A leading pet food manufacturer was looking to understand why their brand of wet dog food receives lower ‘Overall Preference’ scores than the competitor, despite scoring well on all major sensory metrics. To drive product improvement and strengthen consumer appeal, further research was needed to uncover key drivers of preference, identify likes and dislikes, and explore perceived differentiators between the two products.
We recruited dog owners in Atlanta, GA and Old Bridge, NJ to document their experiences with the client’s wet dog food and the competitor’s product in a 5-day Online journal. Participants fed their dogs from blinded cans of food and documented their experiences. On the final day of fielding, participants compared their experiences across the two products.
Following this approach, we were able to identify for our client the key drivers of preference and make recommendations on ways to improve their wet dog food for stronger consumer appeal.
Using our insights, the client adjusted their product R+D to reflect pet parents’ priorities and create a product that affirms their pet health goals. This newly-launched reformulated wet dog food recipe exceeded consumers’ expectations and reinforced the clients’ majority market share in the pet food space.