FMCG Consumer Research in India: A Guide to Better Study Design

Ask about a recent category purchase or use within an appropriate recall period. Distinguish the person who buys from the person who consumes, and record who influences the decision. Set the recall period to the category rather than using one window for every product.

Record relevant pack sizes, buying channels and purchase frequency. If your launch focuses on a particular market or language, recruit for it explicitly. An online sample should not be described as representative of all rural households merely because some participants live outside large cities.

Document the recruitment source and exclusions. State whose views the study includes and whose it may miss.

A branded pack test evaluates the combined response to visual design and brand cues. A debranded test asks a different question, such as whether shoppers recognise a pack without its logo. Decide which question matters before preparing images.

Use equivalent image size and presentation conditions. If testing shelf recognition, show the relevant competitive context; if testing a label, check whether respondents can actually read it on their devices. Ask what people think the product is, who it is for and what information is missing before asking for an overall rating.

For a published example, the skincare blind-test study describes debranded pack evaluation and reports its sample shortfall. Read that study's limitations alongside its findings. An image test does not establish taste, fragrance or physical product performance.

Describe price together with quantity, format and channel. A small trial pack and a family pack serve different purchasing needs; comparing price alone can be misleading.

For an illustrative snack study, show the proposed quantity and selling price, ask when it would be used, then ask what the shopper would buy instead. Capture reasons for rejecting the offer rather than assuming that every rejection means the price is too high.

When comparing channels, distinguish stated preference from a recent observed or recalled purchase. Availability, delivery costs and promotions may influence a choice. Keep those conditions explicit in the stimulus and report. See pricing research for related study planning.

For brand switching, begin with a recent purchase: what was bought, what had been bought before, what alternatives were available and what prompted the change. Allow for more than one brand in a household's buying pattern.

For advertising, separate message comprehension, brand attribution and personal relevance. An entertaining ad may not communicate the intended benefit. If respondents see more than one ad, plan presentation order and keep exposure conditions comparable.

The Surf Excel ad-testing page describes a study framework and explicitly identifies pending findings. Use it as a design example, not proof of a winning creative. Preserve that distinction between planned research and completed evidence in your own reports.

Before fieldwork, agree which comparisons will influence the decision: current users versus non-users, relevant pack formats, channels or priority markets. Check that the achieved sample supports those comparisons before producing a detailed table.

The final report should include the questionnaire, stimulus files, fieldwork dates, recruitment method, exclusions, achieved sample and results with bases. Keep proposed actions tied to evidence: rewrite a misunderstood label, explore a rejected pack size, or investigate a channel-specific barrier.

Review FMCG research with Hercules Works and current plans when preparing your brief. Confirm recruitment feasibility, language review and any physical product testing separately. For general reporting principles, consult AAPOR's survey best practices.