Unilever: Innovation Insights to Shape Tomorrow's Products
Optimising Innovation Strategies to Future-Proof Product Concepts
Spraying New Ideas: Leveraging Consumer Feedback to Freshen Up Product Innovation
Unilever were looking to enhance their innovation process by detecting early signals for new product ideas.
Their aim was to test unbranded concepts, explore consumer opinions, identify potential hurdles and determine how these solutions could align within their existing brand portfolio, all while staying within time and budget constraints.
To meet these challenges, Unilever partnered with BoltChatAI, using the platform’s capabilities to efficiently gather critical insights across diverse demographics in the USA.
About Unilever
Unilever was founded nearly 100 years ago! On the 2nd of September 1929, when the British soap maker Lever Brothers and the Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie joined forces.
Over nearly a century of innovation later, Unilever has become a global leader in consumer goods, known for its impressive roster of brands across a wide range of industries, including personal care, food and home care.
With its portfolio of household names being trusted by millions worldwide, Unilever is always looking to drive growth through purpose-led initiatives, helping to create a positive impact for both consumers and the planet. Every challenge has an opportunity.
When tasked with refining their innovation strategy, Unilever turned to BoltChatAI for a fast, insightful solution. Our Qual at Scale capabilities were exactly what the team needed.
Research Challenge
Unilever needed to test unbranded product concepts among a range of consumers in the USA.
They were looking to gain rapid feedback from different demographic groups, varying in ethnicity, income, age and gender. They wanted to identify any issues early on and determine how these ideas could integrate into their brands.
After being briefed on what was needed, BoltChatAI engaged in one-to-one conversations with participants, delivering detailed insights within a very short timeframe.
“We wanted to get detailed feedback on multiple different ideas in a short amount of time to help optimise them. BoltChatAI has unlocked an approach for us to get deep insights on a large number of ideas in a significantly shorter time and lower cost than other methodologies, speeding up the ideation process and giving us clear signals on where to take them.”
Daniel Kery
Global Senior Brand Manager - Deodorants, Unilever
Approach and Solution
Using the stimulus upload feature that is built into our AI-powered platform, Unilever was able to test their product concepts with a diverse range of consumers.
The AI-Moderator facilitated a series of in-depth qualitative interviews, exploring user perceptions and identifying key insights around potential product fit and areas for improvement.
As BoltChatAI was busy with respondents, the Unilever team were able to allocate their time elsewhere, focussing on other strategic tasks.
By engaging with a variety of perspectives quickly and efficiently, Unilever was able to refine its concepts in real time, significantly accelerating the iteration process. The team gathered actionable insights that informed key decisions and future development.
Outcome and Business Impact
The collaboration with BoltChatAI provided Unilever with substantial time and cost savings.
By streamlining the research process, they were able to gather meaningful feedback faster, without the delays often associated with traditional methods.
As a result, Unilever was able to make more informed, timely decisions. Optimising their innovation strategy and refining product concepts to better meet market needs.
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