A Hybrid Two Phase Concept Optimisation & Evaluation For New Skincare
“We regularly use MAC Research for testing concepts. This new hybrid two-stage approach enabled us to quickly gather qualitative feedback in a fraction of the time and rework our concepts before proceeding to quant testing. The whole project, both phases, only took a few a weeks.”
Market Research Project Manager
1
The client
A global client specializing in dermatological skincare products.
2
Objectives
A new range of skincare product needed to be optimised and validated. Time and budget were short and key decisions about feasibility needed to be made.
3
The research solution
We implemented a new two-phase approach based on a hybrid qual-quant methodology for Phase 1.
Phase 1 - Deep consumer insight was gained through open-ended questions. We collected about two thousand comments around perceptions and areas of improvement. AI was used to process the verbatims, uncovering the strengths and weaknesses of each concept, as well as opportunities for improvement.
Phase 2 - Optimised concepts were tested quantitively against a benchmark in a quantitative concept test.
4
Outcome
Through this hybrid research, we were able to identify language which resonated the most with consumers, helping to adapt the communication in the different propositions. We also found that specific barriers to use this type of product existed which ultimately enabled the team to address consumer concerns directly.
The first stage helped identify gaps in communication for this these products and allowed the team to enhance their concepts to create more differentiated and consumer-friendly communications. The second phase gave assurance to move forward with one proposition, as all measures indicated a good level of competitiveness.
