Ipsos: Completely new opportunities have appeared in the field of product testing

By: Trademagazin Date: 2022. 11. 17. 22:43

The Ipsos article shows how combining behavioral science with product testing can lead to a better understanding and use of test results, and how this can lead to new, innovative research solutions in the field of product testing. “In addition, we can achieve all of this without having to retrain our colleagues and clients as consumer behavior researchers,” says Balázs Fehér, Account Director of Ipsos Zrt.

Our total product experience (TTE) framework shows that our experience with a product is the result of the simultaneous interaction of three factors – sensory, cognitive and contextual influences. Ideally, we should study these factors simultaneously, which will result in a more comprehensive approach to product development and testing, and ultimately more successful products.

In the case of any commercially successful product, it is a basic expectation that it meets the needs and expectations of consumers. Most people believe that developing a functionally superior product can lead to success. Based on our customers’ feedback, however, focusing solely on sensory product characteristics does not necessarily provide a reliable forecast of the expected market success of the given product. Behavioral science has shown that consumer experiences related to a specific product are influenced not only by the sensory properties, but also by the beliefs and expectations related to the product and the category, as well as the broader context of product use. In other words, the entire product experience is not only determined by the sensory product properties.

Although it is important that a given product meets consumer needs in all respects, this alone is not enough to be successful on the market. The final decision to buy a product depends to a large extent on how well a new product can change the offer currently available on the market. In the majority of cases, consumers already have an existing product, which the new product must replace in some form. At this stage of the decision-making process, marketing specialists must consider many factors independent of the product, such as emotional attachment to solutions already existing on the market, as well as the resulting bias and habit. Despite the fact that behavioral science is becoming more and more important in market research during product testing and development, its principles are still not sufficiently taken into account.