1/14/2011 --- The next 12 months will see a substantial rise in the amount of food and drink product benchmarking, as companies bid to maintain a competitive edge and hold or build their market share, according to Campden BRI.
 
The leading food and drink research organisation has seen demand for its product benchmarking services increase tenfold in the past year as retailers and brand owners realise the benefits of comparing their products with the rest of the marketplace, to ensure their products stack up against rival brands.
 
“The economic climate has driven the need for food and drinks companies to really get under the skin of consumers and find out what they are looking for in products,” explained Janetta Hylands of Campden BRI’s Consumer and Sensory Sciences Department.
 
“In addition, retailers have seen an upsurge in sales of their own brand products and are increasingly looking to benchmark their brands against those of their key competitors. This will continue into 2011 and beyond and we will also see premium brands benchmarking themselves more against rival domestic as well as international brands as globalisation continues apace.”
 
Such is the increase in demand for its product benchmarking services that Campden BRI has had to expand its Consumer and Sensory Sciences Department. It has extended its kitchens, installing new equipment and increased its product preparation and evaluation facilities.
 
As demand for product benchmarking rises, more clients have been requesting access to the services built on Campden BRI’s extensive database of ‘naïve’ consumers - members of the public who regularly shop for similar products and are willing to taste products and answer questions chosen by the client at Campden BRI’s purpose-built facilities. This provides valuable insight enabling companies to track their products through the eyes of ordinary consumers in a structured and scientific way.
 
Campden BRI also has a team of expert, highly trained and professional Home Economists on hand who can provide informed product benchmarking by effectively evaluating sensory quality, eating enjoyment and value for money.
 
Janetta Hylands said: “There is no doubt that 2011 will be a landmark year for product benchmarking as the process moves from a ‘nice to do’ to a ‘must do’ process for retailers, brand owners, marketers and food manufacturers.
 
“Product success depends on the ability of brands to keep consumers coming back for more. The only way to guarantee this is to exceed consumer expectations every time and to continually have new and updated products in the pipeline to meet consumers’ changing requirements. Product development is a costly process and it is vital to get it right. And that’s exactly where obtaining an objective assessment of a product’s quality in the market comes in.
 
“Demand for product benchmarking will continue to rise in 2011 driven by the huge increase in the awareness of the process as an objective tool to gauge and manage product quality. As the marketplace becomes even more competitive with retailers and brands vying for consumer spend, particularly in a somewhat depressed economy, this is only going to boost demand for specialist product benchmarking even further.”