Let’s have a cup of tea and talk about your questions!

Here are some of our most frequently asked ones, but we know that there are many more!

Q1. Where are your facilities?

Dragonfly SCI partners with research fielding experts all across North America and around the world to recruit and test the right consumer! We go to your target markets to find your target consumers.

Q2. How close/far away are we from the ‘market leader’ in consumer liking?  

If you do research with us, you will definitely find out! By market, demographic, region, age, gender, brand usage, the frequency of use, etc.; basically we can provide information on any data cuts of interest.

Q3. Is it possible to have a high liking/preference and a signature taste or is the latter automatically polarizing?

Yes, typically products are described by 40+ sensory attributes and only a handful of those attributes are critical to liking. That leaves a variety of other sensory attributes that can be customized/signature without detracting from liking.

Q4.  Is there a unique group of consumers that my product appeals to?  I already have marketing segments. How are my products liked by these segments?

How do you define your market segments?  If we include your ‘typing tool’ as part of our consumer recruitment, we can cut the data by your market segments. However, we have discovered that there is rarely a direct relationship between market segments and sensory preference segments.

Q5.  Do you have marketplace examples of brands with a polarizing taste that succeed in the marketplace?  

Yes, this happens all of the time; there are many products in the marketplace that are polarizing from a sensory perspective (i.e., well-liked by some; rejected by others). Successful businesses use this to their advantage by doing strategic segmentation; design products that consumers love; at least one product/style per segment. That is, they prefer to appeal to a specific consumer preference segment versus the total population. We will provide you with an understanding of the preference segments and the size of each segment/opportunity. Some companies choose to make a product for each segment and then a “crowd-pleaser” product that appeals to the total population of at least a majority. It comes down to what we discover and how you choose to approach the marketplace from a business perspective. Our goal is to use robust sensory data to help you discover product improvement and new product development opportunities.

Q6.  How do companies communicate segments and the product’s sensory experience?  

There are many marketplace examples where companies promote segmentation on the label using sensory descriptions such as rich and robust, smooth and creamy, extra creamy, crunchy, etc. This serves to reinforce the sensory segment and it gives consumers a clear differentiator. However, to maximize consumer liking and usage, you must ensure that your product actually delivers on the promised sensory experience and that there is a large enough target consumer segment.

Q6.  Why preference segments versus market segments?

Successful companies understand and utilize multiple types of segmentation!  Over the years, we have seen a lot of ‘me too’  and middle of the road products in the marketplace. The products can have a high market share but . . .  these brands are vulnerable if someone creates a product that consumers actually love.  The goal of any company is to gain an initial trial. If your product is well-liked, you have a much higher likelihood of repeat purchase. Consumers are fickle and always looking for a better experience.  Social media, word of mouth, friends, our greatest resources to gain interest.  Our message is “don’t lose them once you have them'”!  Provide a product experience that will keep them coming back. Sensory science is at the core of repeat purchase, utilizing hard consumer data on which to make better business decisions.

We have many great examples of products that have been improved using sensory science tools.  

Let us help you.  Call us today!