Concept testing: The complete guide [+ Expert tools]

Launching a new product without thorough consumer research can be a costly gamble. According to a study by MIT, only 5% of new consumer packaged goods and retail products survive. 

“Many innovations fail because they introduce products or other solutions without a real need for them. There’s no market for the solutions they’ve created…with those in decision-making positions not taking the necessary time to study and understand the customers’ true needs. Without putting themselves in their shoes, it’s often too late when they realize there’s no market for their solutions.”

-  Svafa Grönfeldt, faculty member, MIT

This highlights the importance of using concept testing, a powerful tool that can be used to understand consumer needs. By doing so, companies can significantly reduce risks and align their products with market needs. 

In this blog, we’ll dive into the essentials of concept testing, what it is, the benefits, methods and some of the top tools to help you get started. 

Concept testing is an essential step in product development where companies test new ideas or early prototypes with potential customers before launching them to the market. This involves showing the concept through descriptions, visuals, or basic prototypes to gather feedback and see how consumers react. The main aim is to determine if the idea is viable, appealing and likely to succeed.

The process ideally involves a collaborative effort among product managers, market researchers, designers, engineers and marketing teams. They work together to gather and analyze feedback from potential users through surveys, focus groups and interviews. This direct input from the target audience is crucial for making informed decisions on whether to refine, develop or simply drop the concept.

This entire process helps ensure that the product meets consumer needs and stands a good chance of success in the market. By validating ideas early on, companies can innovate more effectively, stay competitive and ultimately create more successful products.

1. Reduce risk 

Concept testing lets you spot potential problems or flaws in your product idea early on. By gathering feedback from potential customers, you can make necessary tweaks before investing a lot of time and money. This helps you avoid costly mistakes and increases the chances of a successful launch.

2. Ensure product market fit 

Engaging with your target audience during concept testing gives you valuable insights into what they really want and need. This feedback ensures your final product matches market demands and stands out. By understanding consumer preferences, you can create more user-friendly and innovative products.

3. Use resources efficiently 

Concept testing helps you focus on the ideas with the best chances of success, ensuring your time, money, and efforts are well-spent. Validating concepts early means you avoid wasting resources on products that might not resonate with consumers, leading to a more efficient and effective development process. 

By validating ideas early, businesses can avoid wasting resources on products that are unlikely to resonate with consumers, leading to more efficient and effective product development.

Concept testing is beneficial at multiple stages of product development, including ideation, discovery and marketing. Here are opportune times to start concept testing at each phase and why it's important:

1. Ideation phase

When to start: It’s ideal to start concept testing as soon as you have a spark of an idea for your product. Concept testing at the ideation phase involves validating initial product ideas before investing significant resources in development.

Why it's important: Early concept testing helps you assess the viability and potential market appeal of your ideas. By gathering feedback from potential customers at this stage, you can identify promising concepts worth pursuing further and discard or refine ideas that may not resonate with your target audience. This saves time and resources by focusing efforts on ideas with the highest likelihood of success.

2. Discovery phase

When to start: Concept testing during the discovery phase occurs after initial research but before committing to full-scale development. It's an opportune time to validate and refine product concepts based on deeper understanding of customer needs and market trends.

Why it's important: At this point, concept testing helps you dig deeper into your product features and value proposition. It’s like putting your ideas under a microscope to make sure they’re hitting the mark with your audience. Adjustments made based on concept testing results can lead to a more targeted and customer-centric product development approach.

3. Marketing phase

When to start: Concept testing during the marketing phase occurs closer to the product launch, when you have a developed product or prototype ready for launch.

Why it's important: Concept testing here ensures your marketing efforts hit the bullseye. By putting your product in front of your target audience and seeing how they react, you can tweak your messaging, pricing and promotion to maximize your impact. By presenting the product concept to a sample of your target audience, you can gauge their reaction to branding, packaging, pricing, and promotional efforts. Adjustments based on concept testing results can optimize your marketing approach and increase the likelihood of a successful product launch.

"Start at the very early concept stage. Test again to optimize at the storyboard stage. Do it again at a rough cut stage. I think there's a perception that research takes too long and is super expensive. And it's not true, especially if we compare the cost of producing an ad that ends up being quite subpar and the media spend on top of that. So the cost of an extra round of research, it’s nothing."

- Bianca Johnston, Integrated Campaigns Lead at Shopify

In a nutshell, weaving concept testing into your product journey allows for constant refinement and optimization. It’s like having a built-in feedback loop that guides you toward creating a product that truly resonates with your audience.

1. Surveys

Surveys are a common and efficient method for concept testing. They involve presenting potential customers with detailed descriptions, images or prototypes of the concept and asking specific questions to gauge their reactions, preferences and likelihood of purchase. Surveys can be conducted online, making it easy to reach a large and diverse audience.

2. Focus groups

Focus groups bring together a small group of target consumers to discuss and provide feedback on the product concept. This method allows for in-depth discussions and provides qualitative insights into consumer attitudes, preferences and potential concerns. 

