The Importance Of Sensory Testing In Product Development

By Author: Adam Nicolson
Total Articles: 475
Comment this article

We have all heard the saying 'you eat with your eyes'. Most people know that, although odd, to some extent it is true. The way a food looks is just as important to us as the way it tastes.

This is a good example of the role our senses play in the choices we make in our day-to-day life. Every moment of our lives, we use our senses to decide where to go, what to wear eat and use.

A firm that can tap into their consumers' sub-conscious decision-making process will definitely sell more and be able to make more profit. Without a doubt, sensory testing is an important part of product development.

The Process of Assessing the Importance of Senses for Your Product

In certain situations all five senses are involved in the decision making process. However, in most situations only one or two senses come into play. If you are developing a new product to bring to market or simply want to sell more of an existing product, it is important to understand which senses your customers are using during their purchasing decision.

You also need to understand how they are using those senses and what drives them to ...
... buy from you or to turn to another product. Only when you understand this can you begin to adapt your product to appeal to more people.

Arranging Sensory Testing for Your Product

This process is not easy, and very few firms have the necessary experience to assess accurately what is important to their customers. The only way to know for sure is to carry out a series of tests. This takes a lot of time and sometimes requires specialist equipment. In addition, the accurate interpretation of results requires a lot of experience.

By far the best approach is to use a specialist to carry out sensory assessment and testing for your product. There are firms out there who have been working in the field for decades. They have the necessary expertise to get sensory testing right and achieve dependable results you can use to adapt your product and make more sales.

For professional sensory testing, contact WSS. They can help any size or type of firm to understand their customers better and develop their products.