VYPR brings you the latest thinking from pioneers in FMCG product innovation. This week, we review the latest research from think tank Newton Europe that finally puts a staggering £3bn opportunity cost on branded and own label product developers from ineffective development processes. According to Newton, the wasted cost is largely determined by an accumulation over time of 1000s of product changes – and failing, antiquated processes – that incrementally add production cost with little value added to either the business or customer.

Moreover, Newton found that research that sets out to prove a company’s own hypothesis right, rather than to truly understand the needs, motivations and behaviours of the end consumer is more likely to fall into the category of “innovation for innovation’s sake”, resulting in leading brands investing poorly in research and losing out to more agile, entrepreneurial players who innovate quickly and flexibly.

In order to ensure that new products deliver additional value to consumers, a more scientific and data-driven approach to the NPD funnel must be taken, with Newton citing 3 core areas:

Collaboration: “we consistently see decision making based on opinion. It’s due to a belief that the best and most innovation decisions are made on gut feel. This is fundamentally flawed.” In short, we need to get better at sharing information and insights across research, development and commercial teams.

Production: “It’s vital from the very start of the process there’s an understanding that what you agreed to in negotiations is deliverable and will meet a genuine customer need.” For instance, how confident can we be that a preference for provenance in a focus group will translate into sales and preservation of margin?

Iteration: “Businesses need to adopt a “fail fast” mindset whereby unworkable ideas are weeded out at an early stage… Let’s say you have 100 new product concepts, 50 of which are successfully realised in the development kitchen, with 20 going forward to a small scale trial and 10 to full production. Only one ever ends up on the supermarket shelf. Now imagine if, out of the same 100 products, 90 can be rejected before you even make it to the kitchen based on consumer insight and an analysis of the capabilities of your production process.

Adopting this kind of approach across hundreds of suppliers and thousands of products is too large and complex to achieve with existing practices. That’s where VYPR comes in, as Mark Fielding, CCO at VYPR, explains below.

Contact us now to find out more.

Get To Better Products Faster.

Ask anything of our panel of 1000s of consumers, available 24/7 via the VYPR App and website. Sit back and watch the results as they come in. VYPR makes rapid prototyping a reality, enabling suppliers and retailers to quickly validate unlimited hypotheses throughout the NPD process, from early stage product development to prelaunch refinement. Our geo-fencing technology enables consumers to answer questions live, during their shopping missions in store and at fixture. 

Over 90% Of Clients Generate ROI & Renew Their VYPR Licence Every Year. 

VYPR can save you £000s in product development and failed launch costs, as well as getting your product to market faster. That’s why the UK’s leading product developers, marketers, commercial managers, category managers and buyers choose to deploy VYPR every day. Every SKU can be optimised to the nth degree, ensuring that every product achieves its greatest potential.

Contact us now to road-test VYPR.

To learn more about how VYPR can help you, simply dial +44 (0) 161 694 6320 or complete our contact form below.

We’re open Monday to Friday 09h00 – 17h00.

This week, the BBC reported that time could soon be up for staple ice cream flavours such as vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, as consumers are increasingly attracted to new and exotic varieties, being tested in independent parlours and exported across the world. We tested these new ideas with 1000s of consumers in under 24 hours. The results are in and could now be used by manufacturers and retailers to predict future product success rates.

Every week, we use technology to test 1000s of variables that make up every product with consumers via their smartphone (from product concepts, packaging formats and product descriptions to flavour variants, varying brand executions and price perceptions), providing effective tools and techniques that deliver fast, statistically robust and consumer-led intelligence to enhance, accelerate and predict existing/new product performance.

Unlike traditional research, our methods use behavioural science to unlock our understanding of the true unconscious drivers of purchase decisions at fixture, both in store and online. In the ice cream survey, we uncovered the following insights:

1. Men are more likely to buy Orange Blossom, Saffron and Ginger flavours.
2. Rosewater is more popular with Waitrose shoppers, whereas M&S shoppers and Vegetarians are more likely to choose Lychee.
3. Nutmeg and Kulfi (Indian in origin) are the least popular with UK consumers.
4. Online shoppers are more likely to try the full range of more unusual flavours, with Cardamom being the clear favourite.
5. Although Cardamom is a key ingredient in Kulfi, Kulfi itself is unpopular with consumers, which suggests that a clear and familiar reference point is critical when naming these new kinds of flavours.

