According to AcuPOLL Research Inc, the proportion of product launches that fail is anywhere between 80 percent and 95 percent. And the amount of money that is completely wasted in research and development, creating the product, scaling it in manufacturing units and then marketing the product is something that one can only imagine.

The right kind of market research can ensure that you reduce the risks of failure. While market research was deployed towards the end of the product development stage, there is adequate proof of the fact that if you research the product launch at the ideation stage or even before that, you are likely to reduce the risk considerably.

This means that if you have researched the market and competition carefully, you will know the specific niches that are too competitive. In addition to that an exploratory market research conducted to understand the needs of the consumers can help you start the research and development in the right direction. This means that you can increase the return on investment on the dollars spent on R&D too.

When you use market research at each stage in the product development process you ensure that you are not just creating a product but a customer experience that has its seeds in customer need in the first place. Some of the questions that need to be answered include the specific need that the product solves, whether the product is a ‘must have’ or just another option, who the target audience is, the positioning that is likely to resonate with them and the price at which the target customer will buy.

The product development process starts with an evaluation of the market – the competitiveness, potential, growth opportunities, scope of expansion and the like. Post an analysis of the market, companies should get into an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses in the areas that they are getting into and what the new launch adds to the company and the business.

The Stage Gate Process is considered to be the 5 step product development process that includes:

• Idea generation
• Idea screening and evaluation
• Business analysis
• Development
• Testing and commercialization

Market research can be performed at each stage to increase the chances of moving in the right direction. So while you can use expert interviews and synectics (interviews and focus groups with creative people) for idea generation, you can do a quick quantitative concept testing to screen out the ideas that do not generate appeal among the target audience.

The business analysis may require you to take on a slightly more complicated research that can help you estimate the volumes and growth based on specific inputs.

While there are various market estimation models that exist, the estimation is as good as the inputs that you provide with regards to marketing, logistics and distribution.

The development stage may require a few rounds of market research as the research and development fine tune the prototype of the product that is being created. This may involve an in-use or at-home product testing or product testing at a venue depending on the specific product in question.

Before commercialization and final product launch, there are aspects other than the product that need to be researched. These include promotional material, positioning statement, advertisement and packaging, if applicable.

Apple iPad hit the one million mark within the first 28 days of its launch. The product also boasts of 12 million applications downloaded along with a million and a half digital books. Apple founder and CEO states that the ‘demand continues to exceed supply’ and that there is a wait time of 5 to 7 days before deliveries can be made.

While competitors like Windows HP Slate and other tablet manufacturers trying to crack the market for some time now, it is believed that the sale of a million iPads in such a short period of time has confirmed that the tablet is here to stay.

After launch the first thing that some of the initial buyers noticed was the weight. At around 680 grams, this tablet can best be used while sitting since the weight of the tablet is likely to weight you down after a while.

Some of the users who use the iPad for film viewing have noticed that the iPad is not the widescreen 16:9 format and the 4:3 screen leaves black strips at the top and bottom while viewing HDTV shows and flicks, something that the movie fans are not so happy about.

On the other hand, Apple has left no stone unturned to ensure that the picture quality is unparalleled. The screen measures about 25cm diagonally and has a pixel resolution of 1024 x 768 and 132 pixels per inch. Jacqui Cheng from Ars Technica states that ‘the iPad is not a big iPod’ and it offers a much better multi-touch experience. The touch screen is sensitive and reacts quickly as does the virtual keyboard that is easy to use.

No user is complaining that the battery cannot be changed at home and requires the assistance of a technician because the battery life of the iPad is otherwise a staggering 10 hours. The acid tests performed by Acid3, returned a perfect 100 for the iPad in terms of Internet speed. In this context the device delivers what it has promised – quick, easy, complete and anywhere Internet machine.

The one thing that users can see as missing is the compatibility with Flash. This is an omission that Apple stands by since Flash is known to have security issues. You may also find that the iBookstore is still not as populated as the Kindle store is and that the missing facebook application may be a sore point for many.

