In our “liquid” society it is increasingly difficult for a retailer or brand to know its consumers’ taste preferences. Knowing which products to put on shelves, which new product to launch or which to promote and focus on with their communication.
It is just as increasingly complicated to help a buyer find their perfect product.
You need an in-depth market study and specific knowledge of the target audience.
The analysis must be meticulous and supported by solid numbers to be able to understand your own audience and to achieve any set goals.
However, sometimes it becomes almost impossible to get a complete overview and making certain decisions can prove to be a shot in the dark. This gamble can cost you dear.
What if there was someone up to the task?
Someone who studies and uses an intuitive tool with a constantly improving algorithm, which lets you learn how to understand the palate of the people who should be buying the product?
We are happy to introduce the Taste Analyst.
A versatile figure, an expert taster who not only knows the sensory characteristics of a certain food or drink, but also studies consumers’ perception of the product. This person knows why they should like certain characteristics or not, and how using clear, simple language could create greater engagement and bring them to a final purchasing decision.
Vinhood and its Taste Analyst team have created the Taste Expert.
It is a simple test that is fun, but also collects clear, useful information that helps consumers to knowingly choose the right product for them and their tastes. However, it also helps producers to discover something new about their customers every day.
The Taste Analyst: only at Vinhood
The Taste Analyst is a completely new and innovative profession created by VINHOOD.
In 2019, it was officially registered as a new profession at the Local Employment Authority in Milan.
The life of a Sensory Expert: what does a Taste Analyst do?
Our Taste Analysts have a specific approach to studying products. First of all, they study its intrinsic characteristics.
Let’s take the example of bread. This staple food of the Mediterranean diet can always be found on our dinner tables, but is also much loved around the rest of the world, albeit with very different properties and uses. Did you know that there are over 130 different types?
The Taste Analyst studies its ingredients, the production process, the most widely eaten types for the country being studied, the aromas and the different taste qualities, and then collects all this information.
Vinhood and its team work with industry experts, interviewing them and organizing company tours to follow and understand up-close all the stages to make the end product. Talking with professionals is behind this path of study and an essential step in this learning process.
Later, we analyze the perception of the product by organizing tasting panels with consumers or simple surveys on consumer habits.
At this stage, based on the data collected, we organize various taste categories, using our #Characters, which take into consideration the sensory characteristics as well as when the product will be eaten.
These #Characters are then incorporated into our Solution, the Taste Expert, which involves various tests: a basic test to discover its #character, an Expert test and a Pairings test.
The purpose of these tests is to help and guide consumers in choosing a certain product: the perfect one for their palate.
Taste Analyst: A Central Role
The Taste Analyst plays a key role in developing the algorithm, which is essential for approaching any type of product, with study phases that take several months, a vast number of tasting sessions and a good understanding of math, but that’s not all: it’s also all about having fun!
Over the past two years, the Vinhood team has tasted over 1350 wines, 60 bitters, 150 coffees and 150 beers, involving over 30 industry experts.
Just think that we didn’t even stop during lockdown, when digital tasting sessions were organized with everyone connecting from their own home.
Now it’s your time! Ready to try our Taste Test?
What determines our preferences when deciding what to buy? Are we guided by our sense of taste or emotions?
For the last nine years, we have been working on a research project that focuses on flavor at an international level. With the help of our Sensory Experts and Taste Analysts, we have been mapping the flavor preferences and dietary habits of people in many countries worldwide.
How do companies manage to develop products that so perfectly satisfy your tastes? It’s all thanks to sensory science.