Contact us now to find out more.

Image from Getty Images & BBC

Get To Better Products Faster.

Ask anything of our panel of 1000s of consumers, available 24/7 via the VYPR App and website. Sit back and watch the results as they come in. VYPR makes rapid prototyping a reality, enabling suppliers and retailers to quickly validate unlimited hypotheses throughout the NPD process, from early stage product development to prelaunch refinement. Our geo-fencing technology enables consumers to answer questions live, during their shopping missions in store and at fixture. 

Over 90% Of Clients Generate ROI & Renew Their VYPR Licence Every Year. 

VYPR can save you £000s in product development and failed launch costs, as well as getting your product to market faster. That’s why the UK’s leading product developers, marketers, commercial managers, category managers and buyers choose to deploy VYPR every day. Every SKU can be optimised to the nth degree, ensuring that every product achieves its greatest potential.

Contact us now to road-test VYPR.

To learn more about how VYPR can help you, simply dial +44 (0) 161 694 6320 or complete our contact form below.

We’re open Monday to Friday 09h00 – 17h00.

Last week at the International Food & Drink Event, VYPR announced our partnership with the Quality Food Awards and The Co-Op in the small producer category.
 
VYPR CCO Mark Fielding comments: “It’s clear to see the sheer proliferation of new brands and Global competition intensifying in the UK food market. VYPR’s technology unpicks the subconscious drivers of shopper behaviour and will help the finalists to better hone every part of their proposition (everything from name, description, messaging, health benefits and pricing to pack design, ingredients, provenance, brand, imagery and point of sale). We’re delighted to be helping small producers to more robustly understand what is driving product performance and iterate their way towards better products faster.”
 
We’ll be testing 50 entries in the first round of judging. We’ll then provide additional testing and advice on how to optimise and iterate elements of their proposition, ahead of their pitches to the judges. 5 winners will be selected to launch and they’ll each get ongoing support from VYPR to optimise their way to getting their products on shelf. Each entrant’s journey promises to be unique and insightful. As we develop these interesting case studies, we’ll keep you updated with how everything is progressing.

Contact us to find out more about VYPR or visit http://uk.qualityfoodawards.com to enter.

The Science of Competitive Advantage. 
 
From initial concepts, product names, branding and packaging to ingredients, colourways, pricing and marketing messages, the anatomy of every product is different and it can be difficult to decipher what is truly driving success and purchase behaviour in store. Every week, we test 1000s of variables that make up every product with consumers, providing fast, statistically robust and consumer-led intelligence to enhance, accelerate and predict existing/new product performance.
 
We’ve never had access to so much data. However, the unconscious decision making processes of shoppers remains untapped. Our technology is fuelled by sophisticated data and behavioural science that unlocks our understanding of these drivers for the first time. 
 
Get To Better Products Faster.

Ask anything of our panel of 1000s of consumers, available 24/7 via the VYPR App and website. Sit back and watch the results as they come in. VYPR makes rapid prototyping a reality, enabling suppliers and retailers to quickly validate unlimited hypotheses throughout the NPD process, from early stage product development to prelaunch refinement. Our geo-fencing technology enables consumers to answer questions live, during their shopping missions in store and at fixture.
 
Over 90% Of Clients Generate ROI & Renew Their VYPR Licence Every Year. 

VYPR can save you £000s in product development and failed launch costs, as well as getting your product to market faster. That’s why the UK’s leading product developers, marketers, commercial managers, category managers and buyers choose to deploy VYPR every day. Every SKU can be optimised to the nth degree, ensuring that every product achieves its greatest potential.

Contact us now to road-test VYPR.

To learn more about how VYPR can help you, simply dial +44 (0) 161 694 6320 or complete our contact form below.

We’re open Monday to Friday 09h00 – 17h00.

This week, we’ve tested some of the new and imaginatively named products hitting our stores: Gigglewater Secco (prosecco in a can), Honest Tea, The London Essence Company Low Cal/Low Sugar Mixers Range from Britvic, Prohibition Brew from Budweiser and Mincepie Popcorn from Mackie’s. It can be difficult to decipher what is truly driving purchase behaviour in store and the results suggest that we’re perhaps asking too much of consumers when making decisions.

