Going Beyond Hedonics for Consumer Products with Neuroscience

FLEMINGTON, N.J., March 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hedonic and traditional market research methodologies require cognitive information processing and rational reasoning (System 2) whereas consumer behavior may be more based on unarticulated/unconscious motives and associations (System 1). Neuro and psychological science can help consumer researchers and product developers better understand consumers beyond hedonics testing by revealing these unconscious motivators and reactions that color and influence consumer decision making.

The inclusion of sensory product attributes to the marketing mix can provide marketers and product developers additional channels of communication with consumers beyond concepts and branding. When consumers experience a product, they do so 5-dimensionally via the five sensory systems: taste, touch, sound, sight, smell. Each of these senses becomes an opportunity for communication of a product's concept, branding and even higher-order benefits (such as stress relief, energy, etc.). Therefore it is of great importance to align product sensory attributes with brand and product concepts to ensure a positive and cohesive product experience. However, explicit consumer research tools may not be able to assess this cohesion on their own.

To respond to these paradigms, Q Research Solutions (Q) and HCD Research have co-developed a new tool for consumer product research, qBio™.  qBio™ guides product development to those product attributes (like fragrance) that will meet the product and brand promise (concepts). The new qBio™ research tool will combine applied consumer neuroscience and traditional hedonic methods for measuring product fit-to-concept and consumer delight.

Q is a full service sensory and consumer research company that focuses exclusively on product testing (fragrance, household, personal care, food, drinks, etc.). HCD Research® is a marketing and consumer sciences company that provides expert recommendations by employing traditional and applied consumer neuroscience to optimize product development from concepts to product testing (media, healthcare, consumer products, etc.).

SOURCE HCD Research