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The concept test or proof of concept (PoC) is one of the most common market research studies and an essential tool to ensure that an innovation succeeds. In this article, we explore what a concept test involves and how you can create one in a simple and effective way.
There are numerous market research methods that identify unmet needs and opportunities, which can serve as the starting point for designing new products or services. These include exploratory phase studies, usage and attitude studies or brand positioning studies.
The best ideas will become part of an innovation project that will progressively adapt to market preferences, context, and target audience. To select the most promising ideas and obtain key information to help define the details of the product or service, it is essential to conduct a concept test in the early stages.
What is a concept test?
A concept test is a market research study designed to evaluate the level of acceptance of an idea among the target audience. Essentially, it involves presenting a concept to potential customers and asking them a series of questions to gauge their impressions. The goal is to determine if the idea has a place in the market, if they would buy it, and what improvements can be made to ensure greater success.
In a concept test, you can address various aspects of the product or service, such as name, price, design, format, etc. This allows you to adjust features to better fit consumer preferences and identify both elements that are well received and those that generate rejection.
The insights gained from a concept test are invaluable for ensuring a successful launch. They help reduce the risk of investing in ideas that lack potential or, worse, launching products that might fail and damage the brand’s reputation.
Benefits of a concept test
Conducting a concept test provides you with a key advantage: it offers crucial information to make more informed decisions and increase the chances of a successful launch. Here are some of the main benefits summarized:
- Evaluate Multiple Ideas: It is your first contact with the public and allows you to gather feedback on the proposed idea and its main features.
- Optimize the Product or Service: In addition to checking if the concept details resonate with the audience, you can collect ideas to enhance acceptance.
- Identify Key Segments: It helps you identify the most receptive audience, making it easier to capture their attention and improve results.
- Estimate Sales: It allows you to understand how the product would be received and set more precise and realistic sales targets.
- Plan Communication: Feedback on the strengths of the concept helps you define an effective communication strategy.
- Eliminate Low-Potential Ideas: Identifying concepts that lack potential from the start saves time and protects the brand’s reputation.
- Reduce Economic Risks: Developing and launching a product is costly. Investing in a concept test is a fraction of the cost compared to a commercial failure.
Concept testing as part of innovation research
The concept test is conducted in the early stages of developing a new product or service, between idea generation and the phases where all project details are defined. To ensure that all decisions are made in the right direction, it is not only advisable to conduct a concept test but also to carry out other studies throughout the development process.
At Zinklar, we facilitate the quick and agile execution of complementary studies such as:
- Naming test: Evaluates whether the product name accurately reflects the brand’s personality and connects with consumers.
- Logo Test: Ensures that the logo conveys the right values, using tools like heat maps to measure visual impact.
- Product Test: Compares different versions of the final product to choose the one that best fits consumer preferences.
- Packaging test: Assesses various packaging alternatives to select the most attractive option.
- Price test: Analyzes different pricing options and promotions to measure their impact on purchase intention.
- Advertising test: Evaluates the effectiveness of advertising campaigns to ensure they properly communicate the benefits of the product or service.
When to carry out a concept test?
The ideal time to conduct a concept test is in the early stages of the project, when several ideas have already been identified but prototypes have not yet been developed. This allows you to save time and resources by focusing your efforts on concepts that truly interest your target audience.
It is not necessary to have all the features of the product or service fully defined. What matters is that the concept is sufficiently developed for the audience to understand and evaluate it properly.
Concept testing methods
There are several ways to conduct a concept test. The choice of methodology depends on the objectives of the study:
- Monadic Test: A single concept is presented to participants for evaluation in isolation, without comparisons to others. This approach allows for a purer and more objective assessment of the concept, as it is not influenced by other products or ideas.
- Comparative Test: Ideal when you have multiple concepts and want to quickly determine which has the greatest potential. In this case, participants compare the presented concepts against each other. This method is useful for filtering the most promising ideas, though it can bias results by making direct comparisons.
Find out more about the different methodologies for concept testing in our article on monadic, comparative and sequential monadic tests.
How to do a concept test with a concept testing platform
To conduct a concept test effectively, follow these steps:
Define Your Target Audience: It’s crucial to define the characteristics of your sample based on the type of product or service you are evaluating. For example, at Zinklar, you can select your sample based on demographic criteria, include filter questions for segmentation, or access directly to over 2,000 predefined profiles to ensure you are evaluating the concept with the right people.
Choose the Right Methodology: Depending on your objectives, you should choose between a monadic, comparative, or sequential test. If you have doubts, our team of research experts is available to guide you based on your needs.
Create the Questionnaire: At Zinklar, you can use templates predefined by our experts to conduct a concept test or create your own questionnaire from scratch. Our platform supports all types of questions, from simple dichotomous questions to heat maps for evaluating visual descriptions.
Now that you understand the details of a concept test, explore the possibilities and create your own study with Zinklar’s concept test template.
