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.

What is CATI or telephone interviewing?

Telephone interviewing is widely used both for business and consumer surveys. It is often referred to as CATI, or “Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing”. It allows research to be conducted nationally at a much reduced cost. This type of research can be particularly effective where clients have an existing contact database of customers or enquirers.

What’s involved in a postal survey?

Postal 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 postal surveys 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.

What is CAPI Interviewing?

CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) involves the use of a questionnaire which is running on a computer. Results are entered directly into the device, rather than filling in a paper questionnaire. The hardware can range from special handheld devices to a standard laptop. The major benefits are that complex routing and quotas can be in-built automatically into the questionnaire to make sure only relevant questions are asked and avoiding interviewer error. It also means that data entry of results is automatic and can therefore improve project turnaround times.

What is online or web based interviewing?

Online research allows respondents to be recruited via e-mail and directed to a web site where they can self complete a questionnaire and submit their responses. Using an opt-in panel of respondents provides access to people who have chosen to participate in research and who can generally be pre-selected on a wide range of different criteria (age, SEG, readership habits, lifestyles and pastimes etc.)