ABSTRACT “Check-all-that-apply” (CATA) lists are a popular tool in product tests1,2,3. In a typical test, consumers respond to a series of statements and mark those statements that apply to the product of interest. An advantage of CATA testing is that it provides an opportunity to obtain information from consumers that would be difficult in...
ABSTRACT It is virtually a fundamental law of nature that people have idiosyncratic likes and dislikes. They may cluster into groups or segments of similar-minded individuals, but it is often difficult to determine what causes segments to exist. In a typical consumer product test, respondents are usually screened and profiled according to a full...
ABSTRACT Michelangelo reportedly carved his many masterpieces by removing all that was irrelevant to his final goal. While this approach clearly benefited the artist, it can also serve the brand and product developer in search of best combinations of items. Whether these items are juices in a mixed-juice drink box, flavor combinations for savory...
ABSTRACT Expectations, or norms, are of crucial importance in science as they allow researchers to interpret results within a larger theoretical framework. For example, in 1866 Gregor Mendel published his now famous Mendelian ratio, which provided expected results that were instrumental in the early development of genetics. The importance of norms is just as...
ABSTRACT Sensory quality assurance is a critical activity in the management of consumer product companies. Cost-savings initiatives, ingredient changes, and modifications to comply with new regulations or dietary changes lead to a need for product sensory measurement. Discrimination testing involves the use of a specific class of sensory evaluation methods. Such procedures are often...
ABSTRACT Data obtained from many forced choice procedures such as the 2- and 3-alternative forced choice (2-AFC and 3-AFC), the duo-trio and the triangular methods, are often tested using the binomial distribution. In some applications of either difference or preference testing it is desirable to include a no difference or no preference option. One...
ABSTRACT First choice, sometimes called discrete choice, involves the selection of an item from a number of mutually exclusive items. This means that when a consumer chooses an item, this choice necessarily implies that all other items are rejected. There are numerous models to account for first choice and often these models predict the...
ABSTRACT A project team selecting products for a category appraisal must contend with a number of competing objectives. One of these objectives is to obtain information on the performance of its own products and those of its competitors. This usually leads to extensive discussion and debate among the product development and market research members...
ABSTRACT A major objective for any company selling products or services is to uncover the characteristics that drive consumer acceptability. Every year, companies across the world spend a substantial portion of their research budgets for this purpose. Consumer products companies with this information have a significant competitive advantage since specific direction can be given...
ABSTRACT Among market research practitioners, there has recently been interest in scaling product or category characteristics (such as possible benefits) based on responses indicating the items with the greatest and least magnitude among a subset of possible items. The basis for this choice could be liking, purchase interest, importance or even a sensory characteristic...