Today the Apple iPad may be seen as a complete mobile entertainment device. However Apple sees the tablet as much more and therefore the iTunes App Store also offers the iWorks office suite that contains applications for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. The gadget does not allow multitasking very easily and therefore, experts like Engadget Editor-in-Chief Joshua Topolsky feel that the device is far from replacing the laptop or even the netbook ‘as yet’.

Susan Kevorkian, analyst at technology research firm IDC, feels that there are ‘glitches to be worked out’ even with regards to the streaming video in the 3G versions. Not to mention that there is no camera or iChat capability or HDMI port.

While the Apple iPad seems to be here to stay, some early adopters are finding that many websites are not yet iPad ready and therefore may see gaping holes in the pages that get displayed. So it is not time yet to throw away your laptop or netbook and start planning your travel, booking your tickets and more on the iPad as yet. On the other hand it may serve you well if you want to download games when you are bored, entertain you when you want to catch up on the latest flick or listen to some groovy music while working.

Typically current brand ratings in a product evaluation survey are captured before the product is placed for usage. This is true especially if it is a new product or a modified version that is slated to be introduced in the market. The diagnostic ratings can help in tweaking some of the elements of the offering. Key survey questions to have in a product evaluation survey that will bring insight and actionable information to better the product, offering, messaging, and features include:

Product Evaluation Survey – Questions/Topics to Have

• Current brand/product usage details
• Overall evaluation of current brand
• Overall performance rating
• Overall satisfaction
• Likelihood to recommend
• Likelihood to use again
• Purchase intention without a price
• Reasons for the same
• Performance rating on specific product attributes
• Diagnostic rating for specific attributes (too sweet, just right, too salty)
• Comparison with current brand
• Purchase intention at a price
• Open ended questions to understand specific likes and dislikes

See our Product Evaluation Survey example template from our survey library.

Most market research focuses on understanding customers — their wants and needs, their likes and dislikes. A relatively new tool takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on customers themselves, the buying process model studies the steps that customers go through in making a purchase. Buying process research attempts to identify steps in the process where problems occur, so that marketers can create strategies to overcome roadblocks.

The steps in the process
Most descriptions of the purchase process include five steps:

1. Problem recognition. The consumer identifies a problem that could be addressed by making a purchase. The problem could be anything from “My feet are killing me” to “I don’t have anything to wear.” In fact, the “problem” might not be a problem at all, just a response to a marketing stimulus, such as a billboard or a television ad.
2. Information gathering. The consumer collects information about products, including such things as price, availability, options, and features.
3. Evaluation of alternatives. The consumer weighs the pros and cons of each alternative. Decisions at this stage of the process may be affected by budgets, personal likes or dislikes, and recommendations from family or friends.
4. Purchase decision. The consumer commits to the purchase.
5. Post-purchase behavior. The consumer takes some action related to the product. A satisfied customer might tell friends about the product. A dissatisfied customer might experience buyer’s remorse and return the product.

Not every purchase will proceed through all five steps. For example, impulse buys might move directly from problem recognition (“I need that candy bar”) to purchase decision.
Some consumers might decide to drop out of the process at one of the steps. These are the decisions that are especially important for marketers to understand.

Identifying roadblocks
A well-designed survey can identify potential roadblocks at each step in the buying process. Consider this example: You operate a web-based business that sells engineering software. You want to understand the process that customers go through in deciding to purchase your products. You could create a survey with questions like these:

• What kinds of engineering projects do you typically undertake? (problem recognition)
• Where do you get most of your information about engineering software? (information gathering)
• Rank the following features in order of importance to you. (evaluation of alternatives)
• How would you rate the convenience of purchasing products through our website? (purchase decision)
• Would you recommend our products to other people in your field? (post-purchase behavior)

By studying the responses to these and other similar questions, you can discover where the “sticking points” are in the buying process, and make the necessary corrections.
As an alternative, if you suspected that most of the roadblocks to purchasing were concentrated in one step, you might focus most of your questions on that step.

