Launching something new is no joke – it’s a big task. Studies suggest, about 95% of product drops end up missing sales goals. To help stack the odds better, smart companies put their early ideas in front of real shoppers to get their take. When it’s done right, this “concept testing” checks if a product fits what people want, shapes the design, and gets it market-ready.
We are going to map out the key moves for properly trying out and tweaking a concept.
Follow this to understand customers, gauge interest, and see if an idea can sell. Getting a handle on these steps could be the difference between making the next big thing or just losing a pile of money. Having real input in the beginning goes a long way.
Establish Clear Goals and Objectives
The first important thing is to set clear goals and objectives for concept testing. Ask yourself these key questions:
- What need does my product fill for customers?
- How does it fit into our company’s plans to grow?
- How will I know if the test is successful?
A good goal could be: “See if suburban women aged 30-45 would buy a new beauty device to use at home.” Specific goals let you:
- Set up a test that gets you the right info
- Figure out what data matters most
Keep your goals simple and focused. For example, just test demand from one target group first. See if the product concept fits their lifestyle needs. Design surveys, interviews, and focus groups with those customers in mind. Analyze their interest levels, what worries them, and how much they might pay.
Clear goals at the start mean you run an efficient test. And you get data that answers key business questions. Both save you money down the road. After testing demand with suburban women 30-45, you can better select other markets.
Understand the Target Audience
The next essential step for effective product concept testing is to understand the target audience. After setting goals, learn all about your potential buyers. Identify key demographics like age, income level, and location. Also explore psychographics – their attitudes, values, and interests. Use customer data to recruit testers matching broader consumer profiles.
If testing a product for busy moms, ensure participants reflect that lifestyle. Select women managing similarly demanding families/workloads. The more testers replicate real-use cases, the more accurate the feedback.
Ask specific behavioral questions, like:
- How do they balance jobs and kids?
- What’s their self-care time?
- What trends do they follow?
Shape concept testing around participants’ habits and priorities. If they show interest, purchase intent and agree on pricing, you know it resonates with end users.
Carefully qualifying your test group takes more effort upfront, but pays off. You gain confidence in responses before launch, saving time and money down the road. The right testers provide invaluable data that truly represents target customer reactions.
Craft a Strong Concept Statement
Now you need a simple but exciting concept statement. Sum up what your product is and its big value in one line that pops. Clearly explain:
- The main customer benefit
- How does your concept provide it
A statement for a smoothie maker could be: “This countertop appliance whips up tasty, healthy smoothies with pre-measured pod flavors under 60 seconds. It’s the perfect quick breakfast for busy moms and dads on the go.”
This sells the uniqueness and main perk. It says who it helps and why they’d want it. Before finalizing your statement, test it out with target users first. Ask:
- Does this get your attention right away?
- Is the benefit clear from the description?
- Would you be interested in trying this product based on the statement?
Get their wording ideas to describe it better. Keep refining until the concept really clicks with just the statement. This branding exercise is time well spent upfront.
The final statement will headline your concept test materials. Use it:
- In recruitment screening
- On introductions and surveys
- During interviews and focus groups
It frames the product concept clearly at every step. Testers refer back to it in giving feedback. A compelling statement that users connect with goes on to drive marketing. It captures consumer imagination months before launch.
So measure every word to convey the essence. What makes your product unlike anything else out there? What user needs does it meet? The right concept statement spells it out.
Determine the Testing Methodology
There are a few ways to test out a concept, each with pluses and minuses. Popular options are:
- Solo testing: People look at just one idea.
- Solo comparison: Folks weigh in on a couple of concepts separately.
- Sequential: Respondents view concepts in a set order.
- A/B choice: Compares reactions between two or more concepts.
Testing can be qualitative too – through focus groups with feedback. Or quantitative via surveys with stats.
Figure out which blend of methods will get you insights to guide the next steps. Will you need to:
- Gauge interest levels? Surveys work.
- Hear detailed user reactions? Run a focus group.
- Compare ideas head to head? Do A/B testing.
Mix and match techniques that answer your most pressing questions. If the budget is tight, narrow down the concepts you test. Make sure methods dig into your big concerns and unknowns. The combo that works best depends on goals, targets, and where you are in product development. But using multiple angles is always stronger.
