“Anyone who launches new products will immediately appreciate the power of this resource to influence design direction, target appropriate price points, and select materials with high consumer appeal. What I love most is that it facilitates open and powerful discussions across the marketing, design and business teams. It minimizes reliance on “the gut feel” of just one individual in an organization and helps create a unified vision for success.”
What do consumers think about a product category? What do they know about it? What bugs them about the products available? How would they describe the products available? Are they adequate to the tasks they perform? How often do consumers use them? Which ones and how many do they own? Do they have different products for different uses? What products are they aware of? Do they understand the different types of products and applications in the market? AA&U’s are a great market introduction or overview. They explain the market from the consumer’s vantage point. Studies like these provide the fundamentals of the market which ALL employees should have an understanding of. They can also be a great source of inspiration for a new product brainstorming session.
Often such studies compare the importance of product attributes with how various brands/products are perceived to deliver on those same attributes, thus delivering a “gap” analysis that portrays differing sized gaps between the ideal and the perceived. Brands can use such gap information to develop products that fill the gaps and thus enhance their share in the category.
Typical Project Timing: 3 weeks