Why focus on the process?
The main reason to use the buying process model, as opposed to more traditional types of consumer research, is that it provides a more sophisticated understanding of consumer behavior. The model gives marketers a new way of thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of their campaigns so that they can keep doing what’s working well and change what isn’t. In this respect, it helps provide a greater return on a company’s marketing investment.

What is product involvement? Marketers have come up with a variety of definitions for this concept, but basically it comes down to this: product involvement is a measure of a customer’s interest in a particular type of product and commitment to a particular brand.

Let’s say you love motorcycles, especially Harleys. You wouldn’t even consider buying a different brand. Obviously you have a high product involvement. (Someone once said that Harley-Davidson is the only brand that inspires so much product involvement that millions of people are willing to have the company logo tattooed on their bodies.)

In general, the more expensive the product, the greater degree of product involvement. People will spend a lot of time researching different makes of cars. They may even consider the car they choose a part of their self-image. Compare this sort of involvement with the attitude most people have toward something less expensive, for example, paper towels. Most people don’t care very much about paper towels, and they have little brand loyalty. They might not even know the name of the brand they usually buy.

Still, there are some inexpensive products that inspire a high degree of product involvement — for example, shampoo. Some women are very concerned about the appearance of their hair. They may have a strong commitment to a certain brand of shampoo because they feel it makes their hair particularly soft and shiny. (Men, on the other hand, typically don’t have much product involvement with shampoo.)

Whether a consumer is buying shampoo or a motor cycle, there is a strong relationship between brand loyalty and how important the product is to the customer. The more a consumer cares about a particular type of product, the more loyal the consumer is likely to be to a particular brand.

Measuring Product Involvement
A simple product questionnaire can be an effective way of measuring product involvement. One question might ask how important a particular type of product is to the respondent on a scale of 1 to 10. A second question might ask how loyal the respondent feels to a particular brand. If most people feel that a product is very important but they feel little brand loyalty, this situation represents a real opportunity for a marketer. With the right message, a marketer can take advantage of this situation to build brand loyalty.

On the other hand, if a survey reveals that most people feel a particular product is not very important, it would probably be a waste of money to try build brand loyalty. Most people don’t feel strongly enough about the product to care which brand they buy.

It’s important to remember that product involvement is different from product evaluation. Respondents might rate a brand highly on an evaluation, but if the product is not important to them they will probably not have much brand loyalty.

Predicting Product Involvement with New Products
New product surveys can help marketers predict what sort of involvement a new product might create. The key here is to ask questions about similar products that a respondent might already be familiar with. For example, suppose you were going to introduce a new line of organic snack foods. Your survey might ask how important people consider snack foods and how important they consider organic foods in general. These questions will help you forecast the potential level of interest in your product, and its potential for building brand loyalty.

Savvy business owners know that marketing should begin long before their products hit the stores. Marketing should begin with the product itself, and with an in-depth understanding customer’s needs and preferences.

Powerful new questionnaire software gives businesses a revealing glimpse into the minds of potential customers. Market research surveys can help a business rethink product design, or maybe just fine tune it a bit. In simple terms, these surveys can help a business give people what they want.

New product surveys try to get at the perceived needs of customers. They ask questions like:

• “How much cargo space do you need in your truck?”
• “How many watts does your backup power supply need to generate?”
• “How often do your drive on icy roads?”

Questions like these can help a business decide if its product line meets the needs of potential customers, or if there are gaps in the line that need to be filled. Online survey software allows a business to sort responses by age, gender, location, income and many other variables. This enables a business to target products to the needs of specific market segments.

New product surveys also try to determine the benefits that are most important to customers. Take vitamins as an example. Are customers mainly interested in vitamins that will help them feel better or boost their memory or improve their heart health? Questionnaire software uses sophisticated ranking questions to help isolate the benefits that people care about most.

New product surveys also help a business learn what features are important to customers. If customers show little interest in a particular feature, a business may decide to offer it as an option rather than a standard part of its products. On the other hand, if a feature shows up on a survey as being very popular, a business might decide to include it in all of its products, and emphasize it in its marketing campaign.