Consumer Research

Industry-lead solutions, resources and expertise to better manage your consumer testing needs.

Consumers are vital to any food business

Today’s consumers are overwhelmed with choice and are increasingly critical about taste, ingredients, sustainability, health and of course price. Finding the optimal balance requires solid innovative consumer research. By combining detailed sensory analyses with consumer acceptance testing, CASS is able to tell you which flavour compounds and ingredients are steering consumer acceptance. CASS owns a large database of consumers from a wide variety of segments, giving you access to the consumer segments which matter to your specific product. Our advanced virtual reality lab, allows companies to test their product in different environments in an efficient manner. Our capability in sensory marketing, provides your company insights in how the engagement of the different senses can make your product memorable and wanted, resulting in a high purchase and repeat purchase.

We provide easy to understand reports, with a solid data analysis, giving your company insights in your consumers and a roadmap to success.

Capabilities

Utilise CASS expertise, resources and facilities to rapidly recruit the right consumers to fit your test criteria. We use a combination of the following novel and traditional methodology.

Using sensory methodology and consumers of your product, gather insights into:

Why consumers like your (or competitors) product
Which attributes drive consumer liking
The extent of purchase intent
Determine where your product sits in its product category
How your product(s) rank to your competitors.

Qualitative techniques such as focus group and structured in depth interviews, will provide an in-depth knowledge about what consumers think of your product, what motives them to buy and repeatedly buy your product. It also gives insights in what stops consumers from using and buying your product.

Context plays an important role in liking, food choice and consumption. Do you want to test liking, emotional response and taste perception of beverages under different conditions? Immerse consumers in different environments with relative ease and a high degree of control with our state-of-the-art immersive technology and ‘Future Consumer’ lab.

By asking consumers to choose between products with varying features e.g. a low-fat and locally sourced product versus high fat and imported, you can determine what trade-offs consumers make when choosing between products, and which features are driving liking.

Understand how consumers use a product in real life. Assess familiarity and repeat exposure.

The way we perceive and enjoy food is not only determined by the food, but also by how we present the food. Packaging and labels have a large influence on how our senses are engaged, and influence choice and enjoyment of food. At the CASS food research centre we have a wide expertise in investigating how your packaging and labels can influence the way your consumers perceive, choose, and enjoy your product.

In addition, we can show how a smart combination of product, labels and packaging can engage the senses and lead to product success

Combines the precise identification of sensory and chemical profiles (as conducted with a trained sensory panel or chemical analyses), with the hedonic direction provided by consumers. This technique will assist product development in understanding which sensory profiles and chemical compositions drive consumer liking or rejection.

This technique will provide insight in how consumers’ judgement of specific attributes impact the overall liking of your product. For example: is the sweetness of your product perceived as too low, just about right, or too high? How many consumers perceive it as too high and how does this impact their overall liking of your product?

One of our largest assets is the CASS Consumer Database, which lists around 2,500 ethnically, gender and age diverse pre-existing members. Our panellists are always eager to assist in our latest research projects.

By taking advantage of our large consumer database, we are able to rapidly recruit consumers of your product.

Publication highlights

Sustainability descriptive labels on farmed salmon: Do young educated consumers like it more?

D Liem, G Turchini, U Wanich, R Keast
(2018), Vol. 10, pp. 1-11, Sustainability, Basel, Switzerland, C1

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Preference mapping of different water-to-rice ratios in cooked aromatic white jasmine rice

C Maleki, P Oliver, S Lewin, G Liem, R Keast
(2020), Vol. 85, pp. 1576-1585, Journal of food science, Chichester, Eng., C1

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Unravelling the relationship between aroma compounds and consumer acceptance: Coffee as an example

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Volume19, Issue 5, September 2020, Pages 2380-2420

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Addition of a visual cue to rice increases perceived flavour intensity but not liking

Food Research International, Volume 139, January 2021, 109922

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Consumer acceptability and antioxidant potential of probiotic-yogurt with spices

V Illupapalayam, S Smith, S Gamlath
(2014), Vol. 55, pp. 255-262, LWT – Food Science and Technology, C1

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Want to determine a product reformulation or potential market success?

Why not access our large and diverse consumer database.

We are always happy to discuss evolving needs and adapt or design methodology as required.

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