Test smarter. Launch stronger.
Product testing is not a single method. It's a strategic choice. Haystack combines quantitative, qualitative, and sensory expertise into tailor-made setups that give your product the best possible chance of success, before it hits the shelf.
About the solution
What is Product Development & Testing?
Every innovation starts with a question: will consumers like it? At Haystack, we go further than that. We explore why they like it, when they like it, and what needs to change to make them love it.
Our approach starts with an internal brainstorm, involving qual, quant, and sensory experts under one roof, to select the method that best fits your business question. Whether you need a single methodology or a hybrid setup, we design the research around the product, not the other way around.
Hybrid by design
At Haystack, our qualitative, quantitative, and sensory teams work side by side rather than in separate corners. That means less back-and-forth, richer insights, and recommendations that actually hold up at every stage of the product journey
Innovation-ready tooling
Our in-house innovations extend the value of every study. AI-powered analysis, virtual audiences, and conversational survey technology allow us to blend qualitative depth into quantitative scale, and back again.
Why rigorous product testing matters
In a market where consumer preferences shift fast and launch windows are narrow, guessing is not an option. Haystack's product testing frameworks give you the evidence you need to act - and the confidence to move quickly.
Early-stage confidence
CLT (Central Location Testing) allows you to evaluate multiple prototypes in a fully controlled environment, removing all external variables so that product differences speak for themselves.
Real-world validation
OPT (Online Product Testing) and HUT (Home Usage Testing) bring evaluation into the consumer's natural context . This is ideal for products that need repeated usage, household dynamics, or occasion-specific feedback.
Actionable depth
Our quantitative setups go beyond liking scores. We integrate sensory profiling, action standards, dashboarding solutions, and competitive benchmarking into one coherent output.
Expert-to-consumer integration
Combining trained expert panel data (objective sensory profiles) with consumer data (subjective liking) gives R&D and marketing the clarity they need to make the right product decisions.
Start testing with the right setup from day one
At Haystack Consulting, we don't apply a standard template. We build the research setup that answers your specific product question. Faster, sharper, and with full cross-functional expertise.
Ideal Partner
Why partner with Haystack Consulting
A product launch lives or dies by how well the concept, product, packaging, and claims fit together. That's why we never test any one piece in isolation. Our frameworks are built to look at the full picture, every time.
We prepare every study with a kickoff session, at Haystack or at your premises, to ensure we fully understand the product prototype and what consumers will experience. This first-hand immersion makes our research sharper and our recommendations more actionable.
Our hybrid team structure means your product is evaluated from multiple expert perspectives simultaneously: sensory, qualitative, and quantitative. The result is a richer, more integrated insight set delivered in a single research process.
Unique process
Built for products. Designed for decisions.
Product testing at Haystack is structured around three core methodologies, each suited to a different stage of development.
Central Location Test
The most controlled way to evaluate a product. Everything that could influence the experience, from temperature and environment to serving materials and palate cleansers, is standardized so every consumer is assessing under exactly the same conditions.
When to use: Early development and prototype testing; multiple product evaluations; when product secrecy, supply limitations, or controlled environments are critical.
Design options available: Monadic testing, sequential monadic, head-to-head, tetrad, triangle...
Online Product Testing
A faster, more flexible approach that brings the test to the consumer. Taste boxes containing the test products, serving materials, and step-by-step instructions are shipped directly to people's homes, where they evaluate via Haystack's own tasting platform in a semi-controlled setting.
When to use: Early to mid-stage development; when product safety and regulations allow home testing; when speed and cost-efficiency are priorities.
Platform benefits: Multi-device compatible; supports pre- and post-tasks; allows photo/video uploads; push questions and instruction video uploads available.
Home Usage Test
Consumers use the product as they normally would over a set period of time. Household members can be included. Occasions, usage moments, and real-life feedback are captured through surveys, photos, and videos.
When to use: Late-stage testing; complex categories, repeated-use products, or products with unknown consumption occasions; when household dynamics or preparation contexts matter
Brand aligned
A partner who keeps the full product picture in view
A product is never experienced in isolation. Consumers encounter concept, product, packaging, and claims all at once. And so do we!
