Lorraine Geel from Consumers In Focus and Christine Leighton from Milk SA held a sensory forum on the 6 May at Bidfest, discussing just this. Just in time for the New Product Competition to be held at the end of May, where many hopefuls are pinning their dreams on the numerous tests their products will be put through.
In attendance were various representatives from Bid Food,McCain, Tiger Brands, CSIR to mention a few, and it was surprising to note, that even big brands such as these often do not understand the importance product testing has nor the intricacies involved. So what makes one product succeed and another fail?
Geel and Leighton held the discussion in the form of a debate pinning up the similarities, differences, pros and cons of both consumer testing and trained panel testing. In a nutshell Leighton and Geel’s discussion clarified that: ‘Consumer testing measures preference or acceptability and trained panels give product descriptions and measures attribute intensities.’ What does this mean?
Firstly, S-W-O-T is the acronym denoting the: Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities of either consumer testing or trained panel testing and eventually how the Two methods come together creating the ultimate product testing platform. Leighton explained the history behind consumer testing, which in the early 1900’s was first utilised in the dairy industry. Through the 1940’s and 50’s testing was vital to ensure the safety of the American troops during the ensuing wars. Testing was largely developed for food safety purposes, but with the ever changing economic climate, there being more choices available to consumers as well as consumer education, testing has become relevant for many other purposes.
Geel was quick to point out the differences between sensory testing and market research, which are often confused. It’s easy really, sensory testing involves your senses – taste, texture, smell, sight etc -whereas market research is all about the image the product will portray or already has in the market - the packaging, label, adverts etc. Geel said it was important the two strike a balance, that the product really tastes as good as the advert says it does, in doing so success is guaranteed.
Geel observed that very often it is thought that if one or two ‘consumers’ say a product is satisfactory, that is good enough.She cannot stress how misconceived this is. ‘A minimum of 60-80 consumers are needed to test a product for a good data profile’ she says.
There are advantages and disadvantages to consumer testing, the most obvious being that a product undergoes the scrutiny of an unscientifically minded and untrained panel. Flaws in the product, especially concerning health, could be overlooked. Geel says that the opportunities consumer testing present are numerous, for example, existing products on the market, which have previously undergone testing, can have makeovers to suit the ever changing market. Money is saved, as consumer testing supports advertising claims. And, consumer testing helps to verify what is lacking from the market so new product development can take place.
Leighton demonstrated that where consumer testing is concerned with a subjective point of view ‘measuring where you should go’ says Geel, trained panels have to be completely objective. ‘It gives you a clear picture of where you are going and how the product is different from others’, says Leighton. The opportunities a trained panel presents are numerous, Leighton explained. It assists in product grading and formulation; quality control and assurance; ingredient and process changes; storage reaction as well as product grading and categorising. Geel then went onto discuss how consumer testing and trained panel testing can be merged, and so the benefits of both enjoyed. ‘Preference mapping is a multivariate technique that illustrates the relationship between sensory data and consumer acceptance’ demonstrated Geel. Combining the two is a powerful tool, optimising a product and reducing the risk of product failure in the market.
How is this beneficial to someone wishing to launch a new product? Well, know this: ‘Do not even think for one second that your product will succeed without testing’ says Geel, and not just a quick small panel consisting of friends and family, ‘or the views of a celebrity’ as Geel pointed out in an example during the discussion. Products that succeed win over both the consumer and the trained panel. Also, know this, at least if your product does not succeed, after all this testing, you will know why and improvements can be made.
