A few weeks ago, Jean-Christophe Perrin, Deputy Director, and Virginie Herbreteau, Research Director at ACTALIA Sensoriel, took part in a day dedicated to sensory analysis, organised by FoodLab ISARA Conseil.
Bringing together around fifteen companies from the R&D Club, the event provided an opportunity to explore the changes currently shaping consumer behaviour, as well as their implications for manufacturers and sensory research.
Understanding the consumer experience beyond product preference
Today, simply knowing whether consumers like a product is no longer enough. Manufacturers also want to understand why a product is chosen, under what conditions it is used or consumed, what emotions it generates, and whether it will ultimately be adopted.
Consumer behaviour has become more complex and, in some cases, more difficult to anticipate. Successive crises, inflation, growing sustainability concerns and the development of artificial intelligence are all contributing to changes in consumer expectations and purchasing decisions.
These changes are directly reflected in the requests received by ACTALIA Sensoriel teams. Where the main question used to be “Which product is preferred?”, studies now increasingly seek to understand the entire experience: the reasons behind a choice, the emotions generated and the context in which the product is consumed. As a result, research approaches are becoming more longitudinal and increasingly focused on the user experience.
Research closer to real-life conditions of use
One of the key challenges is therefore to place the product back into its real-life context of use or consumption.
Beyond sensory characteristics alone, it is increasingly relevant to consider the different dimensions of the experience: emotional and cognitive responses, packaging, consumption occasions and conditions of use.
This evolution in research practices provides manufacturers with more comprehensive insights to support their decisions, particularly when addressing challenges related to reformulation, naturality, sustainability, the validation of sensory benefits, or changes in raw materials and production costs.
Using artificial intelligence to enrich product experience analysis
The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the possibilities offered by new technologies in consumer research.
ACTALIA Sensoriel is developing approaches that use artificial intelligence to analyse consumer gestures during product use. These behavioural data complement self-reported responses and sensory measurements, providing a new perspective on the consumer’s actual product experience.
The objective remains the same: to generate increasingly relevant insights in order to better understand the consumer experience and support the development of products that are more widely accepted, relevant and sustainable.
This event organised by FoodLab ISARA Conseil was therefore an opportunity not only to share the changes we are observing in the field, but also to discuss current challenges directly with the participating companies.
Many thanks to the ISARA Conseil teams for their warm welcome and for organising the event.