Integrated expertise
Qual, quant, and sensory specialists work as one team from briefing to reporting. What you get back is one coherent story, not a patchwork of separate outputs.
Method precision
Every design choice, CLT vs. OPT vs. HUT, monadic vs. sequential, focus group vs. community, is made to answer your specific business question, not to fill a standard template.
Concept-to-shelf harmony
We test the full product experience: concept, product, pack, and claims together. Because consumers experience everything at once.
Speed without shortcuts
Haystack's hybrid team structure and proprietary platforms, including our tasting platform, AI-powered analysis, and virtual audiences, allow faster turn around without compromising research quality.
How we set up and run your product test
From first briefing to final recommendation, every step is designed to keep your business question at the centre. We combine methodological precision with genuine product immersion. Meaning the insights you receive are always grounded in what consumers actually experience.
Alignment
We define the business question, product stage, testing objectives, and the right methodology mix.
Fieldwork
Consumers evaluate products via CLT, OPT, HUT, focus groups, communities, or a hybrid designed around your product and timeline.
Delivery
Outputs range from raw data exports and dashboards to topline reports and full strategic analyses with clear go/no-go recommendations.
Preparation
We organize a kickoff session with the team to ensure full firsthand understanding before fieldwork begins.
Analysis
Data is integrated across quantitative, qualitative, and sensory streams into a single, coherent insight set.
Alignment
We define the business question, product stage, testing objectives, and the right methodology mix.
Preparation
Every design choice, CLT vs. OPT vs. HUT, monadic vs. sequential, focus group vs. community, is made to answer your specific business question, not to fill a standard template.
Fieldwork
Consumers evaluate products via CLT, OPT, HUT, focus groups, communities, or a hybrid designed around your product and timeline.
Analysis
Data is integrated across quantitative, qualitative, and sensory streams into a single, coherent insight set.
Delivery
Outputs range from raw data exports and dashboards to topline reports and full strategic analyses with clear go/no-go recommendations.
Don’t just take our word for it
"Great team to work with. Always innovating research agency for sensorial research!"
"Haystack brainstorms with us as a partner to create challenging, innovative, and custom-made projects."
"We have great professional experience with Haystack! They are reliable, dynamic, pleasant and highly flexible. They are specialised in sensory research among others."
"Haystack has a critical approach embedded in their company culture and methodologies. That is why we prefer to work with Haystack."
Ready to shape your product's story?
The strongest launches are built on the clearest consumer understanding. If you are ready to explore how an integrated product testing setup can take your prototype from promising to proven, our team would love to connect.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some of the most common questions clients ask before starting their journey with us.
Can Haystack support product testing across multiple markets?
Yes. Our online communities and OPT setups are built for multi-market deployment, with local-language moderation and integrated translation functionality. Our CLT and HUT networks extend across key European and international markets.
Can qualitative and quantitative product testing be combined?
Yes — and we recommend it. Haystack's hybrid setups blend qual and quant within the same research program, giving you both statistical confidence and the consumer language to act on findings.
How does sensory expert data improve our consumer research?
Consumers are excellent at expressing their overall reaction, but often struggle to pinpoint why they feel the way they do. Trained expert panels provide the precise sensory vocabulary that bridges consumer feedback to actionable R&D input.
What outputs can we expect from a product test?
Depending on the methodology, outputs range from raw data exports and custom dashboards (quantitative) to topline reports and full strategic analyses (qualitative and sensory). We align on deliverables at the start of every project.
When should we choose CLT over HUT in product testing?
CLT is best for early-stage prototypes where controlled conditions are essential — multiple products, limited supply, or when product secrecy matters. HUT is designed for late-stage testing where real-life context, repeated usage, or household dynamics are the key research variables.
Ready to build a stronger product?
Testing is not the last step before launch. It is the engine that drives every development decision. If you are ready to set up a product test that gives you real consumer clarity, from first prototype to final product, our team is here to help.
