Product Benchmarking
Product Benchmarking
How do you know whether your product is over or underperforming? You could compare it to past performance. Or you could compare the key metrics of your products against those of your closest market competitors. This process is known as product benchmarking, a vital task in the quest to gain valuable information about the quality of performance of your product. Benchmarking food products can give you the opportunity to use critical, unbiased feedback to iterate recipes, change flavour profiles, and adopt presentational suggestions. But before we go into the many benefits of product benchmarking, let’s describe it to you in a little more detail.
Work with us10,000+
real food & drink tasters are on our database
22%
increase in repeat purchases post-reformulation
2 wks
typical project turnaround from briefing to report
Know what consumers really think. Build products they prefer.
Independent, unbiased consumer research that provides the insights you need to improve products, validate claims, and make confident business decisions.
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Competitor Benchmarking
Real consumer feedback
Independent, unbiased testing
Our WSS App & Sensory Software — Supporting Accurate Testing
Our WSS App finds the perfect testers by matching your products with consumers. This targeted approach ensures more precise, actionable insights for your brand.
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Matches products with ideal testers
Gathers real-time feedback
Provides detailed consumer insights
Actionable Insights to Optimise your Product
We transform data into clear, actionable insights, helping you understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to refine your product for greater market success.
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Clear reports with key insights
Custom plans for improvement
Launch your product with confidence
Your Questions, Answered
Have questions? We’ve got answers. Find out how food testing works, what to expect, and how it can help optimise your products.
Contact UsWhat Does The Product Benchmarking Process Involve?
Product benchmarking is typically conducted using a central location test, where consumers from your target market evaluate products in a controlled environment under identical conditions. Participants assess key attributes such as appearance, aroma, flavour, texture, and overall acceptance. The results are then analysed to identify significant differences between products, helping you refine your offering, highlight competitive strengths, and support commercial growth.
How long does the process take?
At Wirral Sensory Services, most projects can be completed within approximately two weeks from commission to delivery of results, providing clients with rapid, actionable insights to support product development and business decisions.
How does the selection process work?
Wirral Sensory Services recruits participants using targeted demographic criteria tailored to each project’s objectives, ensuring feedback is gathered from the most relevant consumer groups. Participants are screened through detailed questionnaires to confirm they meet specific requirements such as age, gender, purchasing behaviour, product usage, lifestyle characteristics, or dietary preferences. Recruitment is conducted through our extensive in-house consumer database and dedicated recruitment app, enabling us to quickly identify, engage, and manage suitable participants while maintaining high data quality and representative sample profiles.
What kind of data will I receive?
Following completion of the fieldwork, Wirral Sensory Services provides a comprehensive PowerPoint report presenting the study findings in a clear and actionable format. Reports include detailed results, statistical analysis where appropriate, and visual representations of key data to support interpretation. Clients also receive expert recommendations and practical insights to help inform product development, optimisation, marketing strategies, and commercial decision-making.
Proven Results for Brands
See how our food testing has helped brands optimise their products. Our case studies showcase real-world success stories, highlighting how data-driven insights led to improved product performance and market success.
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25%
Sales Increase
A leading food manufacturer refined their recipe after sensory testing showed 80% of consumers preferred a new texture and flavour profile.
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45%
Customer Satisfaction
Testing showed that consumers preferred products made with natural ingredients over synthetic alternatives, contributing to higher customer satisfaction rates.
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32%
Repeat Purchase
After addressing key feedback from our panel on taste and texture, the brand saw a 22% increase in repeat purchases.
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We'd love to hear about your upcoming projects big or small, informal chat or full briefing.
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Let's Understand Your Consumers Together.
Tell us about your challenge, and we'll design the right research approach to give you clear, actionable answers.
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