In an increasingly competitive, rapidly changing world, businesses need to get product launches right. They can’t rely on just a gut feeling when launching products. Enter concept testing in new product development, an effective process that helps brands test ideas and concepts before rolling out at scale. Not only does it mitigate risk, but it also helps you make sure you’re building something your audience wants.
With mounting consumer expectations and ever-shortening
product development cycles, it’s not just helpful — but critical to get input
on your concept as early as possible. At Borderless Access, we support brands
to make the most out of their innovation conversation through concept testing
research to reveal actionable insights for smarter, customer-driven
innovations.
Everything You Need to Know About Concept Testing in NPD
Why You Need Concept Testing
In particular, concept testing in the context of new product
development makes sure that your idea connects with actual consumer needs,
wants, and expectations. It provides time to refine your offering, make
adjustments, or even start again — all before you spend big money and
resources.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
Unfortunate as it sounds, most product launches fail not because of poor execution, but because the ideas bear no similarity to consumer expectations. Concept testing also helps provide clarity and direction by addressing fundamental questions:
- Does
this product concept sell to the target?
- Is
its features and benefits obvious and attractive?
- What
role does it fulfill for users, serving emotional or functional needs?
- How
does it stack up vs competitor offerings?
If businesses answer these, they can minimize risk and
maximize chances of success.
Part 1: Borderless Access’ Approach to Product Concept
Testing
At Borderless Access, we provide a full set of product
concept testing capabilities to help you ideate, innovate, and implement. A
real, real-world lens on our research efforts to validate interest and
potential of new ideas.
Here’s what sets us apart:
- Eye-Tracking: Learn
what captivates your audience’s eye.
- Max-Diff
Analysis: Determine the top and bottom responses from a selection of
choices.
- Explore consumer
trade-offs and prioritize feature combinations which drive preference –
Conjoint (CBC) Analysis
These enable brands to get both qualitative and quantitative
insights that can lead to better decision-making.
The Advantage of Testing Concepts at an Early Stage
Key Benefits of Concept Testing in New Product
Development that You Need to Know:
- Save
Time and Money: Diagnose weak concepts before spending the money to
produce and market them.
- Minimise
Market Risk: Ensure product fit to prevent failed launches.
- Customer-Centric
Innovation: Make products consumers actually want and need.
- Data-Driven
Decisions: Substitute guesstimates with scientific evidence and predictive
analytics.
When done correctly, concept testing changes the way
businesses innovate — through insight instead of assumption and opportunity
instead of risk.
Real-World Applications
Apart from FMCG, healthcare, technology, and financial
services, client organisations in other sectors also leverage concept testing
research with us to come up with better products. Whether testing packaging
design or knowing the audience preferences for mobile app features, we can
customize our platforms for your industry and audience.
For instance, a top consumer brand employed our Max-Diff
method to gain insights into which product claims had the most resonance with
millennials. As a result, they optimized their messaging and increased purchase
intent up to 40%.
Final Thoughts
Creating what you think the market wants is no longer
innovation. It’s about listening, validating and adapting — in advance of your
launch. That’s what is really valuable about concept testing in NPD. It can
make or break a product in tandem with the appropriate methodologies and
audience targeting.
We are Borderless Access and we equip brands with
future-ready tools and actionable insights that help them lead. Just be sure to
test your next big idea.




