The comprehensive guide to pack testing

Have you ever wondered why Dorito’s chose red for their original flavor bags and why Popcorners went with blue? What about the font choice? The size of the product? There’s usually a method to the madness, and it comes in the form of innovation research. 

Recent industry statistics reveal that nearly 70% of successful product launches attribute their achievements to rigorous packaging testing and validation processes. This approach involves stages like concept validation, prototypes, idea screening and pilot trials, all aimed at minimizing risks and maximizing resource efficiency. By replicating real-world scenarios and gathering targeted consumer feedback, pack testing not only enhances product reliability but also accelerates market acceptance. 

In this article, I’ll delve into the essential steps, benefits, and key strategies of innovation pack testing, offering insights into how businesses can leverage this process to drive innovation and achieve sustainable growth.

Innovation packaging testing (or pack testing) is a systematic process used to validate new products, services or ideas before they hit the market at full scale. It involves several key steps:

1. Concept testing: Assessing concepts against market needs and feasibility.

2. Iterative development: Refining based on feedback through multiple cycles.

3. Prototype testing: Evaluating prototypes for performance and user feedback.

4. Performance evaluation: Monitoring KPIs to assess impact and efficiency.

5. Decision making: Using insights to guide decisions on further development or launch.

This structured approach helps organizations mitigate risks, optimize resources and ensure innovations meet user expectations before market introduction.

Benefits of pack testing

Now that we’ve covered what pack testing is, here are three benefits to conducting pack tests: 

1. Risk mitigation Innovation pack testing allows organizations to catch potential issues early on. By identifying and addressing challenges during testing phases, companies can significantly reduce the risk of costly setbacks when innovations are fully deployed.

2. Optimized resource allocation Through pack testing, businesses can make informed decisions about where to invest resources. By focusing on innovations that perform well in testing and resonate with users, organizations can allocate resources more effectively, maximizing their chances of success.

3. Improved user satisfaction By gathering feedback and refining innovations based on consumer feedback, companies can tailor products or services to better meet user needs and preferences. This iterative process not only enhances the chances of adoption but also boosts customer satisfaction, driving long-term success in the market.

These advantages underscore the importance of systematic pack testing in streamlining innovation processes and achieving strategic goals with confidence.

Now let’s break down the steps it takes to successfully conduct a pack test. 

Step 1: Ideation

Goal: Your first step is to generate a series of ideas depending on what it is you’d like to test about your pack. This can be packaging color, design, font, etc. 

How to ideate a pack test: 

• This could be done through brainstorming sessions, idea competitions, customer feedback or market research.

Step 2: Concept testing

Goal: Make sure the innovation concept meets market needs and is technically feasible. How to perform a concept test:

• Define clear criteria and benchmarks for evaluation.

• Gather insights through market research, surveys and expert input. 

💭 Zappi note: Insights gathered from concept testing guide the development of a prototype and addresses market needs and technical requirements.

Step 2: Iterative development

Goal: Refine the concepts based on feedback and initial testing. How to iterate your pack test:

• Implement changes and enhancements identified during prototype and consumer testing.

• Go through several cycles of testing and refinement to address issues and feedback.

💭 Zappi note: This iterative process ensures the innovation evolves to meet user expectations and operational needs.

“Now you've got prior knowledge, early feedback on a specific idea and the consumer target in mind. Once we had that, it allowed us to take what would largely be seen as traditional concept testing and say it's not about gating or un-gating anymore. We know the idea is good. Let's make that all about prioritization, which was really effective to say the stress is out of it now because now I don't have to worry about what score did I get, did I meet the hurdle, do I get to advance? It was like, no, we can make this thing really effective. The more we learn, the better it will be.”

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

Step 3: Prototype development and testing

Goal: Evaluate how well the innovation prototype performs and how easy it is to use. How to prototype and test your idea:

• If applicable, build a prototype that represents the core features of your innovation.

• Test the prototype or the idea rigorously in controlled environments or with a select group of users.

• Use methods like consumer feedback, usability testing and performance checks to find strengths and weaknesses. 

💭 Zappi note: Feedback and data collected here guide further iterative improvements to enhance performance and user experience.

Step 4: Performance evaluation

Goal: Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. 

How to evaluate performance of a pack test:

• Evaluate KPIs like adoption rates, efficiency gains and user satisfaction.

• Compare results against earlier benchmarks to gauge progress. 

💭 Zappi note: Use insights to make decisions on scaling up, adjusting strategies or refining the innovation further.

Step 5: Decision making

Goal: Decide whether to proceed with full-scale product development. 

How to apply your research:

• Review findings and recommendations from all testing stages.

• Determine the best course of action based on market feedback and performance data.

💭 Zappi note: These decisions shape the innovation’s future, ensuring resources are used wisely to maximize market success.

Following these steps methodically helps organizations effectively test innovations, minimize risks and ensure they meet user expectations before launching to a wider audience.

We just covered the steps to set up, launch and act on your pack test, but it’s also worth sharing some additional tips to keep in mind. That said, here’s five practical tips to keep top-of-mind:

1. Set clear objectives: Make sure you define specific goals and success criteria for each testing phase to stay focused on what you want to achieve and what resonates with your consumer.

2. Engage stakeholders early: Get diverse perspectives from stakeholders right from the start. Their input ensures everyone is on board throughout the research and testing process.

3. Focus on iteration: Continuously gather feedback from consumers, users and stakeholders to refine your innovation. This iterative process ensures it evolves effectively to meet real-world needs.

4. Simulate realistic conditions: Design surveys or tests that closely mimic actual product packaging or usage scenarios. 

5. Monitor key metrics: Establish and track relevant KPIs to gauge performance and measure success. These metrics guide decisions on further development and deployment strategies.

Following these tips enhances the effectiveness of your innovation pack testing, preparing your innovation for success in the market.

If you’re looking for a tool to help you create eye-catching packaging for your next innovation that resonates with your consumers, Zappi’s Pack Test is an ideal solution. 

By allowing you to serve your ideas and designs directly with your consumer, Zappi provides rich consumer feedback and clear guidance on what to improve and why. This includes: 

• A 360 assessment of your packaging with comprehensive diagnostics

• Feedback on purchase likelihood, emotional response, brand recall and distinctiveness 

• Likes and dislikes and other open-ended consumer feedback

• Improvement ideas, heat mapping, and much more 

“Strategically, our teams are hungry for focus and if there is an idea that isn’t worth moving forward – they just want to know that sooner to avoid timelining, and making commintents with supply change. For us, it’s very appealing to know that we are focusing on the right ideas earlier in the process.”

- Amanda Harvey, Manager Front-End Innovation Innovation Consumer Insights McDonald’s

And Zappi is the only agile market research platform that creates a learning loop, making you smarter the more you use it. So the more you research your ideas, the easier it gets to nail those winning packaging designs.  

"Our marketing teams felt that our legacy tools required us to test too late in the innovation process when ideas had already been pared down. They thought we might be leaving great ideas on the cutting room floor.  With Zappi, we can test early and often to gain deeper context about what ideas have real breakthrough potential."

- Ryan Dirkmaat, Director of Consumer Insights, Transform Brands & Insights Capabilities, PepsiCo Foods NA

If you’d like to learn more about how Zappi can help you make shoppers pick your product off the shelf in a split second, reach out to us.