PRODUCT TESTING IN THE SPHERE OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 29 Quantification of acceptability ratings In some instances, once reasonably satisfactory acceptability ratings have been achieved, it may be necessary in order to acquire greater confidence to carry out a quantification survey. Phase II - Product and theme testing Once a new product concept had emerged successfully from Phase I, feasibility studies should be made to ensure there are no technical impedi- ments in the way of the physical development of the product in the labora- tory. When these have been satisfactorily completed and products have been developed, consumer research can be mounted so far as the product itself is concerned, with regard to the advertising theme and its treatment, and on the proposed brand name and its packaging. Phase III - Test launch Having successfully survived Phases I and II the product is ready for the crucial test - to show its paces on the market. Often it xvill be launched first in an area or even in a test town, its distribution being extended to eventual national coverage, depending on its success in the smaller areas. Consumer surveys would normally be carried out immediately before the launch and at intervals thereafter to obtain information such as the public's awareness of the brand's existence and the advertising, to discover what proportion used the product, whether or not they continued to buy it and their reasons for so doing together with usage details and their attitudes towards it. So much for the broad outline of the consumer research aspects of the development of new products. Let us now examine in a little more detail the problems it is often necessary to face in regard to the product tests envisaged in Phase II. PRODUCT TESTING NEW PRODUCTS It is usual with new products to carry out single placement blind tests in which respondents are asked to give their opinions of the product, information about usage and ratings on whatever dimensions are con- sidered important (often after preliminary surveys). It is of utmost im-

30 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS portance to select an appropriate sample of consumers and this can only be done, in the light of up-to-date and adequate data about the potential market for the new product. In the case of complete innovations no market data will, by definition, exist. In such cases it may be necessary to place the product with a sample representative of the whole population and to discover from the results to which sections of the population the product has greatest appeal. A point to be guarded against in interpreting the findings of research of this kind is the effect of novelty, which may well cause respondents to rate the product on first acquaintance rather higher than they would after prolonged use. The possible need for extended usage tests should therefore be borne in mind. At the present time, even with the use of controls, one is often at a loss to interpret results of this kind with any degree of precision. Even where novelty is not a factor, ratings on single placements are often optimistic, reflecting respondents' desire to ascribe to the test product, with which they have been provided free of charge, as good a rating as they can decently muster. The degree of 'exaggeration' in ratings obtained in this way appears to vary from product field to product field. More work needs to be done in order to throw further light on this phenomenon. Before arriving at the final product, a series of tests covering such variables as the form of the product (should it be in the form of a liquid, a powder or a creamS) and the type of packaging (assuming a powder is preferred, should it be an aerosol, puffer pack, loose powder etc.?) may be necessary. Tests involving factorial designs may also be called for to assist in choice of colour, perfume, type or strength, viscosity etc. from a number of possible variants. CONCLUSIONS Product development is a very large subject and I have only been able to touch on a few aspects of it in so far as it impinges on consumer re- search. I hope, however, that I have indicated the paramount importance of using some forIn of consumer research to check progress at each stage to ensure that sufficient is known at the outset about the market in which the test product fails and to use the greatest care in defining the objectives of the research and the universe from which the sample of informants for each test should be drawn. Even after the development and launch of a successful product, con-