Beyond the First Bite: The Sensory Journey of the Consumer

Simon Hails - Client Services Director, Sam Research

Simon has 30 years experience in the field of sensory and consumer research in both agency and clientside roles.  He has had the opportunity to work across multiple food and non-food fmcg categories over the course of his career, including confectionery, snacks, flavourings, healthcare and home and personal care. His expertise lies in research design, statistical analysis and modelling, and generation of strategic insight.

Presentation:

The talk will encourage people to think beyond the traditional parameters of descriptive profiling which are typically limited to the immediate act of consumption or usage to take a broader perspective of the overall experience.  After all, each element of consumer interaction contributes to the perception of and connection with the brand.  If we take a slightly different perspective, we will realise that many of these can be objectively defined and measured.  Through this process, a more holistic point of view of the consumer experience can be generated, which can sometimes lead to creative inspiration….

Chris Lukehurst - Consumer Psychologist, The Marketing Clinic

Chris is a Consumer Psychologist and has been leading The Marketing Clinic for just over 20 years. The Marketing Clinic use Consumer Research and Consultancy to help clients map and understand consumer emotional journeys and connect these back to the functional attributes that prompt them. They help brands to improve consumer experiences through better products, innovation and communication. 

Presentation:

Product sales and even blind taste tests often defy what sensory experts tell you. Why do objectively better products so often underperform against others? Consumers do not respond logically to flavours and textures, their response is emotional. When we can understand this emotional response, where it comes from, why, and how we can leverage it, we can produce products that consumers love and come back for again and again.

Lara Alexander - Sensory Technologist, Twinnings

Lara obtained a BSc in Food Science and Chemistry at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. After a brief stint as lab assistant at the South African Agricultural Research Council’s Agri-processing: Plant Bioactives group, she proceeded to stay within this group of world leading rooibos and honeybush researchers to complete her MSc and PhD, focussing on the processing, sensory quality, and phenolic components of honeybush tea. Since completing her qualifications in 2018, she has followed an adventurous career path, from teaching English in Laos to serving as strategic assistant for an organic botanical supply chain company in South and Central Africa, and most recently settling into her current role as Sensory Technologist at Twinings in the UK, where she hopes the weather will improve.

Presentation:

Consumer journey of red fruit infusions: How preparation and behaviours affect the sensory experience. Despite the known health benefits of herbal and fruit infusions, consumer delight is easily hindered by negative perceptions in taste, mouthfeel, and the disparity of aroma expectation and flavour delivery. The current investigation aims to understand how sensory properties of infusions are amendable by consumer behaviour upon preparation and serving of red fruits infusions. We conducted a consumer survey of 450 consumers of herbal infusions across three countries to deliver real life and typical user experience behaviour profiles. By simulating these consumer behaviour profiles along the full consumer journey from brewing to consumption, volatiles and sensory attributes were monitored and analysed to provide valuable insights into how user behaviour affects the consumer experience.

Rachel Smith - Sensory Experience Specialist, MMR

Rachel has a PhD in consumer psychology, and has conducted research within commercial and academic contexts to optimise eating experiences. She is an Associate Director within the Sensory Qual team at MMR, a team which overlays a unique lens to qualitative research, to find the meaning consumers give to the sensory attributes of a product. MMR has experience across food and drink, household and personal care and beyond, and designs qualitative and quantitative solutions that address business issues - fuelling creativity to create products and brands that people love. Their heartland is the interface between brand, pack and product, leveraging the power of the human senses to create more engaging propositions.

Presentation:

Sensory semiotics: The impact of cultural nuances on product experience. This talk will showcase a case study focusing on personal care and health care in South Africa. Through this case study, we will demonstrate how using creative thinking and blending disciplines such as Sensory, Semiotics and Behavioural Science identifies key positioning territories for new and adapted personal care and hair care brands, uncovers behavioural influences crucial to establishing new category rituals, and sets development guardrails that ensure market success. By maintaining cultural relevance throughout the innovation journey, this way of thinking paves the way for developing compelling, multi-sensory product experiences that truly resonate with South African consumers.