By Susan Frede
August 20, 2024
Concept testing measures consumer interest and helps avoid costly mistakes before moving to expensive, time-consuming prototype development. Concept testing is usually quantitative and there are several methods to pick a winning concept.
- Statistical significance – If testing several concepts, look for one that performs significantly better than the others.
- Comparison to a control – Compare a test concept to a control concept to see if the new idea outperforms the existing product.
- Comparison to competitor – Test a competitor’s product and see if the idea beats the competition.
- Volume Forecast – Input the concept results into a model to estimate the potential sales volume.
- Normative Data – Many clients maintain databases of all concept tests they have performed, so they can develop norms. For example, a requirement might be that a concept has to score in the top quartile of the database.
The choice of method for picking the winner is often dependent on what is driving the need for research. For example, if a competitor has recently introduced a new product, then a comparison to competition will be key. But if a client wants to reposition their product, then a comparison to a control (current product) maybe the most appropriate.
Persuadable Research can help pick a winning concept and provide a forecast.