NEW PRODUCT ENTRY – How to ensure the successful market entry

The Challenge: Our client developed a new food product, where the category was almost unknown – and thus, a deeper understandings of the target group lifestyle and insights beyond pure product evaluation were necessary.

The Approach: To ensure the successful market entry, we designed a three-stage research program:

In-depth Interviews, to gather lifestyle & usage context insights, to identify category drivers & barriers, to outline the competitive frame and to validate positioning & bundle attractiveness attributes;
Shopper Study, to access the profile of the potential core target, define decision tree, identify reasons for purchase and quantify usage occasions;
Concept-Product-Pack Test, to evaluate concept-pack-product likeability and trial rate, verify price positioning and confirm product acceptance vs. competition.

The Outcome: the communicated (image & price) positioning proved to be very relevant to the target, but could be further enriched with the emotional benefits of active living. Some of the product claims were important and noticed by the target group, while others were still not perceived as tangible competitive advantages. The package should be reworked around the pillars of simplicity, brighter colors, dynamism and product visibility, while the product itself could be improved towards a set of characteristics. In addition, the product clearly demonstrated potential to “brand” the whole new food category.

The Next Step: Our client continued to elaborate on the product & package elements. After the product re-design, we verified the improvements by:

• Focus Group Discussions, to reveal whether the new package communicated successfully (better) the type, ingredients and benefits of the product as intended;

• Blind Product Test, to validate the potential of the improved product line, to recommend the optimal combination of flavors for the initial launch and to estimate the different flavourscontribution to the total volume;

• Package Test, to quantify the findings from the focus group discussion and reconfirm the package potential to attract the category consumers and generate trial interest.

The Aftermath: The product is on the market – with growing user base for 6thquarter. Our client justified internally the need of local consumer testing and return on marketing research investment, developing the most successful new product launch since 2013.