CPG Concept Testing Discussion Guide Template

This is a ready-to-use discussion guide for CPG concept testing. For the complete concept testing methodology, see Concept Testing for CPG. For 75 additional CPG research questions, see CPG Consumer Research Interview Questions.

Pre-Interview Setup

Research objective: [State the specific decision this test informs]

Concept format: [Concept board / packaging mockup / text description / video prototype]

Presentation method: [Show on screen / read description / show physical sample]

Design: [Monadic (one concept per participant) / Sequential (multiple concepts)]

Target sample: [N] verified [category] purchasers who [screening criteria]

Discussion Guide

Section 1: Category Context (5 minutes)

Purpose: Establish the competitive context and current purchase behavior before concept exposure. This grounds the evaluation in real behavior rather than hypothetical preferences.

Q1. “Walk me through your typical buying pattern in [category]. How often do you buy, where do you shop for it, and what influences your choice?”

Probing paths:

• If habitual buyer: “How long have you been buying that brand? What keeps you coming back?”
• If variety seeker: “How do you decide which brand to buy on any given trip?”
• If price-sensitive: “How do deals and promotions affect what you choose?”

Q2. “What is your go-to product in [category] right now? What makes it your go-to?”

Probing paths:

• “What would your go-to need to do differently to lose its spot?”
• “Have you switched go-to products in the past year? What caused it?”

Coding note: Record current brand, purchase frequency, channel, primary decision driver.

Section 2: Initial Reaction (5 minutes)

Purpose: Capture uncontaminated first impressions before structured evaluation.

[Present concept]

Q3. “Tell me your initial reaction to this in your own words.”

Probing paths:

• “What was the very first thing you noticed?”
• “What does this remind you of?”
• “If you had to describe this to a friend in one sentence, what would you say?”

Q4. “What do you think this product is trying to be? Who do you think it is for?”

Probing paths:

• “What makes you say that?”
• “Do you see yourself as someone this is for? Why or why not?”

Coding note: Record spontaneous language, perceived category, perceived target. Flag any misalignment with intended positioning.

Section 3: Detailed Evaluation (10 minutes)

Purpose: Evaluate appeal, differentiation, and barriers with laddering depth.

Q5. “What is the single best thing about this concept?”

Probing (ladder up):

• “Why is that important to you?” (Functional benefit)
• “What does that give you that other products do not?” (Emotional benefit)
• “Why does that matter in your life?” (Personal value)

Q6. “What concerns or hesitations would you have about trying this for the first time?”

Probing paths:

• “What would it take to overcome that concern?”
• “Have you had a bad experience trying something new in this category?”
• “Is that a dealbreaker or something you could live with?”

Q7. “How is this different from anything else you have seen in [category]?”

Probing paths:

• “Is that difference important to you? Would you pay more for it?”
• “Does this feel like a real innovation or just a different version of what exists?”

Q8. “What about this concept is unclear or confusing?”

Probing paths:

• “What additional information would you need before buying?”
• “What are you assuming about this product that may or may not be true?”

Coding note: Record primary appeal (attribute, functional benefit, emotional benefit, value level), primary barrier (type and severity), perceived differentiation (unique/marginal/none).

Section 4: Purchase Consideration (5 minutes)

Purpose: Assess realistic purchase intent, price sensitivity, and competitive displacement.

Q9. “If this product were priced at [price], how does that feel relative to what you normally pay in [category]?”

Probing paths:

• “What would you expect a product like this to cost?”
• “At what price would this be a no-brainer? At what price would you question quality?”

Q10. “Imagine you see this on the shelf next to what you usually buy. What would make you pick it up? What might make you pass?”

Probing paths:

• “What specifically about it would catch your attention versus the brands around it?”
• “What would this product need to change for you to try it?”

Q11. “If you tried this and liked it, what would it replace in your regular rotation?”

Probing paths:

• “What is not quite right about that product that this one could fix?”
• “How many tries would it take before this became your go-to?”

Coding note: Record price perception (high/fair/low), pickup likelihood (high/medium/low), displacement target (brand and reason).

Section 5: Improvement and Closure (5 minutes)

Purpose: Identify optimization opportunities and capture overall assessment.

Q12. “What one change would make this concept significantly more appealing to you?”

Probing paths:

• “How much of a difference would that change make?”
• “Is there anything else you would change?”

Q13. “On a scale of ‘I would walk right past it’ to ‘I would stop and pick it up,’ where does this land? And what would move it one step higher?”

Coding note: Record overall assessment, primary improvement suggestion, and the specific change that would increase purchase likelihood.

Post-Interview Analysis Coding Sheet

For each interview, code:

For the complete CPG concept testing methodology, see Concept Testing for CPG. For the full library of CPG research questions, see 75 CPG Consumer Research Interview Questions. To run this discussion guide with verified purchasers, launch a study or book a demo.