Product Testing & Benchmarking
Why Product Testing and Benchmarking is Business-Critical
In the world of FMCG, the margin between success and failure is often razor-thin. A small drop in quality, a competitor’s reformulation, or even a subtle change in consumer tastes can transform your position in the market; sometimes overnight.
That’s why product testing and benchmarking are not just useful; they’re essential. They give you the hard, objective evidence you need to make confident decisions about product quality, innovation, pricing, and positioning.
At Good Sense Research, our philosophy is simple:
“Real people. Real products. Real insight.”
We combine robust methodologies with over 40 years of benchmark data from our Foodfax database to help you:
Protect your existing market share.
Improve product performance over time.
Launch innovations with confidence.
Win retailer listings with hard evidence.
Reduce risk by removing the guesswork from decision-making.
What is Product Testing and Benchmarking?
Product testing is the process of evaluating a product’s performance with real consumers, either in their natural environment (at home, on the go, in-store, in restaurant) or in a controlled testing setting. Benchmarking is the comparison of that performance against meaningful standards; category averages, competitor products, challenger brands, or even your own historic results and reformulations.
When combined, these two disciplines provide:
Absolute performance measures — how your product scores on sensory, functional, and emotional attributes.
Relative performance context — how that score stacks up against relevant comparators in the same category or channel.
Actionable intelligence — specific, evidence-backed recommendations on what to improve, maintain, or amplify.
The Business Benefits of Product Testing
1. Sustaining Your Position in Market
Even the best products need ongoing monitoring to stay ahead. Consumer expectations evolve, and competitor quality can creep up over time. Regular testing ensures you spot issues before they impact sales or brand equity.
We help you:
Monitor quality consistency across different production runs, batches, or factories.
Check the impact of supplier changes, ensuring that ingredient substitutions or new manufacturing sites don’t dilute consumer experience.
Benchmark against competitors so you know when your edge is under threat.
Test branded vs unbranded to separate the role of brand equity from the intrinsic product quality.
Example:
A long-established bakery brand used our quarterly benchmarking to discover a slow decline in texture scores compared to new artisan competitors. The fix — a minor recipe adjustment; restored their edge and protected their price premium.
2. Improving and Growing Your Offer
Product testing is a powerful improvement tool. Even products performing well can be refined to increase relevance, market share, and brand loyalty.
We uncover:
Consumer pain points — small frustrations that may not be visible in sales data, but can erode repeat purchase over time.
Drivers of choice — the attributes consumers actually value most in your product.
Opportunities for premiumisation — tweaks that can justify a higher price point without alienating your base.
Cost engineering opportunities — ways to protect perceived quality while optimising production costs.
Example:
A premium ice cream brand used our testing to trial a lighter recipe that also reduced production costs. Sensory scores remained high, and the reformulated product achieved the same repeat purchase rate as the original.
3. Dominating in Innovation
Innovation is a high-stakes game. New products can bring big rewards; but only if they resonate with consumers from day one. Testing allows you to launch with confidence, backed by real-world insight.
We work with you to:
Test new product concepts against category leaders to ensure competitive appeal.
Assess prototypes for sensory, functional, and packaging performance.
Evaluate HFSS-compliant reformulations so healthier versions retain consumer love.
Measure price sensitivity before launch, preventing missteps that could harm uptake.
Example:
A ready-meal brand tested two HFSS-compliant lasagne recipes against their original and the market leader. One scored within 1% of the original’s taste rating; giving them the confidence to move forward without risking loyalty.
When Should You Test?
Our clients test at multiple points in the product lifecycle:
Pre-launch — Concept testing, prototype trials, competitor benchmarking.
Mid-life — Quality tracking, seasonal recipe changes, packaging refreshes.
Before major changes — Supplier switches, factory relocations, recipe alterations.
For marketing proof — Validating “Best in Category” or “Preferred over Competitor” claims.
Post-launch — Tracking consumer satisfaction, identifying early signs of decline.
Testing Approaches that Fit Your Product and Goals
In-Home Usage Tests (IHUTs)
Nothing beats seeing how consumers interact with your product in their own environment. IHUTs deliver:
Authentic context — revealing real preparation, storage, and usage patterns.
Packaging performance insight — usability, portion control, storage convenience.
Competitor context — how your product competes in the same cupboard or fridge.
Location-Based Testing
For food-to-go or retail-driven products, we recreate the shopping or consumption environment:
Shelf standout and navigation — can shoppers find and choose you?
Real-world convenience testing — grab-and-go, on-the-move eating.
Out-of-home usage scenarios — pubs, festivals, travel catering.
Central Location Tests (CLTs)
Ideal for direct, controlled product comparisons:
Side-by-side benchmarking against competitors.
Controlled environment for sensory testing.
Fast turnaround for multi-sample evaluations.
What We Measure; and Why It Matters
Sensory
Appearance, aroma, taste, texture, aftertaste; core to repeat purchase.
Functional
Preparation ease, packaging usability, shelf life, portability; critical to convenience.
Competitive Benchmarking with the Foodfax Advantage
We’re not just testing your product in isolation. We draw on:
40+ years of Foodfax consumer product testing data; unmatched category norms.
Regular category max/min tracking to show what “best” really looks like.
Benchmarks against both established leaders and disruptive challenger brands.
Retailer Sell-In: Turning Insight into Listings
Retailers expect data. We provide:
Comparative performance proof vs market norms.
Consumer preference evidence to justify range additions.
Quality assurance for ongoing supply agreements.
Private Label vs Branded
Side-by-side testing helps answer:
Is the brand name adding value?
Where do private label and branded products win or lose?
Is your product over- or under-specified for its role?
Emotional/brand
Perceived quality, value for money, brand fit, purchase intent; key to positioning.
Testing Price Impact
Understanding price elasticity is key to margin management:
Identify price thresholds that cause drop-offs.
Model uptake scenarios for promotional pricing.
HFSS & Reformulation Testing
We help brands navigate regulation without losing consumers:
Compare reformulated versions to originals.
Identify attributes most at risk in reformulation.
Claim Validation; Make It Real
Whether for pack, advertising, or retailer negotiation:
Verify “preferred vs competitor” claims.
Support quality, taste, and performance messages with data.
From Numbers to Next Steps
Our reports combine quantitative rigour with qualitative insight, giving you:
Clear absolute and relative performance scores.
Consumer reasoning behind the numbers.
Prioritised action plans to drive improvement and innovation.
Why Choose Good Sense Research
Decades of cross-category testing experience.
Exclusive access to Foodfax historical data.
Tailored methodologies for your objectives.
Action-oriented reporting designed to influence decisions.
Next Steps: Ready to test your product and see how it stacks up? Contact our team today to start your benchmarking journey.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Talk to our team today about your research needs, we’d love to help.