3. Prototyping and user testing

Creating prototypes or early versions of the product allows potential customers to interact with the concept firsthand. This hands-on approach helps identify usability issues, gather detailed feedback on specific features and understand the overall user experience. User testing sessions can reveal critical insights into how the product is perceived and used in real-life scenarios.

1. Zappi ActivateIt

Zappi’s concept testing tool allows you to get early consumer feedback through an agile online research platform to quickly identify the concepts with the highest potential and shape them to maximize commercial success.

Our platform provides verbatim consumer feedback, heatmaps of your concept packaging and messaging, attributes and metrics like love, relevance and more.

It will also help you get to the bottom of questions like: Which aspects of my concept are consumers resonating with most? Which of my concepts have the opportunity to generate the most incremental growth? Or even, how can I improve my concepts to maximize success in market?

Zappi is also the only agile market research platform that creates a learning loop, making you smarter the more you use it. So our concept testing solutions aren’t just a better pre-test; they provide a better consumer centric innovation development system you learn from over time. 

“We can fit in a round of consumer input at almost any phase now...it can really be about: ‘How do we take this thing & actually make it the best version and get the most out of it?’ That change from evaluation to optimization is really powerful.”

- Matt Cahill, Senior Director, Consumer Insights Activation at McDonald's

🔍 Request pricing on Zappi solutions

2. dscout

dscout offers a mobile research platform that allows businesses to conduct concept testing focus groups remotely. Participants use their smartphones to provide feedback on product concepts through video, photo and text responses, providing rich insights into user perceptions and behaviors. 

Researchers can create custom tasks and activities to gather insights on various topics, including product concepts and user experiences, through methods such as video diaries and photo uploads. The platform offers participant recruitment tools to target specific demographics and access to analysis features for synthesizing research data. 

3. Proto.io

Proto.io is a user-friendly prototyping platform that enables designers to create high-fidelity prototypes of mobile apps and websites without writing code. 

Its intuitive interface supports drag-and-drop functionality for easy design creation, while offering features for animations, transitions and responsive design. Designers can test prototypes across various devices and gather feedback from users to inform design decisions effectively. They also have integrations with popular design tools like Sketch and Adobe XD to enhance workflow efficiency, making Proto.io a versatile tool for prototyping and iterating on digital product designs.

Now that we’ve covered some top tools for concept testing, let’s dive into some real life success stories. 

1. McDonald’s McFlurry flavors

Why it’s a great example: McDonald's frequently experiments with new McFlurry flavors to gauge customer interest and preferences. By introducing limited-time flavors, they create excitement and gather valuable feedback from customers. This approach allows McDonald's to test potential additions to their menu without committing to permanent changes. Testing methods used: McDonald's utilizes a combination of limited-time offerings and consumer insights like Zappi’s early stage concept testing solutions to get consumer feedback early before significant time or investments have been made. They then introduce new McFlurry flavors for a short period and monitor sales data, social media interactions and consumer response. This allows them to assess the popularity of each flavor and gather insights into what resonates most with their customers.

Recommendations for similar tests: If you're considering testing new flavors for your product, follow McDonald's approach by actively obtaining consumer feedback early on in your development process. Additionally, collect data on sales performance and customer preferences to inform future product development decisions. This iterative approach allows you to test and refine new concepts while minimizing risk and maximizing customer satisfaction.

2. Google Glass

Why it’s a great example: Google Glass went through extensive concept testing before its official launch. They ran what they called the "Explorer Program," where selected users, known as Explorers, got to try out the prototype in real-life situations. This hands-on approach helped Google gather feedback on everything from how the device functioned to how people felt about wearing it in public.

Testing methods used: Google used a mix of surveys, user testing and real-world beta testing. Explorers shared their thoughts through surveys and reports, while Google observed how they used the product in different scenarios. This combination gave them a deep understanding of what worked and what needed improvement.

Recommendations for similar tests: If you’re thinking of doing something similar, consider starting with a small group of users who match your target audience. Get their feedback through surveys, interviews and by watching them use your prototype in real life. And don’t forget to stay engaged and open to their suggestions—they’re your best source of insights!

3. Dropbox

Why it’s a great example: Before Dropbox became the household name it is today, they tested their concept with a simple explainer video. By putting their idea out there and seeing how people reacted, they were able to gauge interest and fine-tune their product before fully developing it.

Testing methods used: Dropbox used a prototype in the form of a video to test the waters. They tracked user engagement, comments and sign-ups for their beta version to see if there was demand for their product. This approach helped them validate their idea without spending a lot of money upfront.

Recommendations for similar tests: If you’re looking to test a new concept, start by creating a simple prototype or video to convey your idea. Share it with your target audience and pay attention to their reactions and feedback. It’s a cost-effective way to see if there’s interest in your idea and gather valuable insights for improvement.

By studying these examples, you can see the importance of engaging directly with your target audience and being open to feedback are key strategies for refining your product to ensure its success in the market.

Concept testing is like a trusty guide throughout product development, from brainstorming to launch. This ongoing process, fueled by user feedback, leads to products that truly hit the mark with customers and campaigns that make a splash. It’s a savvy way to minimize risks, save resources and boost your chances of hitting it big in the market.