“Home use testing,” which is one of the marketing research methods, is a test in which monitors try the product at home to check how the product is received, what improvements can be made, and how it compares to competing products. It’s a method.
Compared to a “venue survey,” which is a method of evaluating a product by actually trying it out, opinions that are closer to the actual situation and true feelings can be obtained, and various tests can be conducted on the same monitor. etc. can be cited as advantages.
This time, let’s take a look at an overview of home use tests, a comparison between home use tests and venue surveys, and examples of how home use tests can be used.
■What is the home use test?
Home use testing is a method of evaluating a product by having a monitor try it out at home. Compared to “venue research,” which is a test in which people actually try the product, home use tests are said to yield opinions that are closer to reality and honest opinions because they are used in real life.
There are two types of home use tests: “branded tests” where the brand name is revealed and the survey is conducted, “blind tests” where the brand name is hidden and the survey is conducted, and “monadic tests” where a single product is tested. There is a “direct comparison method” to compare the above products.
Examples of home use tests include checking the acceptability of newly developed products, checking improvements in current products, and checking the performance of competing products.
■Home use test survey method
Now, let’s take a look at the home use test method.
●Home use test flow
The general flow of a home use test is as follows.
- The test is ordered and the test company creates a research plan.
- Select and collect target monitors.
- Ship the product and conduct the investigation.
- Recover the product.
- A report of the test results will be delivered.
●Branded test and blind test
There are two types of research methods for home use testing: “branded testing,” which reveals the product’s brand name, and “blind testing,” which conceals the brand name.
Consumers generally have images, preconceived notions, and evaluations of brands, so a rand test is suitable when you want to include that brand image in the test.
In contrast, in a blind test, the findings are not influenced by the brand image. Therefore, we can expect to obtain a more objective evaluation of the product itself.
●Monadic test and direct comparison method
Home use testing also includes the “monadic test,” in which a monitor tests a single product, and the “direct comparison method,” in which two or more products are compared.
In a typical product purchase, a consumer typically purchases a single product. Therefore, monadic testing can be expected to reproduce situations similar to the decision-making process in real-life product purchasing.
On the other hand, the direct comparison method is suitable when you want to judge the superiority or inferiority of products. However, the evaluation may change depending on the order of comparison, so careful consideration is required depending on the survey method.
■Comparison of home use tests and other survey methods
In addition to home use tests, there is also a “venue survey” as a method to investigate product evaluations. A venue survey involves testing the product on monitors gathered at the venue. Let’s take a look at the advantages of home use testing and this venue survey.
■Advantages of home use testing
- Because products are used and tested in real life, opinions that are closer to reality and honest opinions can be obtained compared to on-site surveys.
- Although venue surveys normally have to be conducted in one day, it is possible to set a fixed period of time, allowing multiple tests to be conducted on the same monitor.
- We can also conduct research on products that are difficult to conduct through on-site research, such as cosmetics, hair care products, cooking utensils, home appliances, pet supplies, baby products, etc., because they need to be tried at home or continuously. .
●Advantages of venue research
- Because tests are conducted by gathering monitors in the same venue, for example, coffee tests can be conducted under the same conditions such as strength and temperature, while beer tests can be conducted under the same conditions such as temperature and amount of foam.
- Since the venue and equipment can be prepared according to the research theme, higher quality data can be obtained.
- Since products can be reliably recovered, the security of products before they are released on the market is maintained.
■Example of home use test usage
Finally, let’s take a look at some examples of how home use tests can be used.
●Investigating how well the developed product is accepted by consumers
Home use testing can investigate how well a newly developed product is accepted by consumers. If there are multiple candidates for a new product that you have developed, comparing them can be used as a reference for selecting the most suitable product.
●Collect hints for improving existing products
When improving an existing product, home use testing can help you gather hints on how to improve it.
By gathering consumer feedback, you can learn which product attributes should be improved. Also, if there are multiple improved products, you can check which improved product is the best one, just like with new products.
●Test competitive products and learn their strengths and weaknesses
Home use testing allows us to test not only our own products but also competitive products.
By testing competing products, you will be able to learn about their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. By comparing your own products with competing products, you can also check whether you should improve your own products or release them.
■Summary
◆ Home use testing is a method of obtaining evaluations of products by actually trying them out at home ◆ Compared to on-site surveys, it is characterized by obtaining opinions that are closer to the actual situation and true feelings ◆ Home use testing is a method for evaluating new products. In addition to researching products, it can also be used to research improved products and competitive products.