MICHELLE M. NIEDZIELA

HCD Research, 260 Us 202/31 North,

Liberty Court Suite 1000, Flemington, NJ-08822, USA

Abstract

The use of neuroscience and psychological research methodologies has become a hot topic in consumer research. With a high failure rate of new market introductions, despite initial successful testing with traditional sensory and consumer tests, product developers are seeking new approaches to aid in product design. Sensory marketing is a relatively new field but involves creating and influencing the product experience through the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). The perceptive-hedonic experience of products routinely measured with liking scores can be investigated deeper by collecting the emotional responses that color and even influence the experience via the senses. Understanding the impact of taste, smell, sight, sound and feel on overall product perception can help in product development, innovation, design and optimization. Further, it is imperative to marry the brand perception, packaging experience and product attributes (such as sensory attributes or aesthetics) to convey one cohesive message to create the optimal consumer experience. Through measuring the non-conscious consumer response to products, concepts and before/after results it is possible to make decisions for product development, marketing and in developing product claims. Using a sensory marketing approach and neuroscientific and psychological methodology, it is possible to better understand consumer needs (and product need-gaps) to build better products (a top-down as opposed to a bottom-up approach to research) and consumer technical models for innovation. If we start with understanding consumers using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research with applied consumer neuroscience, then we can build a real story into the drivers of behavior and liking of consumer products.

INTRODUCTION

Neuroscience and psychological research has become a hot topic in consumer research. The high failure rate of new market introductions, despite initial successful testing with traditional sensory and consumer tests as often seen in product development, begs the development of new approaches and methodologies for more accurate and insightful consumer understanding. One of the reasons of the success of adding neuro- and psychological methods is that the measurement of liking alone may fail to predict consumer behavior and product performance in the market (3, 11, 12). Hedonic and traditional market research methodologies require cognitive information processing and rational reasoning whereas consumer behavior may be more based on unarticulated/unconscious motives and associations. Neuro- and psychological science can help market researchers and product developers better understand these unconscious motivators and reactions. Through measuring the non-conscious consumer response to products, concepts and before/after results, it is possible to make decisions for product development, marketing and in claim development.

Adding neuro- and psychologic ...