Case Study: How a Haircare Brand Rebuilt Its Product Testing Approach
Summary
Faced with unreliable consumer feedback and shallow survey data, this haircare brand overhauled its research strategy for a new scalp serum. With redesigned product testing and more targeted insights, the brand was able to validate the concept and align development with customer priorities. A clear example of research supporting confident product decisions.
The Client
A consumer haircare brand with a long-standing reputation among Black women and salon professionals. The brand was preparing to launch a new anti-aging scalp serum but needed stronger research to support concept validation and development.
The Challenge
The company had relied on a legacy approach to research that included a single annual survey and informal product testing. The existing feedback lacked depth and failed to give the product development team a clear signal on performance, perception, or purchase intent. With the launch of a new product in an emerging category, the brand needed to replace guesswork with real consumer insight.
What We Did
We redesigned the product testing process from the ground up. The new approach included a two-stage evaluation to assess both immediate and post-use reactions. Participants completed surveys after initial application and again after extended use, allowing us to capture changes in perception and usage patterns.
Questions focused on benefits, usability, scent, texture, scalp health, and emotional reactions. We avoided vague satisfaction metrics and instead emphasized decision-making moments: what made users continue, what held them back, and how they talked about the product to others.
In parallel, we worked with the client to revise their brand survey, replacing ineffective metrics like Net Promoter Score with questions tied to brand differentiation, values, and customer intent.
The Outcome
The updated testing framework gave the client a clearer understanding of how the product was experienced in real life. They gained insights into which features mattered most, what claims felt believable, and what language to avoid in marketing. The research supported internal alignment on the product’s benefits and helped the team prioritize improvements.
The findings also informed the broader product development roadmap by showing which ingredients, formats, and concerns resonated most with the brand’s customer base.
Strategic Impact
This work helped the brand shift from anecdotal feedback to structured, strategic research. It created a scalable testing model for future launches and gave the team the confidence to bring a new product to market with messaging and features grounded in what their customers actually want.