Consumer Sensory Research of Food and Beverage Products

Consumer Sensory Research

We conduct consumer sensory research to the highest standard across Australia and New Zealand with our experienced research and fieldwork team. Food and beverage research is a specialised field that requires in depth knowledge of ingredient interactions to provide the real insights.

A good product experience (including the product, brand, and packaging) must be achieved for FMCG’s to succeed in the market place.

The brand and packaging entices the consumer to buy and trial the product, but it is the product itself, what is inside the pack, that determines if the consumer will buy it again.

At Benchmark Sensory Strategy & Research, we understand the importance of measuring the product experience precisely. This is especially important when tracking results over time.

Below are some of our services.

Sensory Research Data Analysis Insights Australia

Concept

Product

Brand

Pack

Competitive Benchmarking and 60:40 Product Testing

Establish how your product really stacks up against it’s competitors and get the insights required to support range reviews or improve your market position.

Innovation

Determine if your innovation passes the consumer ‘litmus test’.

Product Health Tracking

Keep check on your cash cow products and how they perform over time. Are they of consistent quality? Has an ingredient or manufacturing process been changed that has effected consumer acceptance? Add your competitors to the research and keep informed when they make product changes which could erode your market share.

Optimisation

We will guide you through the steps to improve your product.

Reformulation

Test the acceptance of a change to your product to avoid loss of sales.

Screening

When you have a large number of concepts or products, you need to filter down to the best liked options.

Functionality Testing

How well does your packaging or product do what it is supposed to do? Are there any barriers which will inhibit repeat purchase?

Why Your Product Should Never be Ignored…

A new client came to us with a problem. They had launched a new beverage product which had great initial success, however, after a few months sales declined at an alarming rate. Their solution had been to change the packaging and increase advertising, but this didn’t produce the desired effect so they engaged our help.

When asked what sensory research had been conducted during the NPD process, the answer was none. Some rudimentary tastings were conducted around the lab table and that was it. We suggested that an unbranded taste test of the product range be carried out with their target market to determine if the products were performing at an acceptable ‘market ready’ level.

Not surprisingly, the research revealed that the drinks did not perform well with consumers. None of the variants met our benchmark for an acceptable product to be launched into the market place.

This was a classic example of a great concept and brand, with a poor product. The brand and pack generated trial, but the inferior product was the barrier to repeat purchase.

Conducting sensory research with your target market is an essential part of any innovation or NPD process. This can help avoid any negative impact on your brand, and the huge costs associated with a failed product.

Don’t let an under performing product ruin your new idea’s chance of success.

Contact Us To See How We Can Help Make Your Product a Success!

Call 0402129303

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