Tessa Schilaty, a consumer testing expert for breweries, shares invaluable insights into how small breweries can harness consumer feedback to refine their products. She emphasizes the importance of engaging with customers through simple surveys and acknowledges the emotional aspects of consumer behavior. Tessa discusses best practices like blind taste tests and the need for diverse sample sizes to reduce bias. With clear objectives and effective data collection strategies, breweries can drive innovation and ensure greater brand loyalty from their patrons.
Consumer testing empowers breweries to align their products with customer preferences, fostering brand loyalty through direct consumer engagement.
Various methods, from informal chats to formal preference testing, enable breweries of all sizes to gather actionable insights from consumers.
Deep dives
The Importance of Consumer Testing
Consumer testing is essential for breweries to understand their customers and create products that appeal to them. By actively engaging with consumers, breweries can gather feedback on what flavors and characteristics they prefer, ultimately guiding product development. This process fosters brand loyalty, as customers appreciate having a voice in the creation of the products they enjoy. The insight gained from consumer testing not only enhances product alignment with consumer preferences but also builds a stronger community around the brewery.
Methods for Engaging Consumers
Breweries can employ various methods to engage consumers in their product testing processes, ranging from informal chats to structured feedback sessions. Simple techniques include soliciting opinions on beer preferences directly at the taproom or conducting organized tasting events with loyal customers. More formal approaches such as descriptive analysis, which requires trained panels to evaluate specific flavor attributes, can provide detailed and reliable data. However, preference testing allows for easier consumer participation by gathering input from everyday patrons without requiring specialized training.
Preference Testing for Practical Insights
Preference testing is a straightforward method that involves presenting participants with multiple beer samples to determine which they prefer. This approach does not require trained sensory panelists, making it accessible for breweries of any size. Statistical analyses can help identify significant consumer preferences, providing actionable data that brewers can use for product decisions and recipe adjustments. This method has proven effective in real-world applications, as illustrated by a brewery that successfully tested a new product against a control sample to assess consumer acceptance.
Maximizing Feedback with Open-Ended Surveys
Open-ended surveys offer breweries the chance to collect in-depth insights from customers beyond simple preference data. By providing a mechanism for consumers to express their thoughts and feelings, breweries can gain valuable feedback that can guide marketing strategies and product development. Utilizing QR codes to facilitate easy survey participation can encourage engagement, especially when incentivized with discounts or promotions. Despite the challenge of processing qualitative data, effective analysis tools can help uncover trends and specific insights from customer responses.