Customer-Led Strategy New concepts
Which of these ideas deserves the investment?
Customer-led concept selection decides which idea to fund by putting your concepts in front of the people who would have to buy them, in the context where they would buy. MindMarket looks for the reason behind each reaction rather than for a preference score, because a concept that wins a vote but loses the reason behind it will fail in market. What you get is a recommendation on what to build, what to change before you build it, and what to stop.
THE SITUATION
Is this your situation?
- You have more concepts than budget, and the debate about which to back has started to feel political rather than commercial.
- Your internal favourite keeps winning internal votes, and nobody outside the building has ever seen it.
- A concept tested well and then launched badly, and you want to understand what the test missed before it happens again.
HOW WE WORK
How does MindMarket approach new concepts?
- We agree what a winning concept would have to prove. Before anyone sees a stimulus, we agree with your team what "winning" means for this decision: which reaction would justify the investment, and which would not. It sounds obvious, and it is the step most concept tests skip.
- We put the concepts in front of the people who would buy them. We show your concepts to real customers in conditions as close as possible to a real purchase, and we explore the reasoning behind their reactions rather than simply scoring them. The reasons are what travel into market; the scores rarely do.
- We recommend what to fund, what to change and what to stop. You get a funding recommendation, the specific changes each surviving concept needs before launch, and an honest note on the concepts that should be set aside, with reasoning you can take back to the people who proposed them.
THE DELIVERABLE
What do you get?
- A clear recommendation on which concept to fund, and why, in a form your leadership team can act on.
- The specific element in each concept that carried it or killed it, so the next round of ideas starts from what customers responded to.
- What to change before launch rather than after, which is where most of the money is saved.
- For the concepts to stop, the reasoning written out, so the conversation with their champions is about evidence rather than opinion.
- All of it as a Decision Case: one short written recommendation on the decision above, with the evidence under each claim, in a form your board can act on.
METHODS
Which research methods do you use for new concepts?
Usually focus groups and central location testing, with taste testing when the concept is something people eat or drink.
QUESTIONS
Strategy questions, answered straight
How do you test new product concepts with customers?
We test concepts by putting them in front of the people who would have to buy them, in the context where they would buy, and by looking for the reason behind each reaction rather than for a preference score. Focus groups, central location tests and taste tests, depending on the product, show which element in each concept carries it or kills it. Three to five concepts in one session is the limit before people stop reasoning and start ranking.
How long does concept testing take?
Concept testing runs as First Listen in two to three weeks when the concepts are ready and the market is one. Testing across several markets, or concepts that need a physical prototype or a tasting, runs as Deep Listen, eight to twelve weeks, with a decision workshop on which concept to fund.
How many concepts can you test at once?
Usually three to five in one session. Beyond that, people stop reasoning and start ranking, which is exactly when the results become misleading.
Do you do quantitative concept screening?
No. We are a qualitative agency, and we will tell you when a quantitative screen is the right next step rather than pretending otherwise.
What does concept testing cost?
Concept testing is priced per market on our pricing page; taste and product tests are quoted on brief, because the samples and the venue change the cost. Most concept decisions run as First Listen. The strategy work is quoted after the framing conversation, and your itemised quote arrives within 48 hours.
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