Look Beyond Your Target Audience When Testing CPG Products

I’ve noticed that when developing and testing concepts and products it’s very easy for CPG companies to be laser-focused on a specific target audience. In my experience, however, looking beyond your original target can unlock surprising insights that ultimately lead to greater market success.

Here’s how we think about it at Mission Field: In the real world, your product isn’t just for sale to the demographic you envisioned during the development process. Once it hits the shelves, it’s competing for the attention of every shopper who passes by, not just those who fit your "bullseye" target. So it often makes sense to broaden your recruitment criteria beyond just your bullseye target when conducting research—and to test the product with a wider audience in stores.

For example, consider a product initially designed for Gen Z consumers. The communication style, packaging, and overall branding might be tailored to appeal to older teens and young adults. But what happens when your product is in stores and catches the attention of a completely different demographic—say, 45-year-old moms? Ignoring this unexpected interest could mean missing out on a significant segment of the market.

By including category users beyond the bullseye when you recruit for research, you allow for the discovery of wider appeal and the potential need for multiple tailored communication strategies. A product aimed at Gen Z might also resonate with an older demographic for different reasons. In that case, you can adjust your in-store marketing or launch strategies to capture the interest of that larger audience.

Ultimately, that more open-minded approach to research recruitment, coupled with in-store testing, can lead to more comprehensive—and actionable—feedback, helping you fine-tune your product and communication strategies for maximum market appeal.

In a recent project we were trying to determine which of several new innovations our client should launch (or launch first if more than one tested successfully).  The bullseye target was families with kids in the household who were regular buyers of the category.  We ended up expanding the recruiting audience to include a small percentage of people who didn’t have kids in the household as well.  It turned out that the non-kid household participants were very interested in the products we were testing, and they envisioned more extensive potential usage occasions for the test products than did the “with kids” participants.  This information led to a higher volume forecast than the client had originally anticipated since they hadn’t taken into account the additional usage occasions from the non-bullseye target.

Looking to expand your team’s testing capabilities? Reach out to us at hello@mission-field.com.