Develop a Detailed Testing Plan
Before talking to potential users, map out every piece of your test run. Lay out things like:
- Goals and What Success Looks Like
- Who you recruit and how
- How you’ll show the concept
- Survey design
- Interview Questions
- How you’ll capture reactions
- How you’ll analyze the data
Solid planning means reliable, steady feedback on concepts. It makes sure you:
- Ask the right questions
- Have a big enough sample size
- Record reactions consistently
- Compare concepts fairly
Execute the Concept Test
Once your test plan is good to go, it’s time to put it into action. If you’re doing interviews or focus groups, take extra care not to influence things one way or another – you want completely honest opinions. For surveys, keep an eye that you’re getting a solid mix of folks just like your target market.
As you move forward, keep on top of how testing is going. Catch any hiccups quickly so you can get back on track. Be ready to tweak something if needed – like reword a confusing question, change an unclear instruction, or deal with tech issues. Staying nimble means collecting reactions without disruptions or delays. You get way richer feedback when everything flows smoothly for your testers.
Analyze Results and Measure Viability
The big challenge is making sense of all the feedback you get. You’ve got to dig through it to truly understand if your idea can sell. Figure out:
- What parts hook people
- What needs work
Set goals for key markers like:
- How many would actually buy it?
- How likely are they to suggest it to others?
- How valuable do they think it is?
Look at any approach, like IHUT testing, that uses special analysis. This math rates concepts to forecast real-world success.
Crunch responses to gauge where your idea lands with end users. See what excites target customers and why. Identify missing pieces for bigger appeal. Testing shows if your concept can fulfill its purpose and make buyers happy.
Use those insights to fine-tune the product, marketing, or business model. Research-backed by metrics allows smart planning toward launch.
Use Testing Insights to Upgrade the Concept
Apply what you learned to refine anything falling short. Keep adjusting pieces until the concept gets high marks in testing. Run follow-up studies on evolved versions before locking it down.
But take care not to lose what originally drew in your customers as you make changes. Keep modifications focused on improving weak spots while retaining crowd favorites.
Finalize Once Consumer Standards are Met
At some point, you must decide if the concept fits audience needs, offers unique value, and aligns with business goals. When testing signals, purchase intent, and other key indicators meet set targets, freeze the concept for production.
Create the Market Strategy
With a consumer-validated concept ready to promote, map out your market playbook. Outline the product story, customer acquisition plan, sales channels, and distribution partners. Project finances and timeline to market launch. And develop milestones to track performance.
Launch and Continuously Improve
Once live, monitor real sales and user reviews. Feed ongoing consumer feedback into future enhancements and next-generation releases. Products require continual investment for a competitive life in the market.
The goal is not just to launch, but to learn and grow a product consumers love year after year. Testing arms you with that first crucial insight into their needs and desires. Build on that with post-sale listening and data analysis. Let the voice of your customers steer innovations and drive lasting success.
Final Thoughts
Turning an idea into a top-selling product takes more than just guessing what consumers want. Smart companies directly ask potential buyers for input during concept testing. Following a strategic plan to evaluate interest quantitatively and gather feedback qualitatively sets up success.
Insights gained by engaging real users early on help innovators refine and validate concepts for market viability. Essential concept testing gives direction, saving time and resources, to transform promising visions into game-changing realities customers crave.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s so great about testing out early product ideas anyway?
It lets you gather potential buyer opinions before sinking too much time or money in. You can check if concepts are winners worth moving forward with or not. Testing shows if the design hits the mark for user needs.
- When’s the best time in the process to do this?
Ideally, get feedback very early, before you engineer, manufacture, or market anything. Vetting concepts soon allows quick pivots if folks aren’t excited. It’s easier to tweak or swap ideas than to launch something nobody wants!
- How do you know if a test went well?
Strong signs are if lots of the target crowd say they’d purchase it, recommend it to others, and think it’s of good value. Special analysis can quantify test results too. But the main thing is – does your data say target users connect with the concept and would commit dollars? If yes, you likely have a winner!