in analytical methods. This shift in interpretation – from "liking" to "product performance" – is pivotal in understanding how a product truly resonates with consumers.

Curion's innovative solution, BluePrint, captures consumer input with agility at the beginning of development. This solution is a consumer co-creation approach that elevates traditional product testing to an interactive and insightful experience. Kraft Heinz, the original innovator behind flavored water enhancers, teamed up with Curion to develop a novel co-creation method that saved multiple rounds of testing while delivering a product profile that consumers love.

The world of sensory science is experiencing a dynamic transformation. From diverse solutions that bridge the gap between data and emotions, to the thoughtful considerations behind product testing with children, these trends signal an industry poised for innovation.