Consultative product testing: What to do when your concept is a bust
Success Stories | Consultative product testing: What to do when your concept is a bust

Consultative product testing: What to do when your concept is a bust

Escalent was efficient and thorough. With their support, we were able to test our new product with the right targets and gain invaluable feedback that we incorporated into a redesign and launch. The project saved us from going down the wrong path, and we particularly appreciated how Escalent was with us every step of the way. A true partnership.

Business Issue

Testing a concept is always a daunting process, especially in a complex and ever-changing marketplace. A global printing group was building a platform for mass customization and needed to gather feedback and insights from the target user audience. The goal of the product test was to reduce their investment risk and to maximize their return on the platform. The printing group needed to test the platform with both merchants and manufacturers of printed products to gather feedback on usability and engagement.

What We Did

Escalent conducted exhaustive qualitative primary research across the US and Europe over twelve weeks. This included primary research to identify pain points, develop hypotheses, evaluate concepts, and gauge brand awareness. This was done through a series of interviews, focus groups, and workshop sessions. Frankly, the concept did not prove promising, but we knew we needed to dynamically build on the findings, turn insights into action, and find a path forward. So rather than send a standard PowerPoint, we engaged in a series of workshops at the client offices across the US, where we assessed findings in light of the client’s marketing and strategy inputs.

Result

The client dramatically reduced their risk and drastically changed the platform’s proposition and model, revisited its development and launch timeline, and shifted its focus to the merchant/seller side. Working together with our clients in workshop sessions proved essential to revising the value proposition, redesigning communication, and resetting the path forward.

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