When opportunities arise all at once but the budget doesn’t allow trying out all possible options, exploratory research like concept testing can be used to determine the best alternatives. Concept testing is a procedure that tests stimulus as a representation for a new idea or repositioned product, service or strategy. It is a useful method to reveal how people without prompting interpret a new product or service.
newfocus provide measures of concept testing that evaluate ideas by providing a feel for their advantages prior to the commitment of development and usage of further company resources. Delving into concept testing provides direction into identifying product or service benefits and how to communicate these benefits. It is also useful in terming the product specific information and their implementations such as packaging, promotion, price and distribution.
Objective
Explores consumers’ responses to various concepts through stimulus expressed through pictures, words and symbols.
Method
Alternative concepts are exposed to consumers who match the characteristics of the target audience. Reactions and evaluations are sought through methods including:
- Market research clinics
- Focus groups
- Direct questioning
- Survey completion
- Shopping Centre intercepts
- Combination of all methods
- Sample sizes vary depending on the number of concepts that are presented.
- Qualitative and/or quantitative data is evaluated and the alternative concepts are compared.
Output
Target consumers are presented with a written statement, or some sort of visual representation of an idea and asked questions into whether they think the concept is:
- New and different
- Whether they would be interested in it
- Whether they like it
- The best and worst thing about the product
- How much would they pay for such a product or service
- What they might like to change about a product