We use behavioural science to understand how consumers will make purchase decisions in store. According to the VYPR panel, 62% of respondents thought that Gigglewater Secco was Gin and Tonic, only 36% of consumers understood that Prohibition Brew was non-alcoholic, 55% thought that Mackie’s mince pie popcorn was high in calories. Although awareness of Honest Tea was 51%, less than 20% of consumers understood the USPs of the product. Conversely, the combination of low cal and botanicals seems to be working for our panel, with these all working together in equal measure to drive purchase intent in 50% of consumers on our UK panel.

We’re inspired by all of these amazing brands, their stories and commitment to innovation. We also understand that each is on a journey and we’ve lifted the products out of the context of any advertising/marketing strategy, designed to help consumers on their way to better understanding of each product’s benefits.

However, it suggests that we need to improve our intelligence around understanding what is driving product performance. From initial concepts, product names, branding and packaging to ingredients, colourways, pricing and marketing messages, the anatomy of every product is different and it can be difficult to decipher what is truly driving purchase behaviour. Every week, we test 1000s of variables that make up every product with consumers, providing cost-effective tools and techniques that deliver fast, statistically robust and consumer-led intelligence to enhance, accelerate and predict existing/new product performance.

If you’ve got a product you’re looking to launch that faces some of these challenges, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact us now to road-test VYPR.

To learn more about how VYPR can help you, simply dial +44 (0) 161 694 6320 or complete our contact form below.

We’re open Monday to Friday 09h00 – 17h00.

Here at VYPR, we’re passionate about technology and its ability to enhance the way we work and deliver products to consumers. Here’s a list of some of our favourite tools and techniques for getting ahead:

1. Feedly Staying abreast of current news and trends is essential for anyone working in NPD. Luckily thanks to the web it’s now easier than ever to do so. Tools like Feedly allow you to follow food blogs, newspapers, journalists and YouTubers and easily organise and share content relevant to your product and sector.

2. VYPR Market research can be inaccurate and expensive but VYPR (shameless plug!) allows you to conduct unlimited testing throughout the year by investing in a low-cost annual licence. The platform combines data, behavioural science, digital technology and FMCG expertise to accurately predict and improve your chances of achieving future product success. It takes just a few moments to upload images and questions to the portal, insightful reports are then generated within 48 hours. The VYPR score delivers an industry-standard benchmark for assessing innovation between retailers and suppliers, which can then be integrated with other data sources to strengthen future performance predictions. Many companies can also claim R&D tax relief on their VYPR subscription.

3. Skype It may sound like a simple one but utilising a video call or conference service will save you both time and money travelling to and from meetings. Even if you’re tasting products you can still all do so at the same time but from different locations, just dial-in from wherever you are to be part of the conversation. Equally, if you’re a startup not wanting to waste money on office space and overheads and working remotely Skype can help you stay in touch with your team at the click of a button.

4. Future Laboratory A subscription to one of the world’s most renowned futures consultancies will come into its own at theideation stage of the innovation process. Using data, facts and research by a professional forecasting company will help inform your brand strategy and keep you head of competitors. LS:N Global, their online insight network is also worth looking into. It’s a subscription-based platform with daily insights into consumer behaviour and key industry trends to help you make informed decisions about the future 

5. Trello Clear project management is key to the success of any product but many of the tools that are out there aren’t intuitive or engaging. Trello is a visual project management tool that makes collaboration easy and help’s you see a bird’s eye view of your project. More often than not product developers are visual thinkers so the images, colours, labels and clean interface of Trello may be more likely to work for them than a conventional project management tool.

6. eYeka In contrast with a more traditional product development process, online crowdsourcing and co-creation platforms have the potential to unlock a world of possibilities and answers by connecting you with both experts and creative consumers. eYeka is a global community of creators who are registered to the site to help solve brands’ challenges with fresh thinking, creative ideas and shareable content. Coca-Cola, Duracell and Oral B are all currently running contests on the platform.

Road-test VYPR’s technology & consumer panel.

We’d love you to road-test VYPR, give us your feedback and enjoy the benefits of better product intelligence. We’ll connect you to 1000s of consumers and you’ll get unlimited opportunities to test your latest innovations or iterations.

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If you love VYPR, we’ll get you an annual licence set up. If you don’t, we’ll leave you be. VYPR works best on low-consideration purchases such as FMCG, fast fashion, small consumer durables.

Contact us now to road-test VYPR.

To learn more about how VYPR can help you, simply dial +44 (0) 161 694 6320 or complete our contact form below.

We’re open Monday to Friday 09h00 – 17h00.