Concept testing investigates consumers' reasons for purchase and their intentions and psychological state leading up to the purchase. It is an essential type of research for companies before launching products or services into the market.

What is Concept testing?

Concept testing is a study conducted to evaluate how well consumers receive a concept for a new product, service, advertisement, or campaign and which aspects they value. By gathering feedback and reactions from potential customers, companies can confirm whether their ideas align with consumer needs and preferences. This allows them to assess how well the concept is accepted before its market launch and make any necessary refinements.

This research helps identify which aspects of the concept are most appealing, which target demographics are most likely to embrace it, and whether the concept can differentiate itself from competitors and attract consumers.

Concept testing is essential for making informed decisions about product development and marketing. It increases the likelihood that new or revamped products will meet market demand and achieve success.

What You Can Discover Through Concept testing

Optimal Timing for Conducting Concept testing

So, when is the most effective time to conduct concept testing?
Conducting concept testing can be particularly effective at two key stages: when a company decides on the product concept and the advertising concept before launching a new product they created on the market.

1. Product Concept
Conduct concept testing before developing the product. By clarifying how the product concept is evaluated in the market, companies can adjust and improve the concept to achieve higher evaluations and better acceptance in the market, enabling them to proceed with development more effectively.

2.Advertising Concept
Evaluate the advertising concept before finalizing promotional strategies. By assessing elements such as slogans, characters, or poster designs in advance, companies can refine their promotional materials to capture the target audience’s attention more effectively and improve overall precision.

Conducting concept testing at these stages helps companies identify and address potential mismatches in advance, allowing them to introduce new products to the market swiftly.

A Guide to Conducting Concept testing

There are three primary methods for conducting concept testing.
When conducting the research, it is essential to select the most suitable method based on the product type, business challenges that you would like to solve, and target audience.

Online surveys are often used if a large number of responses (sample size) are necessary. However, alternative methods may deliver more effective and meaningful results depending on the research goals and objectives.

Online Surveys

Online Surveys are a widely used research method that is well-suited for collecting quantitative data.Compared to traditional methods, they require less preparation time, are cost-effective, and deliver results in a shorter time. Even when targeting niche audiences, it is easy to find respondents, and the ability to analyze large-scale data quickly is a significant advantage.

With GMO Research & AI's Quick Survey, even beginners are enabled to conduct online surveys easily with questionnaires created with free tools such as Google Forms.

Central Location Test

Central Location Tests involve gathering respondents at a specific venue to conduct surveys or interviews. A key advantage of this method is the ability to directly observe reactions to the concept by allowing respondents to physically manage and test prototypes on-site.

However, this approach is less suitable when a large sample size is required, as the number of participants that can be gathered is limited. Additionally, setting up the venue and other logistical requirements can be time-consuming and costly.

Interview Surveys

Interview Surveys are an effective method for deeply and thoroughly investigating underlying psychological factors, values, and other insights that may be difficult to capture through quantitative research alone. When an interviewer poses questions, the conversation can often reveal new and unexpected insights from respondents.

This approach is often paired with online surveys, where the overall trends are identified through online surveys first, followed by interview surveys to delve into the details.

How to Reach Survey Targets

How can you effectively identify the right target audience when conducting concept testing?

Quantitative data is often required, and online survey panels can help efficiently reach respondents with diverse attributes. While cost and questionnaire design are key considerations in online surveys, selecting a marketing company with a high-quality panel network is crucial for successful research.

GMO Research & AI's Asia Cloud Panel
GMO Research & AI's extensive multinational online survey panel network, Asia Cloud Panel, engages with over 65 million real consumers and forms a large-scale survey panel network across the Asia-Pacific region. With respondents holding a wide range of profiles, it enables easy access to specific attributes, including those typically hard to reach.

Quick Survey allows you to quickly create and distribute surveys. This enables you to collect the necessary data at a low cost in as little as one business day.
With Custom Survey, we provide expert support to seamlessly handle everything from survey requests to data compilation and analysis.

Learn more about concept testing and get your free template today!