Puratos launches European Sensobus

28 Jul 2016

Puratos has invested in a new Sensobus for the European continent. The Sensobus is described as a unique and fully-equipped sensory analysis lab on wheels that can travel to where consumers shop for food.

Puratos has invested in a new Sensobus for the European continent. The Sensobus is described as a unique and fully-equipped sensory analysis lab on wheels that can travel to where consumers shop for food and welcome up to 300 people a day. Finding out the preferences of consumers has never been easier, the company says.

Once on board the Sensobus, volunteers are seated at one of the eight sensory booths and presented with a selection of bakery, patisserie or chocolate products (depending on the survey performed). Puratos’ team of researchers then ask them a variety of questions about their preferences, generating feedback that can immediately – and precisely – help an industrial manufacturer or retailer with their product development.

The Sensobus also allows the testing of pricing, marketing and communication concepts: what type of packaging do consumers prefer, what increases their brand perception, what information do they need and consider to make a choice? In just a few days of fieldwork, Puratos says a representative sample can be collected right at the heart of a relevant target audience.

Puratos notes that it also uses its 10 years of expertise in consumer research to benchmark the results against an industry average within the survey category and region.

The company says it now offers a full range of mobile consumer sensory analysis solutions across the globe. Sensobuses are active in Europe and the United States and the Sensovan drives across Iberica. In Asia-Pacific there are three Sensoboxes, which are mobile labs in the form of fair booths that can be installed in shopping malls or at any other location. At this moment one Sensobox is located in China, one in Malaysia to support South-East Asia and one is shared between New Zealand and Australia.

“We have observed that consumers have become more articulate over the last few years,” said Nanno Palte, Group Marketing Intelligence Manager at Puratos. “They want to have a say in the products that are coming their way. With the Sensobus Puratos can help its customers to involve consumers in product development, gather insights and turn formerly uncertain new product launches into success.”