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Consumer Product Testing and Hall Tests
What better way is there to find out how consumers react to your product than enabling them to give it a try for themselves? Hall tests, sometimes referred to as central location tests (CLTs), are designed specifically for this purpose. Tailored to suit project objectives, they involve hiring a venue in an accessible location and inviting a group of people to test products, services or even advertising concepts right there and then. They're an incredibly useful methodology adopted by DJS Research when we are looking to test reactions to stimuli in a controlled and neutral environment.
One of the key benefits of hall tests is the opportunity to present respondents with a broad selection of different stimuli, from consumable and household goods, including food and drink or cleaning products, to more durable consumer items like furniture or shoes. They can also be applied to help shape the direction of advertising campaigns and brand messaging by presenting concepts, storyboards or slogans within controlled groups to help validate or discount potential ideas. Participants respond live to the items or concepts they are presented with and sessions ensure sufficient time for both engagement and feedback. Hall tests are overseen by a supervisor and conducted by a team of interviewers. Testers are actively encouraged to explain their thoughts in detail, both positive and negative, to the interviewer who is leading the session.
As they are conducted in person and in real life, they enable interviewers to hone in on key product pain points or concept concerns raised by the group to probe deeper. As an example, if a session was testing a television advertisement, participants would be able to pause the video at the exact point at which they didn't understand or perhaps even disliked the advert. As an example, if they felt the tone was inappropriate, or it was overly sales-oriented, for instance, they could cite exactly where this came across – supported by the test interviewer.
Hall test participants are usually recruited from outside the venue; however, sometimes they can be recruited in advance if the audience criteria is very specific or considered more difficult to reach. On-site recruitment can be very cost-effective as it can generate high numbers of responses per day depending upon location, target audience and the length and complexity of the subject.
DJS Research has vast experience completing hall test market research for a wide-range of clients. We have used this methodology to test respondents' reaction to many different things, from new flavours of crisps to the taste and texture of cakes that contained specific enzymes to retain moistness. The second of these examples was conducted under very strict hygiene conditions, and the hall test location was streamed live to the client via webcam. One example of a large-scale and highly successful hall test campaign we ran for a client in the chemicals sector is outlined below.
Hall tests market research: case study
Our client is a manufacturer of multiple effects which can be added to yarn and other fibres to make fabrics wrinkle-free. In order to explore customer attitudes to this, DJS Research carried out hall tests in India, the UK and the USA. The research covered a large number of respondents (800 in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore alone) and respondents were shown swatches of both treated and untreated fabrics. We were responsible for the recruitment of participants in all three countries, and conducting the hall tests ourselves. Following the research, we were able to make actionable recommendations to the organisation we support about the course of action to be pursued in each country.
At the same time as running a traditional hall test, we are also able to undertake 'quali-hall tests' whereby our senior researchers conduct more qualitative interviews (i.e. in-depth interviews lasting around 30 minutes in length).
For more information on Consumer Product Testing and Hall Tests talk to DJS Research Ltd