Home Product Tester: Test Products at Home
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September 13, 2023In a world where companies are trying to understand their consumers at an intimate level to make better decisions, the ability to harness insights from consumers in their most authentic and natural setting is one of best ways to garner better insights. In-home product tests allow companies to have consumers try products and integrate them into their daily lives and provide a deeper level of feedback. To best tap into the power of in-home product testing and the insights it can provide, companies need to leverage in-home product testing panels.
Understanding the Essentials: What Is an In-Home Product Testing Panel?
To best unlock the power of in-home product testing, it is best to understand where the respondents for the studies are going to come from. Respondents can come from client lists, or they can be recruited through online sample panels or specialty in-home product testing panels.
What are Product Testing Panels?
Product testing panels are online sample panels that may focus on or have proven success in providing respondents for product testing studies. These panels carefully recruit people into them to best reflect the target audiences companies are looking for, encompassing diverse demographics, preferences, and behaviors. Panelists, also known as participants, are recruited from the panels to participate based on the targeting criteria and goals the company has for its study. Selected participants share their experiences, opinions, and insights through surveys, diaries, interviews, or other feedback methods as they engage with the product in their natural environments.
The goal of a product testing panel is to provide companies with authentic and unbiased consumer feedback about their products through their usage in real-life scenarios. This feedback helps companies understand how their products are perceived, used, and how they fit into consumers’ lives.
The Importance of In-Home Product Testing
Imagine getting to know what consumers truly love and desire while they’re in their natural habitat – their homes. That’s where the importance of in-home product tests comes into play. It gives companies a sneak peek into their consumers’ lives, patterns, and preferences. It’s like giving companies a backstage pass, while understanding what makes their product click with consumers before it hits the big stage of the market.
By letting participants use products where they feel most comfortable, these tests reveal all those little things that traditional methods often miss. Brands get a front-row seat to their product’s strengths and can fine-tune any rough edges before the grand unveiling.
The best part is the real-time insights that come from these tests. It’s like having a direct line to consumers’ thoughts and feelings as they experience a product. This helps brands dodge potential pitfalls and ensures that their offerings strike the right chords with consumers.
Benefits of Utilizing an In-Home Product Testing Panel
When considering conducting an in-home product test, there are a host of benefits that can be gained by using a panel that specializes in providing respondents for in-home tests. Here are some of the key benefits:
Engaged Respondents: Participants often view IHUTs as special opportunities to try new products, enhancing their overall engagement.
Diverse Targeting: Specific target audiences can be recruited from a panel that best meets your target consumer.
Option for Iterative Testing: Using an in-home product testing panel presents the opportunity for companies to conduct iterative product tests to the same audience, gaining feedback from the same group about changes that are made.
Better Recall Rates: Panelists who are part of panels that do a lot of in-home product testing have higher recall rates.
Reduced Risk: Using an in-home product testing panel can help reduce the risk of you needing to re-field portions of your study because of low response rates.
Types of In-Home Tests
There are various types of in-home usage tests, each tailored to gather a specific type of insight from participants as they use the product in their daily lives. Choosing the right type of in-home usage test depends on your research objectives, the nature of your product, and the insights you aim to gather.
Single-Product Testing: This type focuses on evaluating a single product. Participants use the product as they normally would and provide feedback based on their experiences. It’s ideal for understanding usability, functionality, and overall satisfaction.
Comparative Testing: Participants evaluate multiple products within the same category to identify preferences and determine which product performs better in their daily lives. This type helps companies understand what sets their product apart from their competitors.
Longitudinal Testing: Longitudinal tests (sometimes known as a tracker or wave study) involve participants using a product over an extended period, providing insights on its performance, durability, and any changes in perception over time. This type is useful for assessing long-term customer satisfaction.
Prototype Testing: If you’re in the early stages of product development, prototype testing involves seeking feedback on prototypes or pre-production versions of your product. This helps identify potential issues and refine the product before mass production.
