Best Practices

• Concept Standards. The most important factor in concept testing is consistency in design and execution of the concepts. Standards are essential to guide the content, illustration, tone, and style of the concepts. Download a PDF copy of our Example Concept Standard.
  
• Sampling Strategy. The target market should be defined as category users for an established product category or as a representative sample if the new product concept is totally new, or if the category is underdeveloped.
• Standard System. A standard system-utilizing the same sampling methods, same questionnaire, same data collection, same coding and tabulation rules, and the like is essential.
• Ideation. Many new product development efforts fail because of too few concepts to test. Qualitative explorations, followed by ideation and brainstorming sessions, can greatly expand the number of viable new product concepts. Decision Analyst Imaginators®.
  
• Screening Then Testing. If you have a large number of concepts (10 or more), screen these concepts with a comparative research design, then test the better concepts monadically. Monadic testing is recommended because it can be predictive of in-market success via volumetric sales forecasting.
• Competitive Benchmarks. The very best measuring sticks are concept tests for known competitive brands; such competitive benchmarks are vastly superior to general new product or category norms.
• Forecasting. A volumetric sales forecast is the ultimate measure of a new product concept’s potential value. New Product Sale Forecasting Article

ConceptCheck®: A system designed to provide limited normative data and extensive verbatim diagnostics for early-stage new product concepts.

ConceptTest®: A comprehensive concept testing system that provides key data important to sales volume forecasting.

Conceptor® Volumetric Forecasting Models: Conceptor® volumetric forecasting models provide accurate and comprehensive estimates of year-one sales volumes.