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Consumer Guidance
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Effective new-product development requires consumer input as part of the process. Early consumer guidance with prototype formulation can increase the likelihood of delivering a successful product to the marketplace. Peryam & Kroll, a marketing and sensory research firm, has commercialized an analytical tool termed Penalty Analysis that assists in identifying what drives consumers' product acceptance.
Early consumer guidance must go beyond simply identifying winning and losing prototypes. To be useful, the research should provide the developer with a prioritized list of critical product dimensions that require modification.
Penalty
Analysis accomplishes this goal by combining overall product rating data
with information from specific attribute probing. The diagnostic measures
commonly use ”just about right” questions, which offer consumers the option
to rate a prototype as having ”too much” of one element or ”too little”
of another trait, as opposed to being ”just about right.” The diagnostician
determines the penalty for being off-target on an attribute. ”We ascertain
how important particular product dimensions are to the prototype's overall
consumer acceptance,” explains Richard Popper, Ph.D., vice president R&D.
Penalty importance is measured by comparing the overall-liking ratings
of those consumers who thought the product was too strong (or too weak)
on a particular attribute with the ratings of those indicating that the
trait was just right. ”Sometimes being off target really matters and other
times it doesn't,” says Popper. ”And being off target in one direction
can be worse than being off base in another. In some beverages for example,
the penalty is often greater for a prototype that is 'not sweet enough'
as opposed to one that is 'too sweet.' ” Penalty Analysis is designed
to acquire sufficient information to avoid misleading evaluations. Consumers
may be inclined to score a product based on what they believe they ought
to say rather than on how they really feel. For instance, a large number
of respondents might rate a salty snack as too salty, believing that salt
is detrimental to their health. Penalty Analysis would reveal that those
who score the product as too salty actually like the sample as much as
those that find the salt level about right leading the developer to the
conclusion that the salt level is satisfactory.
Close scrutiny of the diagnostic data can suggest further prototype direction. ”Let's say some consumers penalize a pasta sauce for being low on tomato flavor and spiciness, plus not being chunky enough,” says Popper. ”The analysis may lead the researcher to identify unique consumer segments, each preferring a different flavor and texture profile.”
Applying a Penalty Analysis to consumer guidance data results in a better understanding of consumer likes and dislikes, which effectively focuses R&D resources on critical improvement opportunities.
Peryam
& Kroll
6323 N. Avondale Ave.
Chicago, IL 60631
Phone: 773/774-3100
Fax: 773/774-7956
Email: poppr@pk-research.com
Reprinted from FOOD PRODUCT DESIGN