Ad Hoc Testing: Ad hoc tests are flexible and can cover a wide range of product attributes, depending on your research goals. Participants may be asked to focus on specific features, benefits, or challenges they encounter while using the product.
Concept Testing: Concept testing involves presenting participants with product ideas, designs, or concepts. Their feedback helps you gauge initial reactions, refine concepts, and identify elements that resonate or need improvement.
Package and Label Testing: This type assesses packaging and labeling elements such as design, messaging, and visual appeal. Participants provide insights on how packaging influences their perception of the product.
User Experience (UX) Testing: UX testing focuses on the overall user experience including factors like ease of use, navigation, and intuitive interaction. It’s common for digital products and services.
Sensory Testing: Sensory tests involve evaluating products based on sensory aspects like taste, smell, texture, and appearance. This is particularly relevant for food, beverages, cosmetics, and other sensory-driven products.
Unboxing and First Impressions Testing: Participants provide feedback on their initial reactions when unboxing and using a product for the first time. This type helps you understand the emotional impact of the product presentation.
Products and Services Tested Using In-Home Testing
A diverse range of products and services can be studied using in-home testing, including:
Consumer Packaged Goods
Electronics and Technology
Home Appliances
Beauty and Skincare
Home Furnishings
Children’s Products
Health and Wellness
Automotive Accessories
Clothing and Apparel
Outdoor and Recreation
Household Essentials
Entertainment and Media
Selecting the Right Panel for Your In-Home Product Test
A critical step in any in-home product test is selecting the right panel or panels to work with to ensure the success of your study. You should choose panels that best provide you access to your target audience while providing you the ability to capture diverse perspectives that align with your product’s intended market.
All panels are different from one another. Many people may not believe this, but it is a fact. Every panel has differences, from how they recruit, how they incentivize their panelist, how they invite panelists to take surveys, to the mergers or acquisitions of panels, back-end operations, partnerships, etc. All of these differences lead to differences in the overall participant pool a panel has, along with their attitudes and behaviors.
When it comes time to select a panel to work with for your In-Home Product Test, be sure to understand the differences each panel has, what is their expertise or focus, and be sure to understand their process for recruiting, incentivizing, and recalling study participants. Additionally, be sure that this corresponds best to the goals of your study.
EMI – Your Premier In-Home Product Testing Research Partner
EMI is pretty unique in the online market research sample industry. As a leading sample consultancy, we understand the entire sample landscape, not just a single panel. Our goal is to create a strategic blend of sample panels based on your project, rather than make your project fit any specific panel. That means we are not biased toward a specific panel asset. Rather, we create strategic sample blends that best fit the goals of your In-Home Usage Tests from purchase intent and usability to satisfaction and challenges.
Over the last 20+ years, we have cultivated an unparalleled understanding of the online sample landscape. Our expertise has been nurtured not solely through collaborations with diverse panel partners across the industry but also through over a decade of dedicated research-on-research into the online sample landscape, comprehending panel distinctions and their evolution over time. EMI has established a global network of sample providers, granting you entry to a top-tier reservoir of respondents encompassing diverse demographics, socioeconomic statuses, geographic locations, behaviors, and psychographic attributes.
We leverage our high-quality network of panels to provide you with product testers for evaluating the in-home experience of a wide variety of products and services. Our team will create a custom strategic sample blend to recruit participants that best meet the goals of your in-home usage test, as well as handling all other facets of the project – ensuring you get the high-quality insights you and your clients need.
Our Panel Network
Our global network of sample partners gives you access to one of the highest quality pools of in-home usage test respondents available. Our network provides a diverse pool of respondents of varying characteristics including demographic, geographic, socioeconomic, behavioral and attitudinal, psychographic, and more.
We put each partner in our network through a rigorous certification process to better understand their recruiting methods, validation process, and other data quality measures they have in place. Our strict panel vetting process ensures we only allow the best sample providers into our network, and when coupled with our proprietary leading data quality measures, we maintain the highest level of data quality for our clients.
