Consumer Healthcare Market Research

Evolving consumer purchase patterns, shelf space and pricing competition, and increasing pressure from private label are real challenges faced by the consumer healthcare category. Many OTC brands are recognizing that the best way to differentiate is to deliver a superior experience.

With twenty years’ experience, Blueberry draws from both traditional and proprietary methodologies to reveal consumer priorities and aspirations and to present a clear road map for delivering a superior health experience.

We understand the complexities of testing consumer healthcare products. Recruiting the right consumers, baseline reads, and appropriate washout periods between samples will impart changes to the study outcome. Let’s work together to formulate a consumer healthcare market research plan that will answer your objectives and illuminate new findings and insights to build a better concept, package, and product to provide to your consumers.

With our deep expertise in consumer healthcare, we provide clear direction for building strong and satisfying solutions in nearly all OTC categories.

Nutritional Supplements

Oral Care

GI Health

Pain Management

Respiratory Health

Skin Care

Sexual Health

Sports Nutrition

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Our Methods

Central Location Testing (CLT)

We don’t just determine which product is liked best—but why it is liked, and what changes can be made to make a product even better. A central location test can be executed at one of our own state-of-the-art facilities that feature sink booths to test your oral care, skin care, or other healthcare product typically used at a sink. Or test at one of our trusted partners’ testing facilities across the US and even internationally. This type of quantitative testing allows for a great amount product control and a replicated experience for each consumer respondent. Test a new prototype against your current product, benchmark against the competition, see how well your product delivers against its concept and more with consumer tests at a central location.

Home Use Testing (HUT)

Not all categories can be tested at a central facility, especially in consumer healthcare. Sometimes that “real world” use sets you apart from your competition. When using a product at home or on-the-go, respondents may prepare and use it in a different, but more realistic way than they would in a testing booth. Home use tests allow for extended use periods and “wash-out” periods between the use of different products in a study. Optimization data may also be collected to guide product development through this quantitative method.

Ethnographies

Understanding the consumer is at the core of what we do. Ethnographies take you into the households of your consumers. The consumer respondent will guide you through different parts of their day (and their home) to explain their thought process when making various product decisions. Peek into the medicine cabinets, pantries, and countertops of real people that love your products – and of those who you want to convert to brand-loyal enthusiasts. Get to know and understand consumers’ choices and motivations on a personal level to recognize their pain points and make a plan for your brand and products to alleviate them.

Shop-Alongs

This qualitative method pairs a researcher and consumer together for a one-on-one shopping experience. Whether it is mission-based or free form, shop-alongs put you hand in hand with consumer respondents to get real reactions to products, packaging, placement, and price as they make their way through the stores and aisles most relevant to your brand and strategy.

Mobile Diaries

Dear Diary, I’m in love with my new skin care routine!
Mobile diaries can be especially useful in the consumer healthcare category as they are used to track extended product use over time. Understand how your product impacts consumers’ lives. Provide consumers with prompts or assignments and let them open about your and your competitors’ products. This qualitative research method will illuminate thought processes behind consumer behavior and response to product use.

Online Discussion Boards

Think of online discussion boards as an asynchronous focus group. Consumer respondents log-in a prescribed number of times over a certain time period and to share and build off one another’s experiences with products, processes, or problems. Content is moderated by one of our expert and specially trained qualitative researchers to guide the conversation in a meaningful direction, producing fruitful discussions to get to the root of consumer understanding.

Focus Groups

It’s a classic qualitative research method, and for good reason. Focus groups bring together small groups of pre-screened consumers and a highly trained moderator to participate in a deep, facilitated dialog about products or ideas. Dig deep into consumers’ thought processes and paths to purchase in focus group sessions that provide color and understanding to what needs your consumers have and how your products fulfill expectations. Focus groups can be completed online, or in-person with stimuli. 

LinkLabs℠

Riff off different categories. Take the best of both worlds. Identify your consumers’ aspirational needs and expectations. Blueberry’s LinkLabs℠ provide granular product development guidance through exposure to out-of-category stimuli and sensory flights. Inspire your team and your consumers to think beyond your category into new and unique views of what benefits your products can provide. Define gold standards and guardrails for product attributes with real-world reference points. LinkLabs℠ can illuminate beyond the norm for exciting propositions of product experiences.

Consumer Experience Landscape®

Blueberry’s Consumer Experience Landscape® provides a foundational approach to product development research. We explore the category landscape to understand current behaviors and unmet needs, define the innovation strategy of available opportunities, and finally design and product and sensory experience to deliver on the defined consumer priorities. See additional information here.