| Key Questions | Suggested Techniques | Comments |
What are the main features in this market?
| Usage and Attitude study
Desk research
| A “U&A” study is a great foundation project to create a platform of knowledge – typically this information has been researched 1000 times before by larger clients and so desk research (and using Mintel for example) can be a cheaper way to identify this information. However in emerging markets U&A remains very important.
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Which features are most valued?
Which features are most important?
| Max Diff study
Conjoint analysis
Basic attribute ratings study
| Traditionally, to find out the most valued features in a product (or an industry), you will ask a specific target market to rate features using a ratings grid. This is an easy and low cost test (it can be tagged on to any number of different studies) but it’s normal that every feature comes back as “Important” and there is little variation between segments (or indeed evidence of segments). Conjoint and “MaxDiff” effectively force respondents to make a clearer choice, teasing apart what really matters to them when push comes to shove…
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We’ve been drinking red bull for 36 hours and we’ve got 30 concepts – it’s too many. Which are strongest?
Which should we ditch?
| Concept screening study
| Screening is a way to rapidly (but somewhat superficially) cycle through a largeish number of concepts. It’s not so good at picking winners, but it’s pretty good at removing losers so that you can focus on a short list of options to develop. The more concepts you include, the more superficial the feedback on each one – possibly just an overall appeal score with 20 or more concepts. Beyond 30 concepts, it gets a bit impractical – and (generally) you shouldn’t be so lazy and put in so many concepts!
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We’re down to 3 concepts. Which is the “best”?
| Concept diagnostic study
| With fewer concepts you can dig more into likeability, credibility, interest, uniqueness, fit with current product range, purchase intent and so on providing more diagnostic information.
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What should we call it?
What do customers think about this name?
| Naming study
| These require standard testing study methodologies. They can be done monadically (each user sees only one name) or semi-monadically (each user sees multiple names). The latter is more enlightening and cheaper in our experience because it actually helps to have the mental clutter of multiple names to consider but if you are including diagnostic measures as well as an overall preference score, then semi-monadic surveys can become a little lengthy. The deliverable is a preference ranking of names based on a number of criteria – impact, relevance, likeability etc. The fewer names you are testing, the more you can afford to dig into each one.
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Is it worth adding in feature X? Would customers really value it enough to be worth the cost of providing it?
| Conjoint analysis
| This kind of question is made for conjoint analysis – conjoint can give you a “utility” score for each feature, which you can add up to get an overall utility for that combination of features. You then need to know the cost of providing that basket of features. Utility can be measured in terms of £ values and so you can estimate the £ value a user puts on a hypothetical product (with a given set of features) and compare that to the £ cost of producing it. Generally you can chose the product with the highest value or the highest profit (i.e. that with the greatest difference between £ value and £ cost).
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We’ve developed some visuals and we’d like a reaction.
| Standard concept test
| We can very easily show 2D or 3D images (or rich media) and get reactions from different segments.
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We just want to put something in front of consumers and get a reaction…
| Focus groups
Depth interviews
Controversially worded, open ended questions in quant surveys
| Focus groups can be very useful for face to face interaction with customers. Whilst they sometimes struggle at picking winning ideas, they are very good at removing the turkeys and a well moderated group will generate useful feedback that can further strengthen the process. Groups are a very flexible tool and therein lies there strength and weakness.
Depth interviews can be a useful alternative or complement when you want to dig deeper into an issue – perhaps with an influencer group like doctors.
We’ve had a lot of success with open ended questions in quant surveys for getting similar “pulse” type feedback. It doesn’t have the richness of groups, but it’s not half bad and a lot cheaper.
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How much will this product generate in sales given 50% distribution and a price at either £199 or £249?
| Volumetric forecasting study
| A study of this type effectively relies on data gathered in concept testing, price testing and so on to provide consumer appeal and then the experience of MyVoice researchers to estimate likely year one volume (we’d look at distribution, marketing activity and other key variables). The end deliverable is a prediction that would usually be accurate +/-10-25% for Year 1.
Alternatively, if the budget does not allow such a thorough approach, we can provide much more rough and ready figures by estimating volume but we only provide this for industries that we know well (and so this depends on researcher availability).
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What do people think of our new formulation?
| In home test with online satisfaction diary
| An in home test can be expensive if you need to send researchers round the neighbourhood, but online allows you to post (ambient products only) products to the MyVoice panel and then keep in contact with them electronically and follow their interaction with the product in a special online collaboration site (a “wiki”) where they record their own views of the product and can read other people’s views too. We combine this approach with standard survey trackers to ensure an uncontaminated view from individuals and then a prevailing view from the crowd. It’s quite insightful.
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How are people reacting to the new product? Who’s buying it? Do they like it?
| Launch Tracking Study
Custom panel
| This can be a tracker study or a one off, depending on need and budget. The main aim is to provide vital intelligence during the crucial launch period in case there is a need to fine tune elements of the sales, product or communication strategy.
One useful option that surprisingly few clients choose is to develop a panel of your own new customers to canvas their views.
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