By McKenzie Jones
One of the traditional strategies for performing market research is the use of surveys to test products in development. Such surveys have survived the test of time for some pretty good reasons that give them an advantage over other options. If you want to obtain some solid data regarding a proposed product, product testing surveys are a sure bet. Below are five benefits they provide you should keep in mind when determining how to spend your research and development budget.
Survey takers may be less niased than your own company
It’s only natural to think a product that you have worked on from the earliest stages to the prototype stage is the most innovative invention since the wheel. Similarly, others in the office or elsewhere in your business may have an incentive to only tell you the kinds of things you want to hear. As such, you may end up losing out on the kind of constructive criticism that could have allowed you to improve your product and avoid a financial catastrophe after it was launched on the market. The outsiders that are utilized during product testing surveys, however, have no such biases and no incentive to lie. They simply get paid for their feedback. It doesn’t matter whether that feedback is positive or negative.
The lab is not the same as a consumer’s home
There are also other factors you should keep in mind. The product, for example, may have performed great in a laboratory. While that may be true, you should know that consumers don’t use products in a sterile lab environment. Instead, they use them at home where thousands of different factors can influence how they perform or are used that you may have never considered before. As such, product testing surveys are one of the best ways to acquire data and important intelligence regarding how a product is likely to perform in an average consumer’s home. You may be surprised at some of the things you discover.
Product testing surveys can provide quick results
One of the negative aspects of the research and development phase of many products is that the process can just seem to drag on and on. Indeed, many would-be products never see the light of day after spending years in development. On the other hand, product testing surveys can give you a rapid turnaround compared to other market research strategies you may have tried in the past. Most consumers find product testing surveys on websites that pay them for their input. As such, they have the incentive to complete the surveys and turn them in quickly. This way, you’ll get the data you need almost immediately.
Product testing surveys are cheap to perform
Another added benefit is the fact that this form of market research is relatively cheap to perform. This is especially the case when compared to other options. For example, a focus group will require renting office space, scheduling, and paying employees to conduct the focus group and collect the results. Product testing surveys slash most of this overhead by instead having the consumer perform the tests and surveys in their own home. You won’t have to pay for things like utilities, travel expenses, or employee salaries to have these tests completed and mailed in. Considering that the market research industry has ballooned to over 76.4 billion in value, finding cost savings is important for individual companies.
It’s an efficient process
Many companies in the product testing survey business have been operating for many years or even decades in certain cases. Over that time, the process has been boiled down to its simplest form that produces the best results for all involved. If your testing processes lack efficiency, outsourcing with such a company can give you the testing solutions you need under budget and on time. You’ll also be given access to a wider swath of the public you wouldn’t have access to otherwise since many of these companies have large amounts of consumers to choose from.
Overall, product survey testing works. It’s cheap, efficient, and quick and can provide you with more accurate and less biased data than you would receive performing those tests within your own company. Indeed, consider adding product survey testing to your market research mix. It can help improve your products and inform you of issues you would not be aware of otherwise.
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McKenzie Jones is your typical Midwestern gal. When she is not writing or reading, she can be found training for her next half-marathon, baking something sweet, playing her guitar, or cuddling up with her golden retriever, Cooper. She loves watching football, the fall weather, and long road trips.
