Devil or angel : how virtual testing environment can affect product evaluations
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
International Journal of Market Research
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Volume
53
Issue
3
First Page
415
Last Page
437
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Abstract
While new product evaluation testing plays a pivotal role in the NPD process, there is little empirical evidence on the influence of the virtual testing environment on the evaluation results and the data quality. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by using a split-sample online concept testing-like study to compare the testing results in traditional and virtual environments for five heterogeneous innovations. The findings indicate that both traditional and virtual testing environments yield identical mean scores, while the latter provides higher-quality data given the same sampling design. Early concept or product tests, therefore, may be carried out in a more realistic testing environment using virtual techniques, which could substantially enhance the quality of testing data.
DOI
10.2501/IJMR-53-3-415-437
Print ISSN
14707853
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2011 Sage Publications Ltd
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Peng, L., He, Y., & Wan, X. (2011). Devil or angel: How virtual testing environment can affect product evaluations. International Journal of Market Research, 53(3), 415-437. doi: 10.2501/IJMR-53-3-415-437