We have been immersed in the fragrance category for a while now and wanted to share some of the reasons why signature scents are no longer a thing amongst consumers in this category, like they once were. Here's our summary:

1. Self-Expression: In 2024, people want to express many aspects of themselves by scent, not be reflective of just one scent. How one-dimensional would it be to only wear one perfume?
2. Occasion-Based Choices: Different occasions call for different perfumes, similar to how we choose different outfits for different events.
3. Seasonal Preferences: Perfume choices can change with the seasons, with lighter scents preferred in summer, and warmer, cosier scents in winter—although not everyone behaves this way.
4. Self-Indulgence: For many, buying new perfumes is a form of self-indulgence and a treat, much like buying new shoes or desserts. Telling them to stop at one perfume is interpreted as a punishment.
5. Mood Enhancement: Perfumes can boost moods and provide emotional comfort, thanks to their direct impact on our brain's olfactory pathways.
6. Avoiding Boredom: People get bored of wearing the same scent every day, preferring to mix things up to keep life interesting.
7. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): With so many new perfumes being released annually, people fear missing out on potentially 'perfect scents', leading to frequent changes in their perfume choices.
8. Trends: Perfume trends come and go, influencing people to try new scents as they become popular.
9. Influence of Social Media: Social media influencers and beauty bloggers are playing a significant role in shaping consumer preferences for more fragrances.
10. Fragrance Layering: Layering different perfumes, or "fragrance cocktailing," is a popular trend that allows people to create unique scents and make their perfume collections work harder.
11. Limited Editions and Discontinuations: The availability of limited edition perfumes and the discontinuation of favorite scents force people to continually seek new options.
12. Scent Profile Preferences: Many people stick to a general scent profile they like (e.g., floral, woody, gourmand) but experiment with different perfumes within that profile.

For a broader discussion on this topic, check out this blog post from Wicked Fumes who we worked with in obtaining these insights.

Personal devices that read our emotional states will need thorough concept and product testing in order to meet our needs

India has a thriving tech industry that out performs Silicon Valley. So when they make announcements like this, 'Artificial Intelligence-powered devices to read users' emotional state, says research by Gartner', then it really gives me pause. 
 
First off. It's mind blowing that personal devices might soon be able to read our facial expressions, pick up tonality in our voice, and interpret our behaviour. But it also makes me think about implications for concept and product testing and knowing the difference between them. 

Have to give a shout out to Jared Spool ​over at UIE for his recent blog post about the Net Promoter Score. 

Even though the NPS metric has been debunked there are many businesses still using it.

Jared's post is nicely detailed for anyone looking to educate themselves about the issues associated with using NPS. 

Some people say it's wrong to be involved in an industry like market research that supports 'mindless, rampant consumerism'. Those sorts of comments used to make me feel bad about myself. I struggled to defend myself but it was hard. After all I helped launch many successful supermarket products and improve many a service offering, all designed to make people buy more and spend more. It made me think, 'shouldn't I be using my skills to improve the world?'

How do consumers make purchase decisions? What really matters to them when they buy? What leads them to choose one brand or product over another, particularly in competitive markets? After having done consumer research in all sorts of markets for all sorts of clients, I see the same answers time and time again. Everything consumers say drives their choices and everything they do can be classified into one of 4 areas - Price, Product, Customer Service, and Brand (image and reputation). Everything.

Research has found that consumer beliefs about human personality also translate to their beliefs about brand personality. Unfortunately this means there will be a subset of consumers who hold conflicting opinions about parent brands extending into new products or services. So what should brand managers do about it? 

Research with consumers is a process designed to help brand managers reduce confusion, indecision and subjectivity in managing their brand. But as it turns out, there's a group of consumers destined to keep brand managers perplexed (or tearing out their hair) over their conflicting opinions toward brands.

Trying to decide your qualitative sample size can be a tricky. In academic circles researchers say that you stop interviewing when you start hearing the same stories. Unfortunately commercial researchers don't have that luxury. They need to plan and cost for sample sizes ahead of fieldwork and given how costly qualitative fieldwork can be, getting the sampling right can mean the difference between a project being commissioned or being passed over. 

In the whitepaper below, Donna outlines how market researchers can judge ahead of time how many interviews they will need in order to get reliable and valid results.  

​Download your copy of the whitepaper - Qualitative Interviews: When enough is enough.