New service: isi launches the Test Studio Finder

The platform for international market research studies

Up until now, companies looking for a field service provider for their market research study had to conduct an elaborate search: Who are the providers in our target country? How are they equipped? How expensive are they? Do they have time to schedule our project? After a multitude of fact-finding e-mails and phone calls, the best-case scenario was to arrive at a deal. "That takes too long for us," isi repeatedly heard from people who had gone through this process. The innovation team at isi decided to simplify the process, i.e. automate it. From concept to reality, this is how the Test Studio Finder came into being.

Easier planning, more agile research

The teststudiofinder.com platform enables users to find out which test studios are suitable for the project right from the start of planning a consumer or sensory test. The offer is especially interesting for enterprises, which would like to have their research question answered quickly. This so-called Agile Research is becoming increasingly important and can be done without extensive consulting. This trend has been welcomed and accommodated by isi.

Every client who wants to consult directly with isi on the selection of suitable studios will of course continue to receive support. isi remains the central contact for the customer, the “single point of contact” for the customer. The customer doesn’t have to manage multiple service providers. Moreover, all processing and invoicing are handled by isi. In addition to this basic package of pure field services, the user can then continue to add further service modules from isi as desired up to and including the full-service package. These modules include the test design, the briefing of the employees in the test studio, the management of the test and the analysis of the data. These modules can also be booked directly and easily using the Test Studio finder platform.

Transparency builds Trust

teststudiofinder.com allows users to search for a studio that meets their specific requirements. Which test should be performed - Central Location Test, Sensory Test, Home Use Test, Qualitative Test, Quantitative Test? In which country should the test take place? What are the demands on the studio, for example in terms of size, equipment and personnel? Should testing with red light be possible? What does the digital equipment look like? Is there a room to observe test persons? When can the test take place? These are some of the questions that help the user to decide on the right studio.

Similar to Booking.com, the user can browse photos of the studio on the platform, including the test lab or the various test setups, to get an idea of the conditions on site. Virtual tours are also available at some studios.

isi ensures that only test studios are included on the platform that have met the strict quality guidelines of isi and that have already performed at least one test for isi. This assures customers a high degree of security that their research projects will be successfully implemented by the studios.

For good measure, the field service providers are also keen to appear on the platform. The very fact that they are included demonstrates a seal of quality. In addition, their studio is presented professionally and attractively online. This increases the international visibility of the field service providers. As one of the leading agencies for sensory market research in Europe, isi has contacts to all important suppliers in the field of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). The isi platform thus makes it easier for field service providers draw attention from and be booked by major customers.

For the planning of the platform, isi conducted in-depth interviews and asked what customers wanted in the area of consumer research. At the top of the list was the desire to get a better overview of available field studios and to simplify studio booking. The initial idea was to bring customers closer to test studios in other countries via VR glasses and a virtual tour.

The isi team presented the first prototypes in 2019 at the Pangborn Conference for Sensory Research in Edinburgh and at the Research & Results in Munich. The visitors were enthusiastic about the possibility to take a virtual walk in a test studio. In further in-depth interviews, however, this tour sometimes seemed too time-consuming and cumbersome to the respondents and most of them wished for a speedier solution. Based on customer feedback the isi team designed the Studiofinder platform.

Intuitive Interface

After a few months of planning, the framework of the site was ready. Since then, the platform has been populated with test studios - from Brazil to Russia, from South Africa to Malaysia. The isi company applied its expertise in market research to develop the project. The isi innovation team systematically asked customers and isi employees about the first prototype of the platform: How do you find your way around the Test Studio Finder? Is the platform’s interface intuitive and easy to navigate?

With the help of the feedback they received, the programming team continued to refine the platform. The result is a website that focuses on user-friendliness and uses filters to guide users to the best suited test studio. Little by little, more studios are being added. The positive feedback has demonstrated that the Teststudio Finder achieves the wishes of the users.

„The isi Test Studio Finder offers us a quick & easy application for selecting locations for sensory and consumer research in our most important European markets Germany and the UK. As some of our products need to be stored or prepared in a very specific way, it is great to select a location fitted to our needs. Another asset of the studio finder is that the photos of every test location give an impression of what the consumer might expect when they visit the location. Overall, the isi Test Studio Finder is a very forward thinking and transparent tool for requesting consumer studies.“

Diana Amui, Researcher NPD & Sensory, Jack Link's Protein Snacks

„I’m very excited about working with the user-friendly isi Test Studio Finder. Because we are operating globally, it is very valuable for us to get a quick impression about research infrastructures all over the world. The assurance we receive from seeing the isi certifications, the “isi seal of quality”, is something we can rely on and is a great improvement for my research planning process.“

Holger Rußmann, Senior Specialist Global Sensory, Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH

„The isi Test Studio Finder helps us with international multi-country projects that we carry out ourselves (i.e. without a full-service agency). In countries where we have no experience with field service providers, we can rely on the quality testing and pre-selection process from isi. Furthermore, the 'single point of contact' is a great support for the organization and administration of our projects.“

Head of Consumer Intelligence - Region Europe, BSH Home Appliances GmbH

Are you interested in our new platform? Please visit teststudiofinder.com