Concept Testing: Consumer Evaluation Before A Product Launch

What is product concept testing?

Product concept testing is the type of market research that provides valuable insight into the ways consumers might respond to the design, products, and services and thus include the visual design, features, and packaging. The product concept testing includes the brand positioning and product portfolio and various products might be positioned in different ways, under the general brand. The product concept testing determines the need for the type of product that a business is trying to sell, and determines whether the product has any appeal. The potential buyers or consumers, determine the appeal of the product and hence product concept testing includes both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research is necessary to finalize the various product concept descriptions and are tested later in the quantitative research. The quantitative product concept testing ensures that the survey methodology is implemented and the survey design depends on the type of product and the manufacturing unit.

Click To Connect

What are the types of product testing?

There are various types of product testing methods, and they depend upon the feature preferences of the product, the product appeal, and relevance, the benefit perceptions, the impact on the brand perceptions, the idea preferences, and the likelihood of customers purchasing the product. The various types of product testing include concept testing, test marketing, and product testing. The concept testing procedure is followed when the customer's reactions to the concept or the product are to be determined. The concept testing identifies the product idea which is screened beforehand, so that any investments of time, effort, and money are invested diligently. The development of any product or its prototype is only carried out when the response of the consumers is checked. The product testing consists of the next step of the concept testing process where the product is performing as well as the concept initially tested. The likes and dislikes, and the likelihood of the consumers buying the product are determined through the product testing process. The product testing approach enables the consumers to compare the new product with other products in the market. The test marketing process consists of the product being introduced into the market in various areas, at different prices in the markets. The amount as well as elasticity of the demand of the specific product and the competition it is most likely to face and finally the expected volume of sales and the profits of the different prices can be determined through the test marketing process.

What are the 6 steps of concept testing?

The steps involved in the concept testing process include the following 6 steps:

Defining the goals: defining the goals of the concept testing
Determining and choosing the specific sample population: determining the specific sample of the concept testing process
Deciding the survey format for conducting the concept testing process
Communicating the specific concept to the participants and the stakeholders
Measuring the response of the consumers in regard to the concept testing
Interpretation of the results.

Avail Services

What are the advantages and disadvantages of concept testing?

There are many advantages as well as disadvantages of the concept testing process. The advantages of concept testing include the opportunity of conducting a good decision-making process, updating the pricing or the product itself, or the service itself. The concept testing process ensures that the product is tested before being released into the market officially and hence it saves the time and effort of the organization. The concept testing process also ensures that the relationship of the customers with the manufacturers is protected. The disadvantages of the concept testing include the possibility of misleading the testing process to the identified customers. There is also a possibility of inaccurate data being presented. The probability of irrelevant data being determined hence is a major disadvantage of the concept testing process. N some cases, concept testing is a time-consuming process in the competitive context and there is a need for competitive awareness, through thorough research before undertaking the concept testing process.

Why is concept testing important in new product development?

The process of concept testing is important in the new product development process since it ensures the opportunity of conducting a good decision-making process, updating the pricing or the product itself or the service. The concept testing process in new product development ensures that the product is tested before being released into the market officially and hence it saves the time, financial investment, and effort of the organization. The concept testing process also ensures that the relationship of the customers with the manufacturers is protected. If proper concept testing is not conducted in the new product development, the marketing campaigns, pricing adjustments, and service or product improvement are not improved. The concept testing process also pinpoints the best direction for the product or service and helps in improving the initial concept of the product development from good to best. The development of a new concept for product development and implementing the concept testing will hence ensure the appeal of the product to the market consumers. The balancing of the price, features, and usability of the new product hence will be ensured through the concept testing process.

How do you conduct a concept test?

To conduct a concept test, 6 main stages are followed. The 6 stages of conducting a concept testing process are as follows:

Describing the goals: defining the goals of the concept testing process to ensure the applicability and need of the new product or service
Determining and selecting the specific sample population to ensure that the new product is relevant to the current sample population.
Deciding the survey format for conducting the concept testing survey among the sample population.
Communicating the precise concept to the participants and the stakeholders of the organization while conducting the concept testing
Measuring the response of the customers to the survey and analyzing the results
Interpretation of the results to determine the identified product acceptability and the market demand for the product.