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.

Postal/Email Surveys

Postal and Email surveys usually involve mailing self-completion questionnaires to a targeted group of people, such as a client’s customers or people living in a certain area. The main advantages of this type of survey are that large numbers of questionnaires can be sent out at relatively low cost. The questionnaires can include visual prompts and trial products, and can be useful for eliciting more in depth and considered responses.

Because the respondent fills out the survey in their own time the actual design of the questionnaire is of prime importance and it must be clear, concise, easy to follow and engaging in order to generate a considered response.

Hall Tests

Hall Tests utilise a central, easily accessible venue which offers a controlled and neutral environment, ensuring all respondents evaluate the test product under the same conditions.  Target consumers are carefully screened before being brought into the venue to undertake the test and complete an interview. This method is very cost effective and can generate up to 100 respondents per day depending upon location, target audience and the length and complexity of the test.

In Home Placements

In-Home Placements allows respondents to test the product under real circumstances in their own homes, recording their experiences and opinions in the form of 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, during which time they will use them under normal household conditions.

In-Depth Interviews

In-depth interviews are generally one to one discussions with key stakeholders or decision makers either face-to-face or by telephone.

Interviews tend to be semi-structured and free-flowing with the interviewer using a discussion guide or list of topics to prompt answers and ensure all the research objectives are met. These interviews are generally wide ranging and, as the name suggest, very detailed and can take upwards of 30 minutes per respondent.