Evaluating sensory and brand tests through an aggregation method for election and a multi-attribute decision-making method
Within increasingly competitive markets, companies need to implement strategies to remain and, if possible, increase their market share. However, companies face complex situations in these markets, mainly due to the number of products and their diversity. One of the possible strategies that companies implement to stay and grow in the markets is the design of new products (NPD). Nonetheless, NPD is high risk and uncertain endeavor. NPD-related studies show that 24-55% of new products fail on the market. Companies in the food sector that develop new products operate in dynamic and competitive markets, which include trends in demand and production of agricultural food, and at the same time the preferences and desires of consumers, marketing channels, shelf life, among others. Thus, this work aims to present an evaluation of sensory and brand tests carried out on six marketed fiber supplements through an aggregation method for election and a multi-attribute decision-making method in order to aid in the design process of a new fiber supplement based on eggplant. In such tests, 87 people aged 19-45 participated as untrained panelists. Each panelist evaluated six coded samples of the fiber supplements using six hedonic attributes. Subsequently, they evaluated these supplements through three non-hedonic attributes knowing the names of the supplements. For each test, each panelist ranked the supplements globally. In the end, two data sets of 87 records were obtained, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Borda count, and the UTASTAR method. Using the panelists' global rankings, the leading brand of fiber supplements on the market was the most preferred. The most important hedonic attribute was taste, and the non-hedonic attribute was fiber content. Five of the 87 panelists were inconsistent with their evaluations of the commercial fiber supplements in the attribute evaluations and the global ranking. Using different methods to analyze sensory and brand tests allows different points of view associated with consumer preferences. Using the Borda count allows considering all the positions in each sample's rankings since it is an aggregation method. On the other hand, with UTASTAR, it is possible to detect inconsistencies in evaluating the samples when panelists provide a global ordering. These approaches can support the results obtained with classical statistical methods, such as ANOVA and Conjoin Analysis. Due to this work's orientation, the food industry is one area where this article's process can be applied. However, it can be used for any company where new products are designed and developed.
Keywords: Aggregation method, brand analysis, multi-attribute method, sensory